Hanno 1 Wintersons Battle with Fate Filtered Through Atlas and Heracles Jeanette Winterson attempts to make sense

of her world by creating a mythical world of possibilities. These possibilities try to help her organize and understand her purpose as an individual by filtering her frustrations through Atlas and Heracles in her novel Weight. She gathers meaning from the characters experiences by revealing the inability of people to control their lives. At the same time, she contradicts this perception of fate by suggesting that individuals do in fact possess the ability to regain control. Her personal reflections throughout the novel portray her attempt to piece together the difficulties of her past and create meaning through the contradictory beliefs. Winterson reflects upon her attempt to free herself from fates unyielding course. She describes How many of us ever get free of our orbit?The ancients believed in Fate because they recognized how hard it is for anyone to change anything. The pull of past and future is so strong that the present is crushed by it. We lie helpless in the force of patterns inherited and patterns re-enacted by our own behavior (Winterson 99). She feels burdened by a lack of control over her existence. She believes that past and future weigh her down so immensely that it constricts her existence. Fate creates a perpetual burden in her life, which she filters through Atlas burden of holding the world upon his shoulders. Unable to escape his fate, Atlas questions Who is strong enough to escape their fate? Who can avoid what they must become? (Winterson 23). Winterson permeates her own frustrations into his character to portray and overemphasize her own burdensome frustrations. She reassures herself by saying I can lift my own weight. I can lift my own weight. I can lift my own weight (Winterson 100). Her repetition of this statement reveals her attempt to convince herself that she can bear her own fate but, at the same time, her repetition highlights her struggle to accept it.

Hanno 2 Winterson battles her own fate by reliving through the character Heracles as well. Heracles believes that he lacks control over his life; however, the narrator shows Heracles momentary questioning of his fate by describing What if he walked out of the garden and turned away. He could find a ship, change his name. He could leave Heracles behindWhat if he bent the future as easily as an iron bar? Could he not bend himself out of his fate?...Why was he fixed, immoveable? (Winterson 44). Heracles contemplation of changing his identity makes him believe that he possesses the strength to alter his designated path in life. It seems quite easy to him at this particular moment. Wintersons struggle to overcome her own fate of being rejected as a child and then orphaned suggests that she wants to create a new identity as well. Like Heracles, she contemplates this change. Unfortunately, Heracles and Winterson feel they already lost the opportunity to change their lives. Heracles confirms this by stating It was too late (Winterson 44). Winterson filters her failure to change through Heracles and revealing the impossibility of change to occur; thus fate perseveres. Wintersons constant contemplation of her fate reveals how hard she tries to sift through her endless questions about being able to change it. Similarly, Atlas and Heracles constantly question their fates as well. When Winterson repeats that [she] want[s] to tell the story again (Winterson 137), it suggests that she tries to alter her own life using these contrasting characters. She creates different situations for these characters so that she can attempt to solve the problems they experience because she controls their fate. By controlling their lives, she feigns control of hers. As a result, she perceives her life through these filter characters by revealing her inability and ability to control her fate. Heracles believes that the opportunity to change his fate has ended while Atlas actually does alter his fate. The narrator explains Atlas raised his head, turned over, stood up, stepped

Hanno 3 back. The dogs head lifted. Atlas looked back at his burden. There was no burden. There was only the diamond-blue earth gardened in a wilderness of space (Winterson 150). Atlas changes his fate by letting go of the world. Winterson implies that she possesses the ability to change her life. Heracles, however, fails to possess the motivation to change his life, which also suggests that Winterson fails to control her fate as well. Winterson holds these two contrasting ideals to exemplify her own confusion. She tells her story of her own confusion by embedding two characters with her paradoxical thought-processes. She wants to believe that she can walk away from her fate like she pictures Atlas walking away but, her story of Heracles suggests that its not that simple or possible. Heracles and Atlas experiences reflect and parallel Wintersons effort to understand her fate. She provides herself the opportunity to change her life through these characters but, also juggles with the idea that she is unable to change it. Through Heracles, she is unable to change her fate yet, through Atlas, she believes she possesses the ability to. These contradicting beliefs re-emphasize her confusion and reveal her frustration in determining whether she has control over her life or not. Winterson reflects upon her life by filtering her thoughts and problems through Heracles and Atlas. Her contradictions reveal her struggle to sort out her frustrations and in the end, she hopes she can change her fate but, perhaps hope will fail to provide Winterson with the satisfaction she needs.

Winterson, Jeanette. Weight. New York: Canongate Books Ltd, 2005. Print.