Freedom as Portrayed in Nikos Kazantzakis' The Life and Times of Alexis Zorba and Stratis Tsirkas' Ariadne
Freedom has been considered as one of the most common themes in literature. A lot of authors have chosen to touch such an ideal because of the perceived positivism and hope in freedom which has never changed over time. One reason why a lot of authors preferred tackling such an ideal might be because it has been one of the most endeavored ideals in the world. No matter where in the world, it can be observed that people will always seek freedom, and that freedom will always remain a natural necessity for people to flourish. This ideal has been depicted in different works of literature. In Greek literature, a lot of authors have already associated this ideal to some of the most interesting characters they make. Two of the best exemplars of this depiction are the characters, Zorba and Ariadne. From the book Modern Greek Writing, the author, David Ricks features these two characters. Their stories have been perceived as individual representations of what freedom is. However, although the two stories tackled the same ideal, it was observed that the two displayed varying portrayals. In line with this, this discussion shall focus on the ideal of freedom as portrayed in these two works. The two stories shall also be analyzed in order to derive some comparison in order to extract the meanings of freedom depicted in both works. This discussion shall also work on proving the claim that although the story of Ariadne has been perceived to be equally commendable as that of The Life and Times of Alexis Zorba, the latter apparently portrayed a much believable and realistic interpretation of what freedom really is.
Zorba has been one of the most popular Greek characters in literature. The character was regarded by some critics as something that resembles Buddha's character who acted as a sage, a hero and a great thinker (Santas 172). Zorba was characterized by his seemingly potent and dominant disposition. His personality was strong and influential, and it was portrayed like a visionary. Constantine Santas was able to study this character, and a comprehensive description of the character was featured in his work, Responding to Film.
The original Zorba is informed by a duality in Kazantzakis himself: here us a modern intellectual, reading Buddha, trying to understand existence through books; Zorba is a plain pleasant who laughs at all this. (172)
In looking at this, it can easily be assumed that Zorba has a very light and uncomplicated disposition. This impression is quite accurate. In different interpretations of Zorba's character, traits such as being free-willed, optimistic and carefree were usually presented. However, although a lot of works depicted Zorba in this personality, it can still be observed that the character still holds some sense of solemnity and earnestness. In this side of that character, it was perceived that aside from happiness and simplicity of life, he seeks “freedom through self-discipline and contemplation” (172). Freedom is one of the most important values being preached by Zorba. In the story, The Life and Times of Alexis Zorba by Nikos Kazantzakis, this has been clearly depicted. In this story, Zorba was portrayed as a man with simple ant profound thoughts on life's ideals at the same time. He was described as a strange man with “a living heart, a large voracious mouth” and “a great brute soul” who nonetheless carries the worlds most profound insights on “words, art, love, beauty, purity, passion” and a lot of other ideals (Ricks 197). But above all this what is distinct about Zorba is his passion and dedication towards self freedom.
The freedom depicted in this story was more focused on the individual freedom which people usually seek, not for a certain group they are a member of, not for a philosophical ideology, but solely for themselves. In this story, it can be observed that Zorba wanted to present himself as a free man. He wanted to look as he carried no problems and issues in life. He would even argue not having a wife and children as one of the best things in the world since there would be no limitations and restrictive obligations. This is the kind of freedom Kazantzakis presented in this story. Freedom, in the context of contemporary realities would often pertain to the state being freed from repressive bodies, institutions or ideals. However, as per Zorba, freedom appears to come from within an individual. Only a person can define freedom for him or herself. This is because as per Zorba, freedom can only be achieved if happiness shall be attained as well as the exception from all restrictions and laws. At one part of the story, Zorba himself explicated what freedom was to him when he said
"You come with me. I have some lignite in Crete. You can superintend the workmen. In the evening we''ll stretch out on the sand – in this world, I have neither a wife, nor children nor dogs – we'll eat and drink together. Then you'll play the santuri."(198)
In this excerpt, it is apparent how simply Zorba looks at the ideal of freedom. It appears that for him, freedom means doing things a person loves doing the most, or the things that give that person utmost happiness, rest, peace and contentment such as stretching out on the sand, eating, drinking, or even playing his or her most loved musical instrument. From this, part, it clearly shows how uncomplicated Zorba's ideal of freedom is. It does not involve laws or rules, it also does not involve activism and movements, what appears to be the main consideration on achieving such kind of happiness according to Zorba is happiness and contentment. Aside from this, Zorba also associates freedom to his mood which implies freedom might also depend upon people's instincts and impulses. According to Zorba, being free is like being a wild animal (198). With this he means that a person can be free when he or she does things when he of she feel like doing it. Zorba would remark, “If I'm in the mood, I'll play. I'll even sing. And I'll dance the Zeimbekiko, the Hassapiko, the Pentazoli – but, I tell you from the start, I must be in the mood” (198). With this, it becomes apparent that in this story, freedom lies on the happiness and contentment of a person. This story has been critically acclaimed because of portraying such a distinct ideal of freedom. However, though it appears praiseworthy to some, it still goes against some of the most popular notion of what freedom is.
