Carly ScottMrs. PiersolEnglish 17516 May 2014Pondering HumanityHuman beings constantly live in a continuous flow between vulnerability and invincibility. The change in state of being is so fluid that it has blended into the midst of human experience. The fact that sentimental self-awareness is what develops people's character has been lost on the masses. However, Michael Chabon's “The Lost World” reveals this deeply buried secret. “The Lost World” directly argues that vulnerability is the key to the human condition and a more perfect life. Life is a matter of compromises: from all disappointments come surprises and from all joys come disappointments. Chabon's “The Lost World” follows teenager Nathan Shapiro in what is, more than anything, a coming-of-age story. At the age of sixteen, Nathan (and his friends) get drunk and go out for a drive in their picturesque suburb. Finally, ending up at the home of the "easy" Chaya Feldman, he is convinced to go up to her room, completely naked. Once there, she gives him a letter, which he, due to various unfortunate circumstances, will not read for several months. After reading this letter, Nathan has a revelation about life and the human condition. However, the most important aspects of this story that will be explored in more detail are the following. First, Nathan's intoxication and nakedness are perhaps the most important. Secondly it is important to note that her parents are divorced and her father has a new child on the way. Nathan Shapiro also believes he's completely in love with Chaya Feldman after their fight. Last, but not least, Nathan is looking for an excuse to feel angry and nostalgic. For starters, it's important to have a little... middle of paper... what humans take for granted. The vulnerability found is the incessant hope of human beings for a better world. The key to the human condition is desperation to solve all problems. Nathan embodies this perfectly. A teenager coming of age in an ever-changing world, Nathan's confusion leaves him exposed to the influence of a brutal world. He is unconsciously in the perpetual flux of the human condition. Life's compromises leave humans waiting for the next disappointment, as we have negatively programmed. People's inability to feel their own worth is the main key to their insecurity, but people's ability to feel loved is the key to their invincibility. Nathan exemplifies both of these traits through his development in "The Lost World". Everyone experiences the state of vulnerability like Nathan Shapiro, the teenager trying to find his invincibility.