| The purpose of this thesis is to explore the widely differing circumstances under which misanthropy flourishes. A short story collection, this thesis follows characters from various walks of life. Protagonists include a high school student, an accountant-turned-restaurateur, an ad designer, a public school spokeswoman and a veteran narcotics officer. Despite holding different values and living different lives under different sets of circumstances, each character is a victim or perpetrator (or, in some cases, both) of an unquestionably cruel act.In presenting these stories as a single collection, this thesis will challenge conventional notions of innocence and culpability. All characters, no matter how sympathetic or well-intentioned, have a hand in whatever tragedy befalls them and others. As such, this thesis attempts to synthesize a Hobbesian view of human nature (animalistic and cruel, hence the title) with a Randian/existentialist recognition of the individual as the ultimate arbiter of his or her own destiny. |
