CRITICAL LENS: JACK AND THE BEANSTALK The story of Jack and the Beanstalk according to (Jacobs) is about

a poor, young boy whose fortune changed after he got some magic beans in exchange for his mothers cow which she had given him to sell. Jacks mother thought the beans were useless so she threw them outside, the next day the beans grew into a giant plant which climbed higher than the clouds. Upon climbing the plant Jack came across the house of an ogre that ate little boys. He got rich by tricking the ogres wife and stealing from the ogre. On his third attempt to rob the ogre he almost got caught so he had to kill the ogre by chopping down the beanstalk. The theory that will be used to critically analyse the story Jack and the Beanstalk is the theory of existentialism. According to theorist Jean-Paul Sartre the theory of existentialism can be defined by the slogan Existence precedes Essence. He further explains this by saying that as humans We are thrown into existence first without a predominant nature and only later do we construct our own nature or essence through our actions. (Whitehawk) Defines existentialism as a philosophy concerned with finding self and the meaning of life through free will, choice and personal responsibility. Therefore existentialism deals with human existence and the choices an individual makes in order to survive. Existentialism has three main characteristics facticity, anxiety and despair. There are several concepts to consider when defining existentialism. Sartre believes that this theory is based mainly on human free will or freedom of choice. This freedom of choice is an individuals ability to make his/her own decisions. Another important concept of existentialism is that decisions are not without stress and consequences. In applying the theory to the story above special attention will be given to the main character Jack and the choices he makes in order to achieve wealth. In Joseph Jacobs version, Jack expresses freedom of choice throughout most of the story. He first expressed this freedom at the beginning of the story where he thoughtlessly exchanged his mothers cow for five small beans. The man with the beans did not force or threaten Jack to take them, he did so of his own free will. In his research (Banach) wrote that freedom of choice is not only advantageous but it also has disadvantages. In the story even Jacks mother thought he had made a foolish decision and as a result she did not give him anything to eat that night. As stated above people sometimes try to create or construct their own nature or essence through their actions. In the story Jack seemed to be trying to create a world in which both he and his mother could survive comfortably and as a result he made a quick decision to take the easy way out. Instead of trying to sell the cow he exchanged it for some beans which he was told were magical. Jacks expression of freedom of choice would seem to many as a foolish decision. Jacks decision to create his own nature can be recognized as one of the three characteristics of existentialism. This characteristic is anxiety. Anxiety deals with our responsibility to choose and create our own nature and values even though we lack as external sources of value and determination (Banach). In the story Jacks decisions do lead to consequences. During his strife to obtain a better standard of living for himself and his mother Jack made some crucial choices which lead to several near death experiences. These actions speak to another concept of existentialism which was that decisions are not without stress and consequences. This concept was explained by (Whitehawk) to mean that some choices which we make as individuals turn out to lead to several consequences. When Jack first climbed

the beanstalk he did so mainly out of curiosity so he did not consider the risks that went with his decision. The other times he climbed the beanstalk, however, he was well aware of all the risks/consequences and he still made the choice. This decision to climb the beanstalk even though he knew the risks can be compared to another characteristic of existentialism. This characteristic is despair. (Banach) Describes despair as the contrast between the world were thrown into and the one we wish to create but we still restrict ourselves to what is under our own control. Since Jack was born in a poor family he wanted to uplift himself and in order to do so he made some risky decisions. As a result he did have some challenges which he overcame in the end.

Works Cited Banach, David. "Summary of Some Main Points from Sartre's Existentialism and Human Emotions." September 2006. St. Anslem College Web site. September 2011 <http://www.anslem.edu/homepage/dbanach/sartrelecture.htm>. Jacobs, Joseph. "Jack and the Beanstalk." 27 September 2003. Rick Walton's Online Library. September 2011 <http://www.rickwalton.com>. Whitehawk, Shamyn. "My Little Corner of Existentialism ." 1998. Fortune City. September 2011 <http://www.fortunecity.com>.