Half Full Or Half Empty

When I met with Mark Lucas, to discuss Absalom, Absalom, he made a remark that got me thinking.  He said that the Old South and England share a similar reverence of the past since both had fought and lost wars on their home ground.  The extensive re-thinking that is required to make sense of why one's noble forebears were unable to prevail leads to an obsession with the past.  It is a sort of second guessing.  Was their cause mistaken, their courage suspect or were they in the wrong?

This questioning leads to a more circumspect view of the world.  The real possibility of failure looms over every endeavor. It leads to a sort of realistic view of existence that can appear to be pessimism.  When you examine the work of Tolkien and Faulkner, you certainly see this sort of  harsh picture of living.  Death and sorrow are real possibilities intricately woven into the tapestry of their tales.

This contrasts with the rest of the United States where during Disney's life, the claim could be made that the U.S. had never lost in a war.  In fact, the U.S.'s primary role in Walt's experience had been to enter in on the right side of foreign conflict and tip the scales of victory to bring justice.  Losing was not a part of the experience.

So Disney's narratives lack the reverence for the past and the complicated texture of death and sorrow.  It is possible for him to have an essentially optimistic view of the world because defeat was unknown.

An interesting thought, loss leads to depth.  At least in this case, it appears to ring true.