Self Discovery

In human existence, a question commonly asked is, "Who am I?" This question is the heart of the quest for the Self. This is a quest which may take a lifetime, sometimes longer, to fulfill. One path, of self-discovery, is when people turn to their surroundings in their search. In turning to their surroundings, people are able to see their Selves by the things around them. In observing the surroundings, people may, not only, find their Selves, but establish their Selves. This path, however, is not the only way people search for the Self. Another path is when people turn to something higher than themselves for answers. This path is lined with the hope the answers can be given by the, "something higher." These two paths represent two preceding forces in people's search for the Self.

The two forces are the Absolute and the Other. The Absolute is the something higher, and the Other represents people the Self comes in contact with. Only through interaction and contact with the Absolute and the Other, can the Self discover itself. In the interaction with these two forces, a balance must exist. The balance allows for the contact with the Absolute, and the interaction with the Other, to complement and enhance each other. Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach's novel, Das Gemeindekind, displays the necessity of the relationship between the Self, the Absolute, and the Other, in the search for the Self.

Ebner-Eschenbach uses an orphaned boy, Pavel, and his sister, Milada, to demonstrate the relationships between Self, Absolute, and Other. The setting is a mid-eighteenth century Catholic community in Eastern Germany. Pavel demonstrates a Self, who has strong interaction with the Other. Pavel then shows how interaction with the Other, balanced with contact to the Absolute, is the best way to find the Self. Milada, on the other hand, is a Self with almost exclusive contact with the Absolute. She is evidence for the danger of being in complete isolation from the Other, and in