Repetition and Its Possibility

On page 42 of Repetition, the narrator states, ". . . one need not move from the spot in order to become convinced that repetition is impossible. No, one can sit peacefully in one's living room, when everything is vanity and passes away, then one travels more briskly than if one travelled by train, despite the fact that one is sitting still (42)." This quote seems odd within Repetition, as it in fact argues that repetition is impossible, because everything changes. This confused me at first, but once one reads further, it makes sense. This is because there is an important transition within the novel, as the narrator goes from doubting that repetition is possible, to finding that it actually is.

To understand this transition, it is important to put this quote into context. At this point in the novel, the narrator has befriended a young man who is now in trouble. The young man had fallen in love with a young girl, when he realized that he could not love her properly. To save her heartbreak in the future, the young man refused to marry her, knowing that he could only misery to her and himself in the long run. However, this caused a great scandal in the town, and the young man is judged harshly by his community. At the same time, the narrator finds that he could not recapture the pleasures of Berlin by returning to the city, as everything has changed. Thus, the narrator and the young man have both found, through reflection, that they are in a rut, which leads them to believe that repetition is impossible.

After this point in the novel, however, things begin to turn around. The young girl moves on, thus allowing the young man to move on without condemnation, and the narrator begins to see that repetition is indeed possible. This transition occurs at the same time that religious tones begin to appear within the novel, which should not be a surprise, as Kierkegaard was highly religious, and believed that the ultimate repetition occurs when one begins taking the path that God intended for him.

However, it should also be noted that Kierkegaard himself wondered if everyone could find repetition and could thus be happy. After all, some people just seemed to have it come naturally while others, such as Kierkegaard himself, struggled with happiness. I see the same thing in my own life, in that there are some people who are happy regardless of the situation they find themselves in, while others seem always grumpy. Still, Kierkegaard believes that we can all find happiness through a relationship with God, which he begins talking about in Philosophical Crumbs.