The Glass Bees Defeatist Attitude

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Having a defeatist attitude can be harmful in a person’s life because it can hold a person from reaching their true potential in life. A defeatist attitude can also cause others to distance themselves from the person with this type of attitude. In the book The Glass Bees by Ernst Jünger, Captain Richard, the gallant cavalryman, is depicted as a smart, prideful, and honorable man. He served for his country as a light cavalryman, but due to his defeatist attitude he was never promoted to more than an instructor and tank inspector. He married his lovely wife Teresa who loved him very much but unlike Richard she refused to give up on his true potential. However, he was not happy how his life turned out to be. Do to his defeatist attitude he was never promoted to a higher rank like his other …show more content…

Richard claims “My evil star, however, had fated me to be born in times when only the sharply demarcated and precisely calculable were in fashion” (Jünger 105). Richard believed he had been born in a time when only those who were smart, talented, and shined would have a great future ahead of themselves. However, because he had been marked by his evil star, he did not believe he was destined to have a bright future like his comrades Twinnings or Fillmor. Twinnings had always been well-off and had a way with people and Fillmor had a learning ability like no other. Richard believed Twinnings and Fillmor had succeeded because they were sharp and bright men that were in fashion during the harsh times they were going through. Times were evolving and Richard was unable to move forward like most people. He was held in the past. In a time when things were much easier to understand, when people were not poor and veterans, like himself, were treated with respect. Richard believed life was moving to fast and was having a difficult time adjusting to the new

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