Determinsm and Free Will: The Tenth Man

When I think about determinism and free will, I see two conflicting theories in which people have a hard time figuring out which one should dominate over the other. Can one choice in life affect the path that was predetermined for me? Or can I get away from that choice? Basically the question is are my choices going along with a predetermined route that I will end up on eventually no matter what?

As I think about these things, I am reminded of a book I recently read called The Tenth Man. It is a book about a man named Louis Chavel who was imprisoned in a Nazi-run establishment. Chavel cheats death by offering all he owns to a man who takes his place and is shot instead. The man’s name was Janvier. The rest of the book involves the journey of Chavel as he ends up at his old home that he originally sold off to the man who died for him. Chavel works for the family that belonged to the man that died for him. Ironically, Chavel ends up being shot. He died by gunshot just the way he would have died if he hadn’t have bought a way out of death back in prison. Chavel’s life looked as if his fate was to die without reaching old age except the road he took to death did stall him some time. During this “stall”, Chavel had a change of heart; he finally feels pity for the man who died for him. As Chavel is bleeding to death, he thinks to himself, “Poor Janvier, he thought - the cinder track. He began to sign his name, but before he had quite finished he felt the water of his wound flowing immeasurably: a river, a torrent, a tide of peace...he never knew that his signature read only Jean-Louis Ch... which stood of course as plainly for Charlot as for Cheval. A crowning justice saw to it that he was not troubled. Even a lawyer’s meticulous conscience was allowed to rest in peace.” (Graham, 149) I think the peace that this author is talking about is the peace that comes from forgiveness of sins. God grants Cheval this peace that he wouldn’t have found if he had died in prison. So, even though Cheval made the choice to cheat his way out of death once, he also was given the opportunity to experience peace before death that he wouldn’t have gotten if he had been shot to death in prison. 

Life is full of twists and turns that are due to the choices that we make as well as the things that happen to us against our will. Call it fate or not, life is given for us to live out whether it be short or long. Our actions do indeed influence our outcome just as Chavel’s actions influenced the experiences he had in his life. These experiences eventually influenced his attitude in the outcome of his life. 

Reference: Greene, Graham. The Tenth Man. New York: Washington Square

Press, 1985. Print.