Stranger Than Fiction, Harold Crick helps us understand that destiny is our fate.

In the movie Stranger Than Fiction, Harold Crick helps us understand that destiny is our fate. It has been recorded for us to walk on it the way we live our lives. We should always remember that our actions affect the way things occur and eventually we are the ones who make our own destiny. Therefore we should not leave everything as it is by contributing for the greater good. Harold’s initial characterization portrays his daily habits, routines, patterns and it also shows he’s numerical, tight and obsessive compulsive. As we move on with the story, we realize Harold Crick develops into a more round character. Where as before he was self centered and didn‘t enjoy life. When he realizes he is about to die, he starts valuing his life. Alongside with these problems, he comes across a voice and this voice follows him around everywhere. The voice that he hears is narrated by Karen Eiffel. This voice is speaking about whatever he is doing at the time and what will happen in the future. This voice is very significant because that’s what gets him rewarded. He gets rewarded because he saves a little boy’s life and sacrifices his life just so the little boy can stay alive.  Harold is not very easy on his life... By facing death he gets a better understanding of how to “live our lives.” We see the process of Harold’s understanding through dullness in his routine. His development as he connects with people and finally as he faces death and understands how to live life differently.

            Having a very ritual life and doing things precisely doesn’t make your life any better. Harold depends mostly on his wristwatch. He was extremely precise over minor things. For example; brushing his teeth thirty eight times back and forth, and thirty eight times up and down. He followed a specific pattern and a daily routine. Harold Crick is characterized as a selfless, lifeless and a lonely person. Having a life with no social and leisure involvement .We become evident of these characteristics through this example. “Beyond that Harold lived a life of solitude. He would walk home alone. He would eat alone and precisely 11:13 every night he would go to bed alone.” This brief description of Harold’s routine and life illustrates that he is obsessed by what he does and has a very dull life.

The movie gives light on how he changes from a dull person into a more lively individual. It is evident in the character of Harold Crick that Harold gradually becomes more social. As the rising action occurs, he is assigned to audit a banker named Ana Pascal. He is very determined in his work and is a strong believer in rules but, he starts liking Mrs. Pascal. Since Harold knows he’s going to die and his life is being narrated by Karen Eiffel he is confused and is longing for answers to discover what is going on. When he goes out and searches for the answers he comes across people who give him a chance to associate with them. He met Karen Eiffel, Professor Jules Hilbert and Penny. This sentence professor Jules Hilbert says to Harold. “She’s untraceable. Believe me, I use to teach a class on her.” This sentence shows Harold is keen into knowing where Karen is which is eventually going to lead him into communicating with her and as well as her sectary. It shows his social circle is getting larger.

            Living life to your fullest and fulfilling your dreams in life are things which make you feel you’ve accomplished something and haven’t missed out on anything in your life. We are told that “Harold was in deep thought for a few brief moments, from Beulvard to Fulclid Avenue, all the calculations and all the rules and all the precision of Harold’s life just faded away.” The entire purpose of this quote is to show Harold’s thinking towards his accuracy in life and how it doesn’t do him any good. He wants to start a new life where he can enjoy it and starts perceiving life in a different perspective. When Harold faces death and discovers time for passions. He realizes he wanted to play the guitar. To fulfill this desire he bought a guitar. He wants to make life more meaningful so he takes risks towards Ana Pascal. He expresses his feelings to her and soon enough obtained sexual pleasure off her. Moving along with his last days on earth he hooks up his friend Dave to a space camp program, sacrifices for the little boy and Karen. When he knew he was a character in Karen Eiffel’s book and knew he was going to die he never made it an issue and kept on looking forward to change his life. He wanted Karen to publish her book and told her that he liked the ending. Coming over to the conclusive scenes of the movie he gets involved in a nail biting, thrilling action in which he saves a kids life.

      Now that we have talked and analyzed so much about his habitual life that he consistently kept on changing, we should understand the question of how we should “ live our lives.” In the very initiative parts of the story it was discovered that Harold’s life was boring and had no colors in it, but later on when he sees himself dead in the dig hole, he recognized what his rituals have made of him and then he joins the race of “change” which was more like a revolution in him. In the race of “change” he developed as a character and by facing death he understood how to live a life with fewer precessions and more slacking off with joy in it. Overall death can be considered as an experience which comes through in everyone’s life. When you’re dying you realize you should have “lived your life.” You get many regrets which you can never change, but you should always take every sweet moment as a blessing from God and live to the most of it.

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