The past happened because a hundred little random things had to fall exactly into place in exactly the right way, in exactly the proper sequence, and while it was easy to accept the good results, one could only rage at the bad ones.
Throughout the novel, Tom Clancy shines a light on the arbitrary nature of the tragedies Kelly suffers. There is no satisfying answer to the question of “Why him?” The only answer is that life isn’t fair and there is no discernible divine plan. I find there to be something very powerful and unsettling about this, and I think Kelly feels this way too. To be punished by an ordered universe is one thing, but to be punished by a disordered one is another. Both in the movie and in the book, there is an arbitrary quality to the events that tear his life apart, and this meaninglessness only enhances Kelly’s sense of injustice.
It seems to me that beneath the surface, part of Kelly’s struggle is a struggle against nihilism, and a struggle to hold onto a sense of purpose and meaning in a seemingly chaotic and meaningless world. This then begs the question – is Kelly someone who brings order to chaos, or someone who embraces chaos to serve his own ends?
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