Henry James is considered the master of subtle psychological fiction and in The Beast in the Jungle he demonstrates the powerful extent to which determinism can reach and block an individual from any consideration of free will. This situation would be especially likely if such an individual were as self-centered as the protagonist, John Marcher. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Determinism is a doctrine by which philosophers imply that people are ultimately victims of fate. Something as powerful as life cannot be altered, and this is the philosophy Marcher has adopted in correlation with the romanticized destiny he has led himself to believe in due to his egotism. Marcher places himself on a pedestal constructed by his presumptuous mind, believing he stands out among other ordinary human beings as a heroic figure “destined” for “something rare and strange, perhaps prodigious and terrible.” He calls this self-made prophecy of his the “Beast crouching in the jungle,” waiting for the moment to pounce on Marcher and “kill him or “be killed.” Marcher believes that the Beast is something that will come to him in due time, and not it is something that he should trigger to change his life in any way. The idea of ​​fate causing a drastic change in one's life has a much more fairy-tale appeal than an individual pushing for change himself. Determinism therefore criticizes the dream American: the idea that a person can achieve absolutely anything with passion and perseverance, basically, according to his own will. With this belief, Marcher determinedly sets his life on the course of waiting for the Beast, abandoning all ideas of in reality by initiating some sort of action and excitement in his life alone. This principle of endless waiting for fate and destiny to impose some exciting and irrevocable event even caused May Bartram to wait and watch the Beast alongside Marcher. Even though Marcher does his best to think of May's well-being, such as refusing to marry her on the grounds that the Beast's impending attack would be too great a burden for a woman to bear, he still continues to be self-centered. Marcher's love for himself that evoked the idea of ​​the Beast and therefore focused his entire life entirely on its mystery. Even when May becomes gravely ill and near death, Marcher continues to put himself and his obsession with the Beast before May's well-being; asking May what she supposed the Beast could be despite his failing health. Marcher also continues to engage in conversation regarding the Beast and his personal well-being during this visit, showing a vague interest in May's ill health. On the other hand, May's love is the opposite of Marcher's. She is selfless and with it she was able to study and observe Marcher's personality and face from a distance during the years of their friendship. She also waits and does nothing to instigate any form of action in Marcher's life so that he can be satisfied with his theory about the Beast. Loving Marcher altruistically, May does not intervene in any way in his mental adventure of waiting. Therefore, she never confesses her feelings for him because, in her perspective, the Beast was always the love that could blossom between her and Marcher. It seems that May understands Marcher's vain faith in the Beast very well, to the point that she would be ready to sacrifice herself. her desire to form a relationship with him, for the sake of Marcher's revelation of what the Beast truly is: an intimate and.”