Many people meet the end of their life and wonder if they have truly left a lasting impact on their society, friends, and family. We will all probably ask ourselves this question at some point in our life. Most people want to leave a lasting impact on the world, like George Washington, M.L.K., and Albert Einstein. An unlived life is characterized as a life without a legacy or one that has left a self-centered legacy on society and we see this through the short stories: “The Beast in the Jungle” by Henry James, “The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” by Mark Twain, and “The Revolt of Mother” by Wilkins Freeman. In the short story “The Beast in the Jungle”, we see a man, who wastes his entire life waiting on a life-shattering moment …show more content…
This man, Smiley, catches a frog one day and teaches it to out jump any other frog. Smiley becomes so confident in his frog that he begins to bet on him against other frogs. The narrator says, ““Well”, Smiley says, easy and careless, he’s good enough for one thing, I should judge—he can outjump any frog in Calaveras County”” (Twain 124). Smiley gets so caught up in his selfish desires of using his frog to make him money that he ends up getting tricked in one of his bets. A man from out of town makes a bet with Smiley and fills his frog with objects that weigh it down. After Smiley loses his bet with the man, he realizes that he was sabotaged. The narrator says, “Why blame my cats if he don’t weigh five pound” (Twain 125). By the time Smiley begins to realize that the man tricked him, it is too late. Smiley lives an “unlived life” because he is focused on himself. Smiley’s desire for money ends up costing him not only his money but his pride …show more content…
We see through these short stories that many people have succeeded and failed at leaving a positive legacy on society. Many have chosen to follow a path that leads them to an “unlived life”. Every single person in this world is given the opportunity at some point in his or her life to live a full life. Life is full of choices and it is up to each and every person to decide if they want to live a meaningful