Those who live their lives in the past or future are likely unhappy. The message of many authors stays consistent, being that transcendental characters live more peaceful and joyful lives than their less transcendental counterparts. Transcendental characters, or those that live in the moment without the fear of the past and those who are one with everything, present themselves in many books, whether obviously or with more hidden symbolism. Books such as The Color Purple, Fahrenheit 415, and the movie Forrest Gump by Alice Walker, Ray Bradbury, and Robert Zemeckis respectively all have examples of such characters. Authors utilize methods such as physical description, the message of characters, and their positive impact on those around them to
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Water, representing life and consciousness, is a telltale sign of these characters. Clarisse, appearing in Fahrenheit 451, is one such character. Her eyes specifically, the ‘windows to the soul’, are described as “two shining drops of bright water…” (5). Her strong connection to nature is another representation of transcendentalism. As the main character, Guy Montag, watches her move through the night, he sees that “the girl who was moving there seemed fixed to a sliding walk, letting the motion of the wind and the leaves carry her forward”, and that “her face [was] bright as snow in the moonlight” (5-7). The idea of oneness and consciousness is often connected to nature because nature is everything and living, surrounding everything. Shug Avery from The Color Purple mimics the same nature and water symbolism. Her nickname, Queen Honeybee, implies that she floats with the wind, just like Clarisse. Her hair, depicted as “shining in waves” gives the same feeling of nature and the ocean going with the flow. With characters set up with transcendental traits using physical descriptions, the authors can go on to the transcendental messages they hope to
Water, representing life and consciousness, is a telltale sign of these characters. Clarisse, appearing in Fahrenheit 451, is one such character. Her eyes specifically, the ‘windows to the soul’, are described as “two shining drops of bright water…” (5). Her strong connection to nature is another representation of transcendentalism. As the main character, Guy Montag, watches her move through the night, he sees that “the girl who was moving there seemed fixed to a sliding walk, letting the motion of the wind and the leaves carry her forward”, and that “her face [was] bright as snow in the moonlight” (5-7). The idea of oneness and consciousness is often connected to nature because nature is everything and living, surrounding everything. Shug Avery from The Color Purple mimics the same nature and water symbolism. Her nickname, Queen Honeybee, implies that she floats with the wind, just like Clarisse. Her hair, depicted as “shining in waves” gives the same feeling of nature and the ocean going with the flow. With characters set up with transcendental traits using physical descriptions, the authors can go on to the transcendental messages they hope to