Fate.

Fate, the ability to control one’s future, is a common theme amongst songs and novels and is also a common and controversial topic in conversations around the world. The idea that people by nature have free will, as carm.net puts it – “freedom of self determination and action independent of external causes” – is a very popular belief. Perhaps equally popular; however, is the opposite belief, that people do not have free will at all. Illustrated by the Hermetic Philosophy Glossary: “All there is is Consciousness, there is absolutely no free will; everything is God’s will, the impersonal functions of Consciousness, manifesting as destiny, individual or otherwise; decisions have to be made so one makes them as if there is free will – the result is God’s Will.” Both sides have powerful arguments, and neither side can prove that they speak the truth.

            Slaughterhouse-Five and Forrest Gump both convey the idea that human will isn’t completely free. Slaughterhouse-Five argues that the book of life has already been written and that humans just exist on the page of today unable to foresee the pages to come and unable to change them. Forrest Gump implies that there are multiple hallways to go down, but in the end they all lead to the same place and that the only things that humans can change are the paths from major event to major event.

Evidence of the “pro-fate, lack of free will” outlook is easily evident in the quotes scattered throughout both works. Perhaps the most famous fate-related quote is found in Forrest Gump: “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.” This quote is both very similar and very different to the outlook in Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five. In Slaughterhouse-Five, the Tralfamadorians are the authority on fate. They let Billy Pilgrim know what the truth is: that the future is going to be how it’s going to be, and there’s nothing that Billy, or anyone can do about it. The future, past and present are all happening at the same time, and since the future wasn’t changed, it can’t be changed. These outlooks are essentially the same, but are surprisingly different if dissected. If there were absolutely no free choice at all, as the Tralfamadorians would promote, choosing a specific chocolate out of the box would not be a possibility because choosing exercises free will. Both outlooks have the end result the same: eating chocolate, or getting to the end result. To apply the box of chocolates analogy further: in Forrest Gump, it doesn’t matter what choices are made, i.e.; which chocolate is chosen, because the same end result will always be achieved, i.e.; eating chocolate. In Slaughterhouse-Five, choosing to do things differently is impossible, i.e.; picking a different chocolate, and obviously, the ending will be the same, i.e.; eating chocolate.

Comparing the feather in Forrest Gump to the ‘Poo-tee-weet’ by the bird at the beginning and end of Billy’s story yields similar results. The feather in Forrest Gump can float and twist any which way that the wind takes it, and it will always get to where it needs to be, but Slaughterhouse-Five’s birds will always say exactly ‘Poo-tee-weet’ at the same time, at the same place, and in the same pitch. The idea of the end result being destined shines with both the feather and the birds, but the ability for the pathways leading to destiny is only evident with the feather.

Forrest himself agrees with the analysis presented in the previous paragraphs, and he says so. “I don’t know if Momma was right or if, if it’s Lieutenant Dan. I don’t know if we each have a destiny, or If we’re all just floating around accidental like on a breeze, but I, I think maybe its both. Maybe both is happening at the same time.” Maybe it’s both happening at the same time – the ability to choose ones own path to get to where one must be. Agrees with the box of chocolates quote. Agrees with the feather. Partially agrees with Slaughterhouse-Five. They’re similar in that, they both recognize that free will is not present in every aspect of life, and they’re different in that Forrest Gump gives more power to the people – suggesting that people do indeed have some free will.

Is the future set in stone? Can it be changed? The answer depends on who gets asked, but Forrest Gump and Slaughterhouse-Five agree on one thing – that some things are indeed set in stone, and will always happen. Be it, eating chocolate or floating around in the wind people will always be where their destiny needs them to be. Can humans choose which doorways to go through, even if all them lead to the same place? Forrest Gump says yes, Slaughterhouse-Five says no.

The argument over the truth about fate, destiny and free will shall likely be an endless war because there is no way to know if choices can be made to change the would-be future. Is it possible to influence the future? Or maybe just change how to get from A to B? Or does nothing change at all regardless of the choices that are made? The truth is unknown, but there will always be great novels and song as well as persuasive arguments on every side of this volatile topic.