The contemporary notion of freedom can be observed to be more associated to political ideals. Nowadays, freedom is being characterized by the laws and rules that restrict people and give them reasons to seek freedom. Hence, freedom becomes as answer to restrictive rules. Since freedom has long been associated to politics, it has also been associated to political appropriation. In Tsirka's Ariadne, this ideal has been portrayed. As compared to the story of Zorba's life, Ariadne's story holds a different notion of freedom. In this story, Ariadne was portrayed as a woman “with indiscriminate kindness to Arabs and Greeks, children and adults alike” who makes her an exemplar of universal motherhood (Tziovas 196). Ariadne was portrayed as a woman who accepts people as who they are. She believes that every people secretdeserve to be accepted and treated as equal beings regardless of race, social status or gender. Around this notion is where Ariadne's ideal of freedom revolves. While Zorba's ideal of freedom was more concerned on individual happiness, peace and contentment, Ariadne's notion of freedom held a more political leaning. In the book, Modern Greek Writing, Ricks depicts several political predicaments in Cairo, Egypt. The setting presented a somber picture of a place where hostility and discrimination appear typical. In this place, people are being grouped into classes where they are identified in terms of social status, political hierarchy and economic status. These divisions created the gap that divided people and destroyed the unity and peace that once dwelled on the city. Because of these divisions, people have also begun creating hostility between each other since their interests and views on things also tend to differ because of the difference in classes where they are in. This destroyed the peace and harmony that were once existent in the city. And these things are what made Ariadne contemplate about her city. For Ariadne, people have to be accepted as who they are, where they came from.
This became her biggest advocacy. Ariadne also witnessed the different repressive acts being done by the government itself against its people. During her time, a lot of people are not being privilege by the rights other people are able to enjoy. Equality was a hard thing to achieve. Also, a lot of people were perceived to have become slaves of the society. This gave Ariadne a notion of what freedom is. Considering the dilemmas that she was able to perceive from her environment, Ariadne began interpreting freedom as the state where people will be freed from unjust political repressions. Ariadne witnessed a lot of repressive acts being tolerated by the government itself. According to her, this does not just destroy the moral standards of the city, but this also degrades humanity which is the most important element in uniting and bringing one identity to a territory. Ariadne was one of the few people who detested such acts.
She considered people being discriminated as prisoners of the unjust society who are being locked up in a dreadful situation where they are being continuously humiliate and mortified by the people and the institution that are supposed to be supporting and accepting them. Freedom, for Ariadne does not focus on individual happiness and contentment as what Zorba suggests. For her, freedom is characterized by people’s liberty from the repressive conditions being imposed by the demoralized society and the discriminate government. For her, each person has the right to be accepted regardless of their color, race, age, social and economic status as well as their political perspectives. This is where Ariadne became known. Her character was seen to personify sincere devotion to people she do not even know and to people who are of different races than hers. She cared for these people. She treated these people the same exact way as she treated her neighbors. Through these actions, Ariadne was trying to break the absurd notion that a city must play prejudice against foreigners and be concerned only to legitimate citizens. Ariadne tried to break the awful tradition which has let a lot of people be judged according to the stereotypes and misjudgments that have been established by the society. Freedom for Ariadne means being liberated from injustice and discrimination. As compared to Zorba’s simplistic explication of freedom, Ariadne apparently displaces a deeper, more complex and political meaning of freedom. It appears that as for Ariadne, freedom is dictated by rules and laws that act as the restrictors and makers of classes that divide the society.
