Emma invoking Buber

Thinking back to our discussions about Emma, I remember us grappling with the idea of subject and object in reference to the narratorial techniques and the relationship between the characters. I could not help but think about Martin Buber, a Jewish philosopher, who wrote I And Thou which is all about human relationships and the importance of not exploiting another in a relationship. When there is a subject and an object, the subject can objectify the object, or there can be an equal and understanding relationship between the two. Buber's ideas extend beyond human relationships to human relationships with everything in the world. In Buber's description of the "I and thou" relationship there is no objectifying between the two people or things and both sides must reach a holistic understanding of the other.

Buber wrote in the early 20th century which was after a large spurt in modern times with industrialization at full force. Buber's ideas directly counter the impersonal nature of industrialization. While in factories, workers' tasks became mechanized as they were responsible for only one step in the creation of an item. Buber's analysis of the human situation is very helpful for people who are feeling alienated from their work, the people around them, or their lives.