How some choices can cause us to compromise moral integrity
Peter Goldsworthy (1997) illustrates how every choice we make even affects our future life and has great influence. He explains how the long process from infant to adulthood takes place and the decisions that he made as a young boy affected his adult life. These choices are not gone but affect everyday part of life. At the stage of young adult Paul is not aware how this stage was going to influence finally. He engages in some lessons from Keller to satisfy his hopes and his goals this gives him some inspirations to concentrate in his lessons. His experience broadens and his skills due to the persistence of his teacher who pushes him. Keller is much involved in perfecting Paul as pianist later he understands that he cannot .He recognizes that some of the in born values can only be made perfect through appreciating your world. As illustrated in the book, when Paul started his lessons with Keller, he had a negative impression he never liked him. Paul gains more knowledge on his ability in music through Keller. He develops and grows to realize himself and also his teacher in such a way that he comes up with a novel. As he matures his feelings towards Maestro develops and becomes warmer and they become so tight. I slipped my arm beneath his head and kissed him. This shows how much they had bonded with Keller. All through Paul did not regard Maestro and he thought his counsel was exasperating and contradictory. This reveals how much our choices can influence our future outcomes. Many young people disregard the advice of their elders and refer them as old fashioned ideas which cannot fit in the current generation. As a result they turn a deaf ear and make their own choices according to their feelings. Digging further, we find that following Kellers death, Paul understands the chance Keller had offered him and the kind of wealth that he had taken for granted. Mourning for a great man, yes, but also mourning for myself for times and possibilities that will never come again. This indicates his regrets after he had wasted precious chance freely offered to him. Paul reflects exactly todays generation which has corrupted the moral standards and have compromised the truth. Most youth are self centered and do every thing out of selfish ambitions through following their feelings and the anxiety to discover more. Just like Paul, it dawns on them when it is too late when nothing can be reversed all these depends on the choices one makes. In addition to maturity in piano skills, his perspective in regard to life matures throughout his life stages. It is clear that his choices are influenced by sexual desires that have soon caught him. As illustrated he even runs away from the classes and goes to the vehicle where Rosie was waiting for him. He overreacts due to the previous night thoughts when they had spent a night with Rosie. This illustrates how the different choices we make finally affect even our moral integrity and cause us to compromise our principles as discussed further below.
The character of Paul show similar issues as todays adolescent boys would go through in order to fit to the new school and be able to relate with girls. At the beginning, he approaches Megan since she was attractive and more famous. Mostly you find todays generation would associate with Paul many make choices from the outward appearance. They choose their mates according to the type of dressing, the new fashion of dressing, hair styles and surprisingly how much their body is exposed by their dressing. Others will also choose their friends in terms of fame. Many are attracted to the public figures, those that are common in public rallies and always appear on stage to give speeches. They are allover known even the village children go on shouting their names, they are the heroes of the village. These are the people that every youth want to be intimate with and justify themselves to develop long term relationships. However, the fact remains all that glitters is not gold. Most of these friendships do not last and they cause break ups. Many are hurt and their lives are crammed with bitterness and regrets, they lead a lonely life .Some develops some phobia towards their opposite sex and they never want anyone to approach them. They develop some kind of hostility, resentful attitude and their lives is led by unforgiveness finally they can be singles through out their lives. This has caused fading away of the fundamental principles in our society and moral standards are no longer viewed as part of life. Later you find that he recognizes that Rosie was better since she is fond of Paul and he too likes her company. As stated earlier, we realize the dramatic change in Pauls life as he comes to understand himself. He runs away from the lessons that he was fond of and goes to meet Rosie in the car where she was waiting for him. He is over controlled by his emotions as he remembered the previous night they had spent with Rosie. He clearly portrays how our emotions can easily influence our actions. Due to what he had already fed in his mind from the choices he made, Paul no longer gives priority to his lessons as a result of the awakened love to Rosie. This explains the reasons why you find most youths no longer concentrate in their classes, parents advice or other important basic values. They prioritize what their emotions are dictating and they end up corrupting their integrity. At the end we find that as years passed Paul married and had children. Though he finally works as a musician, he feels that he has not un leashed his potential. Later he tries to find out more about his previous teacher. He goes ahead and visits Keller who was dying and tries to understand what he was instructing him.
On the other hand, Keller was a famous musician from Vienna. He was renowned in away that he thought the war could not affect him. At the end he loses his son and his wife during the war. He ends up running away from his country and everyone thought he was dead. As a result of all these dreadful encounters and bitterness he evolves and changes to become a different man. The grand piano becomes his refuge and his security, assisting him to deal with the fears of the world safe beneath that grand piano and in the same way directing Eduard a way of destructing life. Never trust the beautiful beauty simplifies as Keller talks about music and also referring to the world. Goldsworthy was portraying beauty as a away of evading the reality as shown by Pauls realization of true love from Rosie whom had referred as mousy as he was attracted to Megan. Pauls father views Darwin (where the action of the novel happens).as a place for Philistines who refers to it as a city of booze, blow, and blasphemy. He considers that it is a city of refuge for those people segregated by the society and regarded as not part of the society. It is a town which is overpopulated by women and men who have abandoned their original homes and escape as far as they could. This was the basis of Eduard Keller becoming a music teacher to Paul. We find fate playing part in Pauls life as he meets Keller as his teacher .He is ambitious and concerned about Paul he pushes him during his lessons to shape him. Through the lessons we find that he guides him and offers advice to him as a parent would do to their children. At first he was not impressed by Paul just like Paul was probably because of his alcoholic nature also because he does not agree to talk about his wartime in the past. We find that Paul thinks he might be previous Nazi of which has some truth in it since he was involved with Nazi regime but not in the same manner Paul views him. However, later we understand that Keller had the most dignified musical pedigree and he had once in his life time become a pianist of distinction. With this knowledge he tries to impact Paul but he reveals his immaturity when he chooses to hit the European contest circuit than take more time to improve on his skillfulness. He tries his best although we find that Paul takes for granted the advices that he gave him. Keller is therefore reflected as a figure of dignity and also power. He is like the one in charge of Pauls life from the time he was innocent young boy until he started to appreciate himself and to realize more about his social life till he became an adult.
In summary both Paul Keller tries to bring out the struggle of mankind in his quest to differentiate the reality of life and dreams. We find both of them making choices that are some extent hard others affect their lives and they bear the results throughout their lives. In conclusion, its important to think twice before making any choice because we must bear the consequences at the end. Some will cost us our whole life since they ruin our values and corrupt our moral standards. Mostly choices made at young stage will always affect the adult life as portrayed by Paul, it is worthy taking into consideration some of the advices given by guardian sieve those that are not important .In the youthful stage there are major decisions that one makes and they are the core foundation of the future life.
Categories:
0 comments:
Post a Comment