Introduction
Literature is one of the main instruments of comprehension and description of reality, which is significantly influenced by characteristics of nations and cultures, by religious, historical and ethnical aspects. Traditions and common values of a certain society and time are reflected by various elements of literature. Almost any literary work may be considered to be part of the nation’s cultural code, which represents a print of the past nation-wide experience on the modern society and culture. One of the above-mentioned literary elements containing cultural aspects is the main character. Matsuo Basho, Faust and Odysseus have a list of differences in their characteristics, values and moral standards through which they are viewed. Such differences are the representation of the cultural diversity and its impact on literature. Therefore, literature and culture are closely interrelated with each other and the main character of a certain literary product plays a crucial role in that interrelationship.
Odysseus
Odysseus may appear to be a very controversial character if assessed by modern standards. According to contemporary views, Odysseus’s adventure might be questionable, and his deeds are not exclusively good. Some of his actions may be considered unnecessarily cruel, his values might not appear to be humane, and his thirst for vengeance may seem not right. However, Odysseus completely corresponded to the ancient Greek values and was viewed as an epic hero. The difference in the evaluation of Odysseus’s actions represents a distinction in cultural aspects between modern people and the ancient Greeks. Odysseus in that case is a bearer of the cultural code, as his violent revenge, for example, depicts the understanding of justice in archaic moral standards of Greece. As he was explicitly considered an epic hero in the ancient times, his feasts and deeds may represent behavior of a person who was admired by the society. Triumph of justice does not necessarily involve brutal vengeance, as well as overcoming and fighting difficulties does not obligatorily imply actual battle or harm. Odysseus should not be judged by modern moral standards, instead images of good and evil from the past should be modified to suit the modern value system. Nonetheless, the abovementioned aspects, which shall be presently viewed as symbolic, play a significant role in picturing ancient culture and norms.
Faust
Faust represents the image of an average person, who reflects the characteristics and fate of Western European culture and may be presented not only as a literary reality, but cultural reality. Faust has incorporated significant aspects of the time and place so fully and comprehensively that the whole European society of nineteenth and twentieth centuries is sometimes referred to as ‘Faustian society’. The reflection of cultural specifications of Western Europe is constantly reflected throughout the piece of art. For example, Faust translates ‘‘In the Beginning was the Word’ to ‘In the Beginning was the Act’, implying that efficiency and productivity should be that main life goals. That represents the inner conflict and transformation of the whole industrial society through one single character. Faust as a character comprehensively and fully encompasses all the cultural contradictions of Western Europe of nineteenth century. He represents the conflict between nature and civilization, science and religion, the city and the countryside, and, accordingly, between the urban consciousness and the tribal consciousness, politics and morality, freedom and violence, spirit and matter. These opposing forces had significant importance to cultural aspects of the turning point in European history.
Matsuo Basho
In The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Matsuo Basho the main character is the author himself. The mentioned piece of art not only corresponds to Japanese traditions and culture by format and abundance of haiku, but also in the way the main character interacts with the environment and depicts his thoughts and feelings. Therefore, it is considered to be one of the best traveling works in the history of Japanese literature. In The Narrow Road to the Deep North Matsuo Basho explores and discovers both the outer world of Japan and the inner world of himself. Cultural significance may be seen in the way Matsuo Basho narrates his journey through the prism of his inner feelings. For example, he mentions reverence and awe before the temple in the Three Mountains of Dewa. The significance of spiritualism and symbolism in the narration also matches their importance in Japanese culture. The Narrow Road to the Deep North only lets the reader perceive the journey through the eyes of the main character, receiving information about his thoughts and senses. Such focus on the personal interpretation of experience and the imposition of external factors on inner word define special properties and aspects of culture and tradition in Japan in seventeenth century.
Conclusion
Literature made valuable contribution to the development of cultural heritage of numerous societies and communities. Such literary characters as Matsuo Basho, Faust and Odysseus reflect the nature of moral standards, as well as attributes of tradition and culture to which they belong. Conclusively, specific qualities of characters in pieces of literary art may be considered to be essential indicators or criteria which determine distinctive elements of a certain culture.