Bennett 1 Katie Bennett Dr.

Dan Watkins British Literature II Essay 5 April 2012

The Conflict of Value Systems in Don Juan and Sartor Resartus Various sets of values direct human beings in their daily actions. Though numerous and multifarious, these values can be divided into two broad, over-arching categories: the moral and the physical. Moral values are abstractions that guide people in their day-to-day endeavors, such as honesty, love, faith, and gratitude. Contrarily, physicality can be represented through various outlets, including biological desires and the quantification of life through commodities within a capitalist society. Throughout history, there have been innumerable power struggles regarding whether a tangible or intangible value system should direct human life. Two literary records of this conflict are Lord Byrons Don Juan and Thomas Carlyles Sartor Resartus. In Don Juan, the titular characters educational emphasis on moral abstractions leaves him ill prepared for dealing with the biological physicality of human nature. In contrast, Sartor Resartus argues for a return to morals in order to combat an emphasis on materialism in an evolving capitalist economy. On the surface, Byron and Carlyle present opposing arguments, with Byron calling for education about human physicality and Carlyle encouraging a return to abstract ideals. Though they address the issue from antithetical standpoints, Don Juan and Sartor Resartus both conclude that a balance of moral and physical values must govern life. Beginning with Don Juan, correspondence between Lord Byron and his publisher and friend John Murray reveals that the author had very clear intentions for the subject matter of the work. In a letter to Murray dated December of 1822, Byron wrote that Don Juan is intended [as] a satire on abuses of the present states of society (Bloom 121). Throughout the anti-epic,

Bennett 2 Byrons primary satirical approach addresses what he sees as an imbalance in societys teachings of various value systems. In order to explore the potential consequences of this imbalance, Byron created a fictional world that mimics societys apparent emphasis on teaching moral abstractions to the exclusion of education on the basics of human biological and physical needs. This emphasis is presented through Don Juans own schooling. Juans mother, Donna Inez, mandates that her son be educated in numerous subjects. However, these topics could only be strictly moral (Byron 1.39.308). Dead languages, art, and other classic topics became the focus of Don Juans studies, But not a page of anything thats loose / or hints continuation of the species / was ever sufferd lest he should grow vicious (Byron 1.39.318-320). Juans education in a single set of values both contextualizes his ill-fated encounters with human physicality and parallels societys own prioritizing of moral abstractions. Donna Inezs focus on morality to the exclusion of biological physicality is representative of the values of her community as a whole. Rather than providing comparable information about both physical and moral values, more importance is placed on the abstract. This exclusion, however, is proven to be problematic. The omission of knowledge about human physical desires in favor of emphasis on morality leaves Don Juan unprepared for his encounter with Donna Julia, resulting in a sexual misadventure. Don Juans ignorance to the nature of human physicality predisposes a disastrous first sexual encounter. Though educated in a number of idealistic values, Don Juans unfamiliarity with biology prompts a condemned experience with Donna Julia. Despite her age and marital status, Don Juan and Donna Julia participate in a sexual relationship. This relationship exhibits the failings of Juans education. Knowledge of the lascivious nature of the human body in conjunction with moral education would have allowed Juan to realize the consequences of his

Bennett 3 actions with Donna Julia. Thereby, he could have made the ethical decision to not act on his physical desires with a married woman. However, because the natural physicality of humanity remained a mystery to Don Juan, he could not determine the honorable behavior in this particular set of circumstances. This experience highlights the importance of both physical and moral values in a humans life. Though well versed in abstract ideas, Don Juans incomprehension of sex makes his education irrelevant in practice. The knowledge of only abstract values in a physical situation leaves Don Juan ill prepared to make ethical decisions, illuminating a problem within overall society. This displays the necessity of educating both in abstract moral virtues and the realities of physicality. It is only with knowledge of both that a human will be well equipped to deal with all aspects of everyday life. Furthermore, the imbalance between moral abstraction and sexual physicality may potentially lead to disgrace. At the end of their encounter, Juan must depart from Seville with his tutor, Pedrillo, and Julia is sent to a nunnery. The dire consequences of solely abstract knowledge are strengthened by Pedrillos fate in the second canto of Don Juan. Before Juan leaves Seville, he receives a love letter from Julia, an important symbol of the set of physical values prominent in their relationship. On their way to Cadiz, Juan and Pedrillos ship becomes stranded. After several days, the passengers must use Donna Julias letter as lots to determine which of them will become the victim of cannibalism. The lot fell on Juans luckless tutor (Byron 2.75.600). Pedrillos death as caused by both the sexual desires of Julias letter and the survival instincts of his shipmates cannibalism is yet another symbol of the conflict between moral values and physical values in his society. As his tutor, Pedrillo represents the abstractions of Juans education. However, two forms of biological physicality perpetuate Pedrillos downfall: sexual desire and hunger. Though Pedrillo embodies moral values, they are useless when facing a set of values of which he knows nothing. In this

