Empire_Falls_Destiny_Essay

To be a person is to be an entangled mass of sometimes contradictory hopes, drives and values. These forces originate from their surroundings and the kind of community they are in. Whether or not these forces can be overcome, depends entirely on the person, and the decisions they make. The value of great literature is that it conveys what it is to be human. In the novel Empire Falls by Richard Russo, voluminous amount of characters are portrayed to have an inevitable fate for various reasons. These characters are driven by different forces that they think they either can or cannot control them. Each character has a different method of how to approach these impulses that are shaping his or her destiny. Two characters that exemplify this conflict are Mile Roby, the main character, and C.B Whiting, the heir of the rich and powerful Whiting’s. Miles Roby is a man of many conflicts. Miles wishes to break out the trap Mrs. Whiting has built for him; however, his inherent goodness prevents him from doing so. Throughout the novel, Miles lives the life he believes his mother would have him live. It is almost as if she has predestined Miles to a life of mundane toil, via Mrs. Whiting’s cynical manipulations. Miles is essentially indentured to Mrs. Whiting, who paid for his three years in college, then extorted him to stay on as manager of the Empire Grills in exchange for the money to pay mounting medical bills as his mother is dying. At first, it seems to be a destiny that Miles cannot avoid, but later Miles takes action and his chances of escaping this destiny increased. He breaks the Silver Fox’s arm and starts a fight with Jimmy Minty, which is a big step for him since he is usually a loving and forgiving person. When two state inspectors showed up at Callahan's and closed the place down for health code violations, Miles was notified about this situation and was enraged. Miles decided to confront Mrs. Whiting. The purpose of these actions by Miles was to deviate from the path that was made for him by Mrs. Whiting. Another character with a similar situation is C.B Whiting, also known as Charlie Mayne. The Whiting's are the wealthiest and most powerful family in town with a traditional family mansion downtown. Over the generations, the Whiting’s established multiple industries in the town. C.B Whiting is the heir to the Whiting’s fortune. He returned from 10 years in Mexico where he was pursuing empty dreams as an untalented artist and poet, as well as having a good time chasing women and lying on the beach. Charles is reconciled to his destiny, which is to carry on in the family tradition of running the family industries, although he believes he left his better self in Mexico. When he notices his grey hair, Charles has something of an epiphany. People are mistaking him for his father, Honus and his dreams of Mexico are dead. Later, C.B Whiting finds that he has a gift for the family business, therefore takes over management of the shirt factory. Instead of living in the family mansion, he decides to live in Hacienda, a Spanish style house on the river outside of town. Unfortunately, the place where C.B decided stay is a natural cesspool for all sorts of garbage floating down the river. Later, he discovers a dead moose and assumes that someone purposely left it there. He ultimately decides that his enemy is God. When C.B marries Francine, he inherits the guarantee of a miserable life, therefore, he decides to suicide. In conclusion, Miles Roby, a loving and forgiving man, lacked the courage to stand up against Mrs. Whiting, who is ultimately responsible for Mile’s fate, but later, gains this courage to confront Mrs. Whiting and take action. On the other hand, C.B Whiting who is from a rich and powerful family has an empty dream of becoming an artist and poet. Unfortunately, his destiny is to carry on the family tradition of running the family industries. Subsequently, he decides that his enemy is God, due to the Hacienda house situation, and his marriage with Francine. He does not take the place to carry on the Whiting’s business. Since his marriage to Francine was a guarantee of miserable life, he shoots himself in the head with a gun. These two characters took action in an attempt to deal with the impulses that are shaping their destinies.