The Jumping Bean: Empiricism vs The Romanticism leanings of Surrealism

The jumping bean, in the debate between Andre Breton and Roger Callois, represents the beautiful mystery of nature. It represents the teacher that William Wordsworth speaks of in "The Tables Turned." While Breton agrees with Wordsworth, and divulges in the "sweet lore which Nature brings," Callois aims to "murder to dissect" (Wordsworth). Breton even cleverly admits that he would not have been opposed to dissecting the bean once all its mysteries and curiosities have been exhausted -- which, as he well knew, would be never (Warner). The sheer nature of mystery itself is that its curiosities will never be exhausted.

"Choose life with its waiting rooms... choose life unfavorable and long"

In reading Breton's poem "Choose Life," I have come to the conclusion that Breton valued the emotional in life; and thus, he was romantic. He is advocating for young, depressed people to refrain from suicide and to instead take in all the emotion life has to offer and to live. Breton is aware of the constant waiting in life; but he would choose that any day over nonexistence, and urges others to think the same. Similarly, in the poem "The Verb To Be," Breton describes how sadness and depression makes you notice the beautiful in life. Though humor can be found in the line, "What weathery weather," Breton has a point -- if he had not awaken to the thought of his own nothingness, he would never have thought "the air in the room is as beautiful as drumsticks." The saddest notice the most. Once you get to the point at the very bottom, when you adapt existentialist views, or the thought that everything is nothing and for no reason, you begin to appreciate the mysterious beauty of nature and of art.