As what can be observed, Zorba, carries a more simplistic outlook in life. This simplicity of perspective also dictates his notion of several ideals such freedom. Because Zorba has been used to living life as easy as he could, he inevitably perceived freedom as the state and feeling where a person could not ask for anything more. For him, freedom is basically achieving the state where a person can say the he or she is truly happy and contented. However, on the other hand, Ariadne displaces a deeper and a more complex idea of freedom. Unlike Zorba, Ariadne has been exposed to harsh realities of the society. She has witnessed the degradation of moral standards because of the laws and rules being established that create unjust restrictions to people. This, as for Ariadne is what freedom is all about. For Ariadne, freedom is not just about fulfilling individual liberty of doing anything one wish to do, but instead, it is all about being liberated from the exploitive and repressive treatments that the society does. As it appears, both stories were able to explicate freedom. However, the two stories did not, in any way, complement each other’s notion of freedom. Each stories appeared to displace different ideals on freedom, but these ideals are nonetheless still significant in understanding what freedom is in the context of the contemporary society
Zorba has been one of the most popular Greek characters in literature. The character was regarded by some critics as something that resembles Buddha's character who acted as a sage, a hero and a great thinker (Santas 172). Zorba was characterized by his seemingly potent and dominant disposition. His personality was strong and influential, and it was portrayed like a visionary. Constantine Santas was able to study this character, and a comprehensive description of the character was featured in his work, Responding to Film.
The original Zorba is informed by a duality in Kazantzakis himself: here us a modern intellectual, reading Buddha, trying to understand existence through books; Zorba is a plain pleasant who laughs at all this. (172)
In looking at this, it can easily be assumed that Zorba has a very light and uncomplicated disposition. This impression is quite accurate. In different interpretations of Zorba's character, traits such as being free-willed, optimistic and carefree were usually presented. However, although a lot of works depicted Zorba in this personality, it can still be observed that the character still holds some sense of solemnity and earnestness. In this side of that character, it was perceived that aside from happiness and simplicity of life, he seeks “freedom through self-discipline and contemplation” (172). Freedom is one of the most important values being preached by Zorba. In the story, The Life and Times of Alexis Zorba by Nikos Kazantzakis, this has been clearly depicted. In this story, Zorba was portrayed as a man with simple ant profound thoughts on life's ideals at the same time. He was described as a strange man with “a living heart, a large voracious mouth” and “a great brute soul” who nonetheless carries the worlds most profound insights on “words, art, love, beauty, purity, passion” and a lot of other ideals (Ricks 197). But above all this what is distinct about Zorba is his passion and dedication towards self freedom.
The freedom depicted in this story was more focused on the individual freedom which people usually seek, not for a certain group they are a member of, not for a philosophical ideology, but solely for themselves. In this story, it can be observed that Zorba wanted to present himself as a free man. He wanted to look as he carried no problems and issues in life. He would even argue not having a wife and children as one of the best things in the world since there would be no limitations and restrictive obligations. This is the kind of freedom Kazantzakis presented in this story. Freedom, in the context of contemporary realities would often pertain to the state being freed from repressive bodies, institutions or ideals. However, as per Zorba, freedom appears to come from within an individual. Only a person can define freedom for him or herself. This is because as per Zorba, freedom can only be achieved if happiness shall be attained as well as the exception from all restrictions and laws. At one part of the story, Zorba himself explicated what freedom was to him when he said
"You come with me. I have some lignite in Crete. You can superintend the workmen. In the evening we''ll stretch out on the sand – in this world, I have neither a wife, nor children nor dogs – we'll eat and drink together. Then you'll play the santuri."(198)
In this excerpt, it is apparent how simply Zorba looks at the ideal of freedom. It appears that for him, freedom means doing things a person loves doing the most, or the things that give that person utmost happiness, rest, peace and contentment such as stretching out on the sand, eating, drinking, or even playing his or her most loved musical instrument. From this, part, it clearly shows how uncomplicated Zorba's ideal of freedom is. It does not involve laws or rules, it also does not involve activism and movements, what appears to be the main consideration on achieving such kind of happiness according to Zorba is happiness and contentment. Aside from this, Zorba also associates freedom to his mood which implies freedom might also depend upon people's instincts and impulses. According to Zorba, being free is like being a wild animal (198). With this he means that a person can be free when he or she does things when he of she feel like doing it. Zorba would remark, “If I'm in the mood, I'll play. I'll even sing. And I'll dance the Zeimbekiko, the Hassapiko, the Pentazoli – but, I tell you from the start, I must be in the mood” (198). With this, it becomes apparent that in this story, freedom lies on the happiness and contentment of a person. This story has been critically acclaimed because of portraying such a distinct ideal of freedom. However, though it appears praiseworthy to some, it still goes against some of the most popular notion of what freedom is.