Bennett 4 way, it might appear that Pedrillo dies from a creditable excess of civility, for in resigning himself to death he can be said to follow through on a contract to which he had deliberately, if implicitly, subscribed (Christensen 242). As a teacher of solely moral values, Pedrillo is unable to overcome the forces of physicality that permeate life. Though undeniably civil, this abstract characteristic means nothing in the face of human survival. Thereby, in knowing only about abstractions, Pedrillo deliberately signs himself over to the physicality of cannibalism. Therefore, he exists as another example of the necessity of living life consciously of more than one set of values. Throughout Don Juan, societys lack of attention to all the forces that human beings must reckon with becomes evident. A deficient knowledge of physicality leads various characters down paths of destruction. While, of course, education in abstract values is imperative, those abstractions will not be of any use in the face of physical urges such as sexual desire or starvation. Without knowledge about physical impulses, humans are not completely prepared for dealing with the multitude of situations that pervade life. This is evident in Don Juan, which, as stated by pamphleteer Francis Jeffrey, is in the highest degree pernicious to society (McGann 128). Byrons primary contempt comments on the preparatory failure for various situations due to a lack of education in differential sets of principles. The satire indicates a call for balance in the education of both moral and physical values so that human beings may be ready for whatever circumstances arise. A need for balance between the two sets of values is presented from the opposing standpoint in Thomas Carlyles Sartor Resartus. Sartor Resartus describes Carlyles so-called Philosophy of Clothes through the writings of Professor Diogenes Teufelsdrckh. Beginning with a section titled The Everlasting No, Teufelsdrckh and his editor comment on society and

Bennett 5 a spirit of unbelief in God from the darkest depths of the human psyche. Right away, the conflict between moral abstractions and physicality becomes evident. In Carlyles work, however, the physical side of life is represented by quantification of belongings under the system of capitalism. That which is good is that which guarantees profit, a far cry from the moral abstractions prevalent in Byrons Don Juan. In criticism of this materialistic prominence, Carlyle presents the argument that Soul is not synonymous with stomach (1007). Within the developing industrial economy, the dominant value system emphasizes physical materialism. However, Carlyle points out that this way of life is flawed because, though well fed, citizens lack an important moral sensibility. No longer is man worried about the practice of morals like love and gratitude, but rather is focused on the cultivation of possessions. Because of this lack of pure moral nature, there is a loss of religious belief and thereby a loss of everything (Carlyle 1007). Here, it is evident that the dominant values of quantitative physicality are not enough for human beings. Without a sense of ethical ideals, people fall into a culture of despair similar to the thoughts that prevailed throughout the Romantic era of literature, particularly evident in Byrons Darkness. As pointed out by Teufelsdrckh, If what thou namest Happiness be our true aim, then we are all astray (Carlyle 1007). Under this system, happiness means money and possessions. Furthermore, this happiness excludes ethical ideologies necessary for complete joy, a flaw that leads Teufelsdrckh to his state of crisis. This crisis as caused by a lack of moral values and an emphasis on quantifying life is examined further in Centre of Indifference. Once Teufelsdrckh accepts the despair of The Everlasting No, he moves on to a certain sense of nothingness. However, he continues to contemplate the need for more than just quantification and materialism in a human life. Teufelsdrckh and his editor comment on the various systems of values prevalent in their

Bennett 6 society, stating In a word, he is now, if not ceasing, yet intermitting to eat his own heart; and clutches round him outwardly on the NOT-ME for wholesomer food (Carlyle 1011). This phrase parallels the soul/stomach metaphor in condemning the lifestyle prevalent under the capitalist system. The expression eat his own heart elicits the disregard of moral abstractions by focusing on the consumption of physical goods. Here, happiness is defined by what can be ingested, as this cultivation of consumables is what motivates society most. Furthermore, by eating the heart, the consumer mindset rampant throughout this society distracts from adherence to moral abstractions. Instead of the heart symbolizing qualities like love and service, it is more representative of perishable physical possessions. Thus, quantifications like food and other material belongings tend to eat away at morality, leading to an inability to absorb more wholesome food for thought. This symbolism implicitly argues against the prevailing societal focus on commodities. The complexities of Carlyles argument climaxes in the final section of Sartor Resartus, The Everlasting Yea. In The Everlasting Yea, Carlyle prompts readers to return to a sense of moral values. Instead of focusing on gaining material possessions, humans should look around them at the work to be done and help their fellow man. It is in this sense of camaraderie and fellowship, two abstract ideals, where a better way of life is to be found. By looking upon fellow man with an infinite Love, and infinite Pity (Carlyle 1020), the emphasis on quantification lessens and becomes more equal with a sense of theoretical concepts. Carlyle encourages humans to examine their own lives and determine what they can share with others who are less fortunate in quantitative terms. He claims: the Fraction of life can be increased in value not so much by increasing your Numerator as by lessening your Denominator. Nay, unless my Algebra deceive me, Unity itself divided by Zero will give Infinity. Make thy claim of wages a zero, then; thou has the world under thy feet. Well did the wisest of our time

