Victor’s Sense of Existence from Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz Panny z Wilka in Conception of Stages of Existence by Søren Kierkegaard. Case Study

Abstract

Panny z Wilka is a text considered as a treatise on time and passing away, about how the past can affect the present and whether you can escape from it. It is read as a story about the choices that every man must make in life. The main character wonders about his own existence, what it used to be, what it is now and how it could look in the future. In many critical texts this pattern is confirmed, some even add references to the works of Proust. The aim of the article is to discuss the problem of the passing and the sense or purpose of human existence. Wiktor, the main character of Panny z Wilka, is subjected to detailed analysis. The basic element that is being considered becomes Wiktor’s quest through stages of existence more accurately depicted in one of the philosophical concepts of Søren Kierkegaard. Taken considerations indicate that he passes through two of the stages and while they are ongoing he is struggling with the I – Other conflict. However, he achieves what he wanted. His example shows that every existence has its purpose, sometimes not fully realized, and can be found even in the life of a literary hero.