The contemporary notion of freedom can be observed to be more associated to political ideals. Nowadays, freedom is being characterized by the laws and rules that restrict people and give them reasons to seek freedom. Hence, freedom becomes as answer to restrictive rules. Since freedom has long been associated to politics, it has also been associated to political appropriation. In Tsirka's Ariadne, this ideal has been portrayed. As compared to the story of Zorba's life, Ariadne's story holds a different notion of freedom. In this story, Ariadne was portrayed as a woman “with indiscriminate kindness to Arabs and Greeks, children and adults alike” who makes her an exemplar of universal motherhood (Tziovas 196). Ariadne was portrayed as a woman who accepts people as who they are. She believes that every people secretdeserve to be accepted and treated as equal beings regardless of race, social status or gender. Around this notion is where Ariadne's ideal of freedom revolves. While Zorba's ideal of freedom was more concerned on individual happiness, peace and contentment, Ariadne's notion of freedom held a more political leaning. In the book, Modern Greek Writing, Ricks depicts several political predicaments in Cairo, Egypt. The setting presented a somber picture of a place where hostility and discrimination appear typical. In this place, people are being grouped into classes where they are identified in terms of social status, political hierarchy and economic status. These divisions created the gap that divided people and destroyed the unity and peace that once dwelled on the city. Because of these divisions, people have also begun creating hostility between each other since their interests and views on things also tend to differ because of the difference in classes where they are in. This destroyed the peace and harmony that were once existent in the city. And these things are what made Ariadne contemplate about her city. For Ariadne, people have to be accepted as who they are, where they came from.
This became her biggest advocacy. Ariadne also witnessed the different repressive acts being done by the government itself against its people. During her time, a lot of people are not being privilege by the rights other people are able to enjoy. Equality was a hard thing to achieve. Also, a lot of people were perceived to have become slaves of the society. This gave Ariadne a notion of what freedom is. Considering the dilemmas that she was able to perceive from her environment, Ariadne began interpreting freedom as the state where people will be freed from unjust political repressions. Ariadne witnessed a lot of repressive acts being tolerated by the government itself. According to her, this does not just destroy the moral standards of the city, but this also degrades humanity which is the most important element in uniting and bringing one identity to a territory. Ariadne was one of the few people who detested such acts.
She considered people being discriminated as prisoners of the unjust society who are being locked up in a dreadful situation where they are being continuously humiliate and mortified by the people and the institution that are supposed to be supporting and accepting them. Freedom, for Ariadne does not focus on individual happiness and contentment as what Zorba suggests. For her, freedom is characterized by people’s liberty from the repressive conditions being imposed by the demoralized society and the discriminate government. For her, each person has the right to be accepted regardless of their color, race, age, social and economic status as well as their political perspectives. This is where Ariadne became known. Her character was seen to personify sincere devotion to people she do not even know and to people who are of different races than hers. She cared for these people. She treated these people the same exact way as she treated her neighbors. Through these actions, Ariadne was trying to break the absurd notion that a city must play prejudice against foreigners and be concerned only to legitimate citizens. Ariadne tried to break the awful tradition which has let a lot of people be judged according to the stereotypes and misjudgments that have been established by the society. Freedom for Ariadne means being liberated from injustice and discrimination. As compared to Zorba’s simplistic explication of freedom, Ariadne apparently displaces a deeper, more complex and political meaning of freedom. It appears that as for Ariadne, freedom is dictated by rules and laws that act as the restrictors and makers of classes that divide the society.
As what can be observed, Zorba, carries a more simplistic outlook in life. This simplicity of perspective also dictates his notion of several ideals such freedom. Because Zorba has been used to living life as easy as he could, he inevitably perceived freedom as the state and feeling where a person could not ask for anything more. For him, freedom is basically achieving the state where a person can say the he or she is truly happy and contented. However, on the other hand, Ariadne displaces a deeper and a more complex idea of freedom. Unlike Zorba, Ariadne has been exposed to harsh realities of the society. She has witnessed the degradation of moral standards because of the laws and rules being established that create unjust restrictions to people. This, as for Ariadne is what freedom is all about. For Ariadne, freedom is not just about fulfilling individual liberty of doing anything one wish to do, but instead, it is all about being liberated from the exploitive and repressive treatments that the society does. As it appears, both stories were able to explicate freedom. However, the two stories did not, in any way, complement each other’s notion of freedom. Each stories appeared to displace different ideals on freedom, but these ideals are nonetheless still significant in understanding what freedom is in the context of the contemporary society
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