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Introduction

Many authors have tried their hands at fiction, penning novels and short stories that incorporate philosophical themes and teachings such as those of Plato and Aristotle. Even though it is often easy to tell Socrates' actual beliefs from Plato's and other philosophers’ in their original works, this is not the case when thematically and theoretically analyzing fiction as will be the main purpose of this essay. In that regard, the essay will examine various texts with the view of developing a thematic analysis based on the theoretical sources reviewed in the course. Three major themes are highlighted: illusion, as depicted in The Sandman, ontology, as discussed by Robert B. Pippin and depicted in Sonny Blues, and effective phenomenology, as discussed by Martin Heidegger and demonstrated in The Child Hero’s Lament. The essay will wrap up by drawing a summary and conclusions on key emergent themes. While numerous themes emerge from reading the primary texts, the aspects of allusion, phenomenology, and ontology are more greatly emphasized in the development of the authors’ stories.

Body

As mentioned, the essay's main body will focus on three main ideas drawn from the primary literature and based on theoretical sources.

· The aspect of allusion : Typical of Hoffmann's works, The Sandman has a dizzyingly postmodern philosophy. As Nathanael, a proto-postmodernist, argues with Clara, a strong modernist, the potential of existence is limitless if reality is subjective. For Nathanael, there is no escape from fate, and he is driven by this allusion. He asserts that one can do or be anything they want (and they can make others do or be anything they don't want to be), but when the Manager shuts out the lights and pulls them into the dark, there's nothing they can do to oppose.

· The aspect of phenomenology: When comparing logic to thought and cognition, Arendt uses the parable of The Sandman to draw clear lines. Following the norms of logic, one can make deductions from axiomatic assertions and generalize from specific cases. They are characterized by a complete lack of choice since the mind is subject to logical laws in the same way that the body is subject to physical laws. According to Arendt, intelligence is synonymous with the ability to reason logically, therefore being unable to think is not the same as being mentally incapable.

· The aspect of Ontology : Anne Frank's diary contains a demonstration of an ontological component predicated on the existence of God. Anne claims that they were coerced into performing the sinful act, and that, in contrast to the intended outcomes of sacrifices, no good came of it. In Jewish tradition, God was called Yahweh. The name meant "He who creates things" in its original context. To achieve this, Yahweh used the Utilitarianism principle of maximizing happiness for the largest possible group of people.