Human life is a complex process that lasts on the background of other processes on the Earth. It is evident that all those processes and events influence and correlate to each other making life almost a ceaseless phenomenon. Our task is to learn the trouble distinguishing personal identity from perception of reality on the example of different artworks.
It should be born in mind that “the problem of personal identity over time is the problem of giving an account of the logically necessary and sufficient conditions for a person identified at one time being the same person as a person identified at another” (Noonan, 2). Thus, to outline the distinguished personal identity, one should take into account historical conditions of the world a person lives in and his/her own perception of reality. In psychology there exist two ways of reality perception: imagining a thing and trusting in its existence and assuming the proposition and submitting its truth.
If we want to create rules of acceptable evidence for truth of existence in order to build our worldviews, we will need a better understanding of the relationship of truth to reality. Those worldviews become our personal representations of reality and our standards of reference for truth (Stark, 212).
Stark also emphasizes that “our perceptions of reality are filtered by our personal worldviews as we estimate reality” (212). In what way does it happen we are going to observe on the example of several artworks.
The play of Arthur Miller Death of a Salesman is a brilliant example of how perception of reality influences personal identity.
Willy Loman is a person who because of harsh life circumstances begins to live two lives: real and imagined. Imagined life gives him a vision of his young years with endless opportunities and possibilities. Unfortunately, real life picture is different. Willy is old, weak physically and mentally and, as a result, not popular and successful. May be work of a salesman was not a perfect variant for him but his perception of reality based on the dreams led to fatal decisions and the tragedy in the end of the play. Of course, it must be mentioned that his perception of reality was influenced by the general philosophy of American Dream. It is a paradox but dream at the beginning turned into horror in the end.
According to Floyd’s point of view, “emotionally healthy people are able to face reality whether it is pleasant or unpleasant. They cope with the problems they encounter instead of escaping and retreating to drug misuse or overindulgence in food or sex” (32). Analyzing the situation with Billy, we can assume that he was mentally ill because of perfectionism syndrome.
The reaction of American viewership to this play was also understandable.
They were seeing themselves not because Willy is a salesman, but the situation in which he stood and to which he was reacting, and which was reacting against him, was probably the central situation of contemporary civilization. It is that we are struggling with forces that are far greater than we can handle, with no equipment to make anything mean anything (Griffin, 35).
Another eminent example of reality perception and personal identity is described in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest film by Milos Forman. It is the screen version of the novel of the same name by ken Kesey.
Randle Patrick McMurphy came to the mental institution in order to avoid being in the jail. Before his coming to the asylum his life perception and attitude were different. He was a criminal penalized for statutory rape. He did not care about any strict moral principles and lived a life he wanted. At the mental institution he saw a different reality. Quite different, full of cruelty, and violence. Nurse Ratched is supposed to be treated as the embodiment of totalitarian system. However, it is she who was the key factor influenced McMurphy’s life perception. He felt himself to be unacknowledged leader able to reveal real life and freedom to patients.
His quest is to guide this small group of mental defectives in finding the means to save themselves from a wicked ward nurse and an indifferent medical system by getting them to laugh at the absurdity of their lives and environment (Ferrel, 76).
As Floyd points out, “emotionally healthy people realize that nothing is absolute or unchangeable. Adaptable people deal with life as they find it and do not expect it to change at a whim (32). Here we can see that in pursuit of his aim achieving McMurphy became also mentally ill though he was quite an adequate person at the beginning of the film. Inability to find out his personal identity due to existing circumstances led to the tragic end.
The third work to discuss is the novel Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov.
Lolita is a complex work which presents a love story, a parody, a psychological study of obsessional behavior, an evocation of certain aspects of American life, a book that makes for morality or immorality its pretensions and achievements (Clegg, 16).
Regarding our question about life perception and personal identity on the example of this novel we can say that it is based on the perverted attitude to life and environment because of some psychological traumas obtained by the main hero in the childhood. As a result, he felt the affection only to the very young girls.
The psychological condition of young Lolita was also stressed. Her personal identity was influenced by the environment and inappropriate family atmosphere. This led to her own understanding of life, preferences and decisions. In any case, all dramatical events of her life are quite explicable regarding the premises and consequences of her thoughts and intentions.
In conclusion I would like to agree with the opinion of Floyd.
Though individuals often become secure in familiar situations and environments, emotionally healthy people adapt to changing circumstances when necessary. They have a continuous and positive interest in what goes on around them. They realize that the world is a special place to inhabit – even though it can stand some improvement (Floyd, 32).
Personal identity directly depends on personal reality perception. The one important thing here is to separate real things from desirable and not to go far in one’s own dreams.
Bibliography
Clegg, Christine. Vladimir Nabokov: Lolita. Palgrave Macmillan, 2000.
Ferrel, William K. Literature and Film as Modern Mythology. Greenwood Publishing Group, 2000.
Floyd, Patricia A. Personal Health: Perspectives and Lifestyles. Cengage Learning, 2007.
Griffin, Alice. Understanding Arthur Miller. University of South Carolina Press, 1996.
James, William. The Principle of Psychology. Courier Dover Publications, 1950.
Noonan, Harold W. personal Identity. Routledge, 2003.
Stark, Lames W. Rebuild Your Worldview to be Reality. Trafford Publishing, 2004.