『嵐が丘』試論 : 浄罪と再生を求めて

If there is a God, who is good, omniscient and omnipotent, why are there so many absurdities and disharmonies in this world? How is it possible that God and unreasonable Evil exist together here? Indeed, this is the fundamental inquiry into the metaphysical problem of God and Evil, which Emily Bronte, to be sure, is not indifferent to. She says, All creation is equally mad.... Nature is an inexplicable problem, it exists on a principle of destruction; ... why was man created? The darkest meaning of this assertion of hers is the fact that no man can understand why a good God should have chosen to create such a world at all. But Emily Bronte tries to find the affirmative elements in what looks negative. According to her, the world is the ugly sight it appears to mortal eyes, and at the same time those same elements are glorified and transformed into their opposites. Every bit of suffering, violence, and sin are necessary to the ultimate transfiguration, just as the ugly caterpillar is the beginning of the splendid butterfly. This paradoxical conclusion of Emily Bronte's view of the human condition leads us to her belief that suffering sin brings will be sufficient expiation for that sin. Every person is fated to commit a certain number of sins and to suffer a certain amount of pain before he can go to heaven. A certain number of sins are necessary to exhaust evil and to make possible his resurrection into the new life. This paradox causes the inversion of values in her works. This is why the world of Wuthering Heights, though miserable, is not God-forsaken and this book is sure to search for purgation and resurrection.

公開日:2010年1月24日で登録したコンテンツは、国立情報学研究所において電子化したものです。