When I considered this topic for my blog I decided I would stick the phrase “selling your soul” into a search engine and see what came up. To my incredulous surprise the first couple of sites were step by step instructions on how to go about selling your soul. At that point I couldn’t pass this topic up. Some people are looking at the topic as a complete joke and others are taking it extremely seriously and already picked the pen they plan to sign with. Personally I do not have a monetary “price” for which I would sell my own soul under normal circumstances. However if a loved one was suffering or dying or if I had the opportunity to do something really important for someone I think I might have to consider my options. This made me ask myself a couple of questions. Do the motives behind the act really make a difference? Would a willing soul be worth the price offered? What happens if you change your mind; and is it even possible to change your mind? When we read Doctor Faustus as well as Dorian Gray it was clear that the characters asked some of the same questions. While doctor Faustus was seeking limitless knowledge though the magic received from Lucifer, Dorian Gray pledges his soul so that his painting will bear his age so that his youth will never leave his face. The motive for both acts are very different, however, how can you determine which character was more evil or which was more wrong for making his decision. Personally I believe that both were equally wrong for making the decision at all but others may disagree. The position of selflessness could be argued. If someone sold their soul in a “selfless” act would it make a difference? I truly can’t decide. Both stories also include thoughts by the characters to take back their souls and repent to be forgiven although neither ends up doing so in the end. I see this as showing a theme that once your decision is made you cannot go back on it. I understand that it is believed that if you repent and ask for forgiveness from god all will be forgiven. The fault in this is that I’m not sure that someone who was willing to sell their soul in the first place would hold the strength and perseverance to repent and ask for forgiveness. They could clearly be swayed in the beginning and therefore could probably be swayed again. I wonder if those in extenuating circumstances in Japan after the tsunami would sell their souls to get the heck out of there. Although I do not have any personal anecdotes about being tempted to sell my soul to the devil, (ha..) I feel like it can be connected to many people in the world on a much smaller scale. There are people everywhere who have jobs, family, friends or other circumstances that make them choose between following their own strong beliefs or those that are imposed upon them by others. The fact that many of those people give in for one reason or another makes me think that, many, for the same or different reasons may find that their soul happens to be on sale.
