In Due Season – Paul Wilkes
In Due Season, Paul Wilkes recounts his life with honesty. He unpacks his life, which is filled with cycles and efforts of finding God and losing Him. Thestory clearly manifests the personalized story of a man’s faith thataffected by the changes transpiring in the American Catholicism during the 20th century. Thismemoir digs deep in the life of Wilkes and the challenges he faces as he tries to find a place he fits. Having brought in a Catholic environment, he felt that he was called into priestlyvocation but God sent him many signals that indicated that this was not his profession making him to become a writer.Therefore, this is a story that takes readers through the stages of Wilkeslife but also through stages of our life. Havingthis in mind, this discussionfocuses on Wilkes and seeks to elaborate on various aspects that concern his life challenges as captured in the In Due Season.
Opinions on Wilkes challenges
In the story, Paul faces a myriad of challenges as he grows up. These challenges contribute to his decisions and the path of life he takes. He responds in different ways to the challenges that faces him. Wilkes faces many changes some of these include; failing to accomplish his dream of becoming a priest and to be like Thomas Merton, failing in marriage, making a decision to go and live and serve the poor, and failing to be like the socialjustice advocates Dorothy Day among many others. The way Wilkes handled these challenges is not bad. He did not blow everything out but he made a decision to choose what his heart could do. He decided to become a man of his own and therefore made rational decisions that he felt could enable him to live well. Deciding to become a writer and relinquishing his dream of becoming like Thomas Merton was something good. This was not his calling putting in mind the fact that he was a sinner and therefore not suitable to serve in this capacity. His decision on helping the poor in the society was a nobledecision, welcome, and is something that is expected. However, the circumstances’ in which this happened illustrates that it was motivated by the frustrations in marriage. This is a challenge that I feel he did handle well and therefore, he couldhave found an amicable ways of managing this challenge.
He was a child who wanted to be a saint, a blue-collar worker, a devoted servant of the urban poor, a journalistic success, and a dissolute libertine. To illustrate your view, select several events from his life. Be sure to cite the text to demonstrate your reading.
Wilkes in his memoir indicates his desires in life. He wanted to be a saint and a committed individual to the word of God, wanted to get a blue-collar worker, a devoted servant of the poor, a dissolute libertine and a journalistic success. Wilkes was ambitious and he felt that it was his calling to become a priest and to serve the people. Being brought up in a religiousbackground, he hadthe vision that he was going to lead people into salvation and save the world from sinful acts. This is illustrated in the phrase, “I had once grandly dreamed of nothing less than a “saving world”. I yearned to take on the mantle of Christ, emboldened by his spirit to make his way known’ (Wilkes 281). This is the hope andthe vision that Wilkes had but which didnot come to be real after finding himself in sinful act. He was subsumed in the bottomless pool of love when he lost his control and passions that made him to come into his senses that he was an ordinary man, “when the gypsy girl pressed her thighs against mine that night… I found I had no control of my passions whatsoever” (Wilkes 281).
Wilkes desires to become priest and live saint life is manifest during his high school life. He admired to be like priests that came from China. He says, “And I wanted to be just like him. These priests who had gone to China were heroic. I want to do something heroic in my life” (Wilkes 23).
Wilkes was also ambitious to spend his time serving the urban poor. He had a kind heart and was ready to help other people. This is illustrated when he ponders as to why he allowed his passion and self urges to allow him engage in sexual intercourse outsideof holy matrimony, “ after that afternoon, I prayed, vowing to rededicate myself to the poor” (Wilkes 140). This is a clear indication of her determination and quest to serve the less fortunate in the society. Wilkes further admired to and had dreams of getting a good job to lead a happy life. After his high school, he works at the Cleveland neighborhood. He also aspired to become a journalist and a writer a dream that he accomplished by writing a book which he had even forgot about.
Two basic kinds of challenge
Wilkes demonstrates two kinds of challenges, which are historical situation and his own individuality. Just like us, we face many challenges some as a result of the conflictbetween what we think and perceive against the historical situation. Wilkes had to contend with all of these challenges. Individuality, he isbright, talented, attractive, with plenty of attitude and has strong religious beliefs. On the other hand, the historical situation at the time was also different. The Catholic Church and the US culture waschanging as seen through civilrights feminist movement and Catholic Church liturgical reform. Social justice and individual dignity and liberty had not recovered. I therefore, concur with Wilkes on his decisions. I do share his religious views and it was imperative that he works with his personality that he had.Every person has a different way of approaching life and interest in life and the challenges should not bring us down.Wilkes like any other person even though wanted to be priest and serve God in this capacity; his individuality could not allow him. He therefore had to turn down and do other activities such as writing to make ends meet. Individuality therefore is very important and people should aspire to be themselves and do that which interests them. He was deceiving himself that he could become a priest as illustratedthrough his admiration and upbringing. However, this was not to be the case as she falls in the trap of his passions (Etty 12). His attractiveness and passions led him to be attracted to worldly things such as women. These desiresdrove him to engage in premarital sexual intercourse that led him to deviate from his dreams and ambitions of becoming a priest.
By followingindividuality, people are able to purse that which interest them and which is able to make them attainthat which they want. His callingwas in journalism and this is what he did and succeeded. The passions and behaviors he exhibited was a true manifestation of his personality. In reallife situations, it is important for people to berealistic and exhibit their behaviors and interests (Miles 45). It was not his calling to be a servant of God and this is what is exhibited in his life as he grows up. The interest and dream of helping the poor and those unfortunate members of the society is also a manifestationof a person’s individuality. Even though the situation he found in (coming from a religious family) made him to develop the desire to become a priest, it could not be possible for Wilkesto remain and pursue these desires.
In conclusion, the experiences of Wilkes and his quest to and desire to serve God illustrate how we live.He illuminates our own weaknesses even as we try to follow God’s will.Wilkes is entangled in a conflict between serving God and fulfillinghis individualistic desires.This true memoir helps to enhance understanding of how people live and manage the challenges that they face in life.
Works cited
Wilkes, Paul. In Due Season
Etty, Hillesum. An Interrupted Life
Miles, Sara. Take This Bread
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