Disappearing Element

I've found that, in countless pieces of literature, writers often tend to find some way to remove the human element from the events of the story.  What I mean by this is that there is some fantastical or divine influence that drives the story forward, entirely removing the human element from the story.  The things they create vary anywhere from the simplest of fate, meaning that a hero will always be a hero because he is destined to be so, to the strangest creations imaginable.  Whatever it is that is presented, it always creates the same effect: human characters a devalued in a way.  This is by no means saying that human influence is completely devoid, but it does mean that it is quite a degree less.

                This act of devaluing humanity is quite prevalent in epic works, and although it is more a mockery of epics than an epic itself, The Rape of the Lock by Alexander Pope is no exception to this rule.  In this rather odd epic tale, the creatures known as Sylphs are introduced as sort of ever-present beings, which control practically every part of the world, from the rising of the sun, to the protection of royalty.  These Sylphs serve as the removers of the human element as they replace even some of the simplest parts of a person.  For instance, the virtue of honor in women that keeps their purity and virginity safe is in fact not a virtue at all, but simply another job of the countless Sylphs in the world.  Although we are not given any other examples of Sylphs being the embodiment of human virtues, I am quite sure that they are intended to be so, as they do practically everything in the world.  Another example of the removal of the human element by the Sylphs is when Ariel, the head Sylph, orders those under his command to protect Belinda from the advances of numerous wanting men, and it is implied that without their assistance, she would give herself to any man that asked. 

                What confuses me with this whole thing is just exactly why writers feel the need to create some mystical force that takes human natures place.  It’s almost as if they think that humans alone are not enough to communicate their ideas, but still, I disagree.