Essential Question 2

[ajguth]

When Perry says, "once a thing is set to happen, all you can do is hope it won't. Or will - depending. As long as you live there's always something waiting, and even if it's bad, and you know it's bad, what can you do?" he is trying to prove his mentality on the idea of fate. Perry believes that everyone's fate or destiny is predetermined from the time they are born, and they cannot alter it. This notion somewhat corresponds to our discussion of nature vs. nurture from last week. This predetermined fate could be considered parallel to the idea of nature, because just as one cannot really change who they are because much of personality has to do with genetics, Perry believes that one cannot change how their life is set to be. I believe that this statement by Perry is his way of trying to convince himself that it was the Clutters' fate to die, meaning that it was his duty to assist in the murders. However, this causes the audience to ask the question: did the universe really set the fate of the Clutters to die like this, or was it the free will of Dick and Perry that caused this course of events. In many religions, especially Christianity, the idea of free will is very prevalent. These religions state that a person's eternal life in either Heaven or Hell is solely based on their actions here on earth. I believe that while there is a plan in mind for all people, it is the free will of a person that determines the outcome of their life. Perry's statement is his way of coping with the grief that is continuously building up within him, as I believe that deep down, he realizes that it was not their fate to die this way, and it was his actions that caused this terrible tragedy that was not supposed to happen.

[elliefarley]

I agree that although there is a plan in mind, a person's actions determine the true course of the plan. I believe that people have an outline already made for their life, but the details within the outline are determined by the behaviors and action soy the individual. I agree that Perry is trying to make himself feel better about murdering the Clutters by claiming it was their fate. He doesn't want to own up to the fact that their deaths solely rest on their shoulders. They made their decision and carried it out; fate didn't make them murder them. Although people can argue that because there might be positive consequences after a tragedy that the tragedy was meant to happen, I believe that is just people taking the good from a situation and claiming it was "fate" to make it seem better, like Perry. Therefore, fate has a relative influence on life, but it is truly the actions and decisions of people that determine their ultimate destinies.