Summary
In Beyonders: A World Without Heroes Jason is living his normal life, studying for his anatomy test, playing baseball, and working at the local zoo. He gets a concussion from a baseball but instead of resting goes to work. He is watching the hippos when he hears a musical sound coming from the enclosure. He leans in to hear better where it is coming from and with his addled brain, falls into the water and is swallowed by the hippo.
The hippo mouth turns into a silde-like feeling as Jason is ia dumped onto dry land. He discovers the source of the music as a band of people are playing instruments while floating down the river. Jason attempts to save them, unsuccessfully, and then runs into the wilderness away from the people. He stumbles onto a large library in the middle of nowhere where he stays until he reads the contents of a forbidden book. The book has a note that tells Jason the first syllable to the word that can destroy Maldor, the oppressive emporer. This forces Jason to be on the run from Maldor's minions while he searches out people to help him find the other syllables of the word to save the land of Lyrian.
In Beyonders: A World Without Heroes Jason is living his normal life, studying for his anatomy test, playing baseball, and working at the local zoo. He gets a concussion from a baseball but instead of resting goes to work. He is watching the hippos when he hears a musical sound coming from the enclosure. He leans in to hear better where it is coming from and with his addled brain, falls into the water and is swallowed by the hippo.
The hippo mouth turns into a silde-like feeling as Jason is ia dumped onto dry land. He discovers the source of the music as a band of people are playing instruments while floating down the river. Jason attempts to save them, unsuccessfully, and then runs into the wilderness away from the people. He stumbles onto a large library in the middle of nowhere where he stays until he reads the contents of a forbidden book. The book has a note that tells Jason the first syllable to the word that can destroy Maldor, the oppressive emporer. This forces Jason to be on the run from Maldor's minions while he searches out people to help him find the other syllables of the word to save the land of Lyrian.
Favorite Quote
"Indulgence is emptiness. I have proved the limits of food and frivolity. There is no real fulfillment in meaningless rushes of pleasure. You try to conceal the emptiness with more extravagence, only to find the thrills becoming less satisfying and more fleeting. Most pleasures are best as a seasoning, not the main course. However you try to disguise it, you end up feeding without being nourished"(269).
Explanation
After being confined into a state of bliss and being free from the world's troubles the ex-hero Drake comes back after spending a couple regular human lifetimes in peace. He tells Jason that true happiness doesn't come from all the food and wine you can indulge in because well your heart is not satisfyed with the simple happiness and you feel a deep sense of emptiness. This is because to feel true joy you need to have a purpose and a family.
After being confined into a state of bliss and being free from the world's troubles the ex-hero Drake comes back after spending a couple regular human lifetimes in peace. He tells Jason that true happiness doesn't come from all the food and wine you can indulge in because well your heart is not satisfyed with the simple happiness and you feel a deep sense of emptiness. This is because to feel true joy you need to have a purpose and a family.
Themes
- Being courageous in the face of danger
- Finding true joy amidst fleeting happiness
- Young leadership is a powerful thing
Overveiw
One could experience happiness without ever feeling real joy. To feel joy you need to be true to your morals and have a noble purpose.
Essay
Finding True Joy Amongst Fleeting Happiness
Finding lasting joy in life is difficult. So many things take our time in this life that it is hard to discover what makes us truly happy versus just momentarily happy. For some people a religious devotion can make them truly happy, for others it could be a specific sport or hobby whatever it may be it is important to discover it and pursue what makes us joyful. In Beyonders: A World Without Heroes one of the characters experiences artificial happiness until he learns to find a noble cause that brings him lasting joy. There is a difference in feeling temporary happiness and experiencing lasting joy in our lives.
In the story Jason, a normal highschooler from Earth, is summoned to the world of Lyrian. He discovers a book that tells him the first syllable to the word that can destroy the evil, oppressive emperor, Maldor. “By reading these words you have nominated yourself to recover the key word. Move swiftly. The knowledge you now possess marks you for prompt execution. The first syllable is ‘A’”(67). He is then forced to run from Maldor’s minions that are ordered to kill him. He seeks out mentors and ex-heroes to teach him the ways of the world and where to find the other syllables. From the start Jason knows what the right thing is to do and he never falters. He is happy and patient even though he suffers throughout the story. He is touched and able to do the task of saving Lyrian.
