Historical Criticism of Man's Fate
             To one who lives in a democratic society the word "Communism" means names such as "Marx," "Lenin," "Stalin," and even "Anastasia." But according to Rodney Guin, a high school history teacher, those within a Communistic system often worry about how they will feed their family tomorrow. The often heard, "Each according to his ability and each according to his need" is a slogan, not a reality (Communism 2). About Communism, Benjamin Cardozo wrote, "Again and again, the altruist has arisen in politics, has bidden us share with others the product of our toil, and has proclaimed the communistic dogma as the panacea for our social ills." Matt's Internet homepage states, "Under Communism, profits from the worker's labor would be shared out for the benefit of the workers themselves. This would, obviously, lead to a much better deal for the people of the world." Sounds good on paper, but numerous countries exist as proof that Communism in action is the opposite of any of those statements.
             Having lived in China during the 1920's and witnessed the realities of struggle against Communism, Andre Malraux wrote Man's Fate, an example of how strong Communist strings can be. I found it interesting that instead of writing from a political view, he wrote about Man himself, and how Man acts or reacts to situations. To do this, Malraux's well-crafted characters bared their souls to the world, thus drawing me into a clash of fate, responsibility, and free will. Their personas were sometimes egotistical and blunt, sometimes loving, but so successful that even though I do not like historical works, I learned much once I understood the plot and the implications that plot had for each character.
             Where did Malraux gain the background needed for Man's Fate? Malraux was French and concentrated his ...