<p>topic: Do small events lead to catastrophes or are great events initiated by other causes?</p>
<p>mistakes and all:
“Big things come in small packages” is an applicable adage when considering causes and their effects. Although episodes may seem insignificant, these often overlooked encounters may prove catastrophic. Such episodes and their catastrophies are demonstrated in the novel Lolita, as well as in the sinking of the Titanic.
In Nabokov’s Lolita a man sexually obsessed with young girls takes a seemingly uninteresting teaching job position at a college. Upon taking this position the man, Humbert Humbert, finds a room to rent in the house of a widow. Unknown to Humbert, the widow has a young daughter whom Humbert immediately finds himself attracted to. This attraction is so great, Humbert end up plotting her mother’s murder, kidnapping the girl, using her as a sex slave, and eventually is convicted of a murder. It is incredible that Humbert’s simple action of taking a job would lead to his disturbing lifestyle and finally his incarceration.
Perhaps as horrible was the sinking of the beautiful ocean liner, the Titanic. Although awful because of the sheer number of passengers who died, its true tragedy lies in the completely avoidable mistake which caused the disaster. Before its maiden voyage in April of 1914, two sailors were in charge of stocking the crow’s nest with all necessities. Most unfortunately the two men forgot to pack binoculars. The ship’s fate seemed sealed as sson as it left the dock with the much needed seeing aids. Because the were unable to see the massive, impending iceberg without enough time to turn the boat, history was made in the middle of the cold Atlantic that night.
It is because of “meaningless” actions that tragedies occur. There is no way of predictiing which small decisions or mishaps will end up shaping our destinies, only that they most certainly do.</p>