Emperor Maldor has a systematic and concise way of crushing his rebellion. He bombards them with a variety of his strong minions to manipulate and break down those that rise against him. If there is a hero that withstands his onslaughts then he invites them to Hearthenham. This is a place free of worry or sorrow. The heroes are invited to stay here and be protected by their men and feast whenever they please. This is where hundreds of heroes go to “rest” for a few weeks until they get hooked on the lifestyle of idleness and frivolity as their bodies degrade. Jason needs to get into Hearthenham to find another symbol. This is where he meets Drake. Drake is one of the most intriguing characters to me. He spends many years in the “eternal feast” until arousing his faculties and joining the rebellion again. Though while he is in Hearthenham he had seemingly given up saying; “There is no real fulfillment in meaningless rushes of pleasure. You try to conceal the emptiness with more extravagance, only to find the thrills becoming less satisfying and more fleeting”(374). He has happiness for small moments in his life but lacks the joy.
When Drake returns from his state of gluttony and laziness he begins to find his sense of joy in doing right. His life is beginning to let him realize the fulfillment and satisfaction that come when one engages in a noble purpose. This is manifested in how committed he becomes after fighting alongside the company of rebels. He eventually even dies for this cause. “Rolling flat on his back, Drake shuddered. Then he inhaled deeply. He stared up at the night sky. ‘We’re going to win,’ he said, his voice calmer, less strained. [...] His head tipped sideways. The breath went out of him”’(381). He gave his life for a higher purpose and because of that he found a higher quality of existence.
There is a large difference between happiness and true joy. Happiness can occur from the simple indulgences in life but will never fulfill the human soul. Finding true joy in life can come through donating to charity, serving others to make their lives better, or raising a family of one's own. Remember to stop and ponder whether you are doing something that causes happiness or joy.
Finding lasting joy in life is difficult. So many things take our time in this life that it is hard to discover what makes us truly happy versus just momentarily happy. For some people a religious devotion can make them truly happy, for others it could be a specific sport or hobby whatever it may be it is important to discover it and pursue what makes us joyful. In Beyonders: A World Without Heroes one of the characters experiences artificial happiness until he learns to find a noble cause that brings him lasting joy. There is a difference in feeling temporary happiness and experiencing lasting joy in our lives.
In the story Jason, a normal highschooler from Earth, is summoned to the world of Lyrian. He discovers a book that tells him the first syllable to the word that can destroy the evil, oppressive emperor, Maldor. “By reading these words you have nominated yourself to recover the key word. Move swiftly. The knowledge you now possess marks you for prompt execution. The first syllable is ‘A’”(67). He is then forced to run from Maldor’s minions that are ordered to kill him. He seeks out mentors and ex-heroes to teach him the ways of the world and where to find the other syllables. From the start Jason knows what the right thing is to do and he never falters. He is happy and patient even though he suffers throughout the story. He is touched and able to do the task of saving Lyrian.
Emperor Maldor has a systematic and concise way of crushing his rebellion. He bombards them with a variety of his strong minions to manipulate and break down those that rise against him. If there is a hero that withstands his onslaughts then he invites them to Hearthenham. This is a place free of worry or sorrow. The heroes are invited to stay here and be protected by their men and feast whenever they please. This is where hundreds of heroes go to “rest” for a few weeks until they get hooked on the lifestyle of idleness and frivolity as their bodies degrade. Jason needs to get into Hearthenham to find another symbol. This is where he meets Drake. Drake is one of the most intriguing characters to me. He spends many years in the “eternal feast” until arousing his faculties and joining the rebellion again. Though while he is in Hearthenham he had seemingly given up saying; “There is no real fulfillment in meaningless rushes of pleasure. You try to conceal the emptiness with more extravagance, only to find the thrills becoming less satisfying and more fleeting”(374). He has happiness for small moments in his life but lacks the joy.
When Drake returns from his state of gluttony and laziness he begins to find his sense of joy in doing right. His life is beginning to let him realize the fulfillment and satisfaction that come when one engages in a noble purpose. This is manifested in how committed he becomes after fighting alongside the company of rebels. He eventually even dies for this cause. “Rolling flat on his back, Drake shuddered. Then he inhaled deeply. He stared up at the night sky. ‘We’re going to win,’ he said, his voice calmer, less strained. [...] His head tipped sideways. The breath went out of him”’(381). He gave his life for a higher purpose and because of that he found a higher quality of existence.
There is a large difference between happiness and true joy. Happiness can occur from the simple indulgences in life but will never fulfill the human soul. Finding true joy in life can come through donating to charity, serving others to make their lives better, or raising a family of one's own. Remember to stop and ponder whether you are doing something that causes happiness or joy.