Bennett 7 write: It is only with Renunciation (Entsagen) that Life, properly speaking, can be said to begin. (Carlyle 1021) In this passage, Carlyle argues for a renunciation of material possessions and the beginning of a life grounded in the ethics of giving not only items, but also abstractions like love and kindness. It is when the focus on quantitative life decreases, as shown in the mathematical fraction metaphor, that life can be said to truly begin. Life is not made better simply by increasing the numerator, or owning more physical possessions. Rather, in lessening the denominator and completing the work at hand, innumerable and intangible riches will be found. By coming together with other human beings instead of focusing on the selfish accumulation of goods, there is something greater and infinite as a the reward. Here, Carlyle calls upon Johann Wolfgang von Goethes notion of Enstagen, or a renunciation [that] required the suppression of impulses that derive fromshallow and unworthy conceptions of humanity and its destiny: it is not what we receive, but what we are made to give, that chiefly contents and profits us (Morrow 47-48). Carlyles reference to Goethe strengthens his argument for the refocusing of life on moral values. Renouncing physical possessions becomes an important step towards returning to a worthy conception of humanity. Rather than always working towards earning more items, it is better to give, a notion of charity and kindness that stems from moral virtues. Throughout Sartor Resartus, Carlyle progresses from simply addressing the problems of possessions to prompting readers to reintegrate moral values. All three sections of the work acknowledge societys quantification of life in response to the capitalist society that had developed in light of the Industrial Revolution. However, human beings simply cannot live this way. In order to rectify the problem of materialism, Carlyle calls for a life balanced between capitalism and morality. By looking around and giving to others out of friendship and other ethical values, life may truly begin. To emphasize this point, Carlyle references other authors

Bennett 8 and their works, motivating readers to Close thy Byron; open thy Goethe (Carlyle 1022). Though Carlyle seems to find merit primarily in the writings of Goethe, he is too quick to dismiss Byron. While it is likely that this statement is in reference to the culture of despair prevalent in Byrons Darkness, Don Juan and Sartor Resartus come to the same conclusion. Despite their approach of the issue from opposite positions, Byron and Carlyle are actually arguing for the same end: balance in life between both physicality and morality. Don Juan and Sartor Resartus are representative of opposites held together (Bone 158). Though they commence from contrary locations, the works are bound together by a singular conclusion. Byrons work begins from a position of entire abstract knowledge and soon recognizes the problem of not embracing the physical side of humanity. Contrarily, Carlyle condemns the nature of materialism in a capitalistic society before prompting readers to reintegrate moral character into their lives and deemphasize the quantification of life. Though these viewpoints are opposite, Byron and Carlyles arguments coincide and lead to the same conclusion. Regardless of which values dominate the current social situation, one thing is clear: the practice of a set of values to the exclusion of the other is unhealthy. In Don Juan, it becomes evident that solely learning about moral abstractions leads to downfall in the area of human biology, as exhibited by Juans necessary departure from Seville and the ultimate consumption of his tutor Pedrillo. Likewise, Sartor Resartus depicts the problems of life dominated by physical materiality and a need to incorporate morality by helping others. Both Byron and Carlyle emphasize the problems of one type of value system having ascendancy over the other. These examples show that human life, then, must have a combination of value systems in order to be truly whole. Rather than focusing on the abstract or physical belongings, balance in education is

Bennett 9 necessary to be completely prepared for whatever circumstances may arise. In this way, life will be much fuller and human beings will be capable of dealing with a wider set of experiences.

Works Cited Bloom, Harold. Lord Byron. Broomall, Pennsylvania: Chelsea House Publishers, 2004. Print. Bone, Drummond. Childe Harolds Pilgrimage IV, Don Juan, and Beppo. The Cambridge Companion to Byron. Ed. Drummond Bone. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2004. 151-170. Print. Byron, George Gordon, Lord. Don Juan. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 8th ed. Eds. Stephen Greenblatt et al. Vol. 2. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2006. 670-704. Print. Carlyle, Thomas. Sartor Resartus. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 8th ed. Eds. Stephen Greenblatt et al. Vol. 2. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2006. 1006-1024. Print. Christensen, Jerome. Lord Byrons Strength. Baltimore, Maryland: The John Hopkins University Press, 1993. Print. McGann, Jerome. Byron and Romanticism. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2002. Print. Morrow, John. Thomas Carlyle. New York: Hambledon Continuum, 2006. Print.