The History of America by Lew Wallace
"The horses are ready, I am ready. And thou?"
"Ben-Hur" (1959) was a tale of a man accused of a wrongdoing he never did. Charlton Heston, who played the titular character, wanted revenge. This was the reason he survived three years of being a galley slave. Messala, a (Roman) tribune, betrayed Judah Ben-Hur, his childhood friend. They have a score to settle. The chariot race, which was nine minutes long, became one of the famous sequences in the history of cinema. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) used a widescreen format, which William Wyler didn't like at all. (More than 2,500 horses and 200 camels were used during production.) The 15 million dollar budget was the biggest during its time, but the gamble paid off for MGM. "Ben-Hur" was the highest grossing film of 1959. It also won a record eleven Oscar. Only a few knew the film was an adaption of a popular novel during the 19th century.
Lew Wallace's inspiration for "Ben-Hur: A Tale of a Christ" was his conversation with Robert G. Ingersoll. He was America's most prominent atheist, one of the leading figures during the Golden Age of Free Thought. His arguments brought Wallace out of stupor. The native of Brookville, Indiana decided to devote himself to the study of theology. This was how readers saw "Ben-Hur", but it was a history of the US during the 19th century. It was a crafted story, when America was wilder back then. It wasn't hard to look for adventure, and Wallace was eager to find one. Wallace saw himself in Judah Ben-Hur.
Readers who overlooked this historical aspect of the book would need to go through the pages again. These are the things they would learn:
Americans had yet to embrace the dollar. Ingersoll's beliefs and Darwin's teachings prompted Americans not to reveal their religious beliefs. Wallace knew it, as Jesus hardly appeared in the pages of his novel. However, some saw a young nation that haven't found its ground. Yet. Capitalism was another thing, though.
The plight of Jews and Romans would allude to the Gilded Age. The 19th century saw the rapid economic growth in the US. But wealth would be concentrated. This period saw the arrival of migrants from Eastern Europe, and how they struggled to make ends meet in their new homeland.
Wallace wanted to make peace with the past. Judah Ben-Hur sought revenge, but his encounter with Jesus made him learn how to forgive those who wronged him. In this regard, Wallace knew how the Civil War brought Americans to their knees. And the only way to move forward was to acknowledge the heroism of both unionists and confederates.
And Wallace had something to prove. The Battle of Shiloh proved costly to the unionists. Wallace was seen as a young general who was anything but decisive. But there were others who were pointing their fingers to Ulysses Grant. (The Commanding General would become the 18th president of the US.) Wallace spent a lifetime trying to prove he was the victim of circumstances, but "Ben-Hur" brought him fame and riches instead. Wallace and Grant warmed up to each other many years later, though.
This would be up to readers. Was Judah Ben-Hur a product of Wallace's research and imagination? It seemed to be the case, but some would claim a passage from the Gospel of Mark. It described a young man who could be Ben-Hur. Maybe readers should travel to Rome and check out the Catacomb of Callixtus.
