The Errors of Mankind

The Errors of Mankind is an allegory about human nature, probing into the circumstances which gives rise to its evil side and offers the possibility of redemption. The three main characters are: Will, a retired consultant and Vietnam veteran; Johann, a distant relative of Will's who is a German veteran of World War II; and Lena, an Auschwitz survivor. Will still struggles to find purpose in his life after the war in Vietnam when he meets Johann who still expresses a strong belief in the discredited regime he once fought for. The two begin an uneasy collaboration to deconstruct their disastrous past and overcome their cultural and familial legacies but are ultimately led to redemption by Lena. The novel progresses through four cycles of increasing self-awareness for each character as they interact with one another. Together, they reconcile their limited understanding of the world with the infinitude of the divine reason that created it. The characters are fictional, but the historical events relayed are real; both provide the reader with a view of history and human nature that is frequently not explored.