There is no triumph in succeeding where one cannot fail. True glory lies in the ability to rise up from the lowest of lows and persevere in the face of adversity. The real victory is in the convictions held and maintained that life has a greater purpose for all of us, because by believing in that greater purpose you yourself have already acchieved immortality.
             In Thomas Wolfe's "What is Man?", two very different perspectives are presented on humanity. Man's faults are readily recognized, for he is "a foul, wretched, abominable creature, a packet of decay, a bundle of degenerating tissues,...a hater of his kind, a cheater, a scorner, a mocker, a reviler, a thing that kills and murders in a mob or in the dark...." Yet, as the essay goes on, Wolfe's initial stance is altered.
             In the second half of the passage, Wolfe couterpoints his previous argument by praising he who is weak in boy and in morals for his unending ability to overcome the obstacles in his path. "Plagues wasted him, and cruel wars destroyed his strongest sons, but fire, flood, and faminie could not quench him." Wolfe argues that there is "one faith that is man's glory" and that is his love and belief in life. These convictions allow man to become greater than he is. They enable him to endure life's hardships and sufferings and still have the determination to continue on. It is man's belief in life that prompts him to love.
             For as opposing as the two views are, a comprehension of both is necessary in understanding Wolfe's attitude towards humanity. In Wolfe's point of view, man is triumphant because he fails, but does no enable failure to onquer him. He is a weak and flawed character, and yet, from him comes a miracle as great as love. Wolfe does not praise man because he is wonderful, nor does he glorify him because he has done great things. Wolfe credits man because he has made something out of nothing, and has overcome his own adversities. Because of t...