Although Haze is set in his ways of rebellion for the majority of the novel, he is a dynamic character. After several events that gradually build upon each other, something in Haze snaps. After years of running and trying to escape his faith, like the prodigal son, Haze is brought home to his faith he once knew as a child. However, contrary to what the Bible says, Haze seeks to find repentance on his own, rather than depending on Jesus. In an attempt to reach redemption, Haze ends up blinding himself, torturing himself, and basically ending his own life. Ronald Emerick writes, “Realizing that his nihilism has been a sin against Christ, Haze decides to blind himself with quicklime and pursue a life of deprivation and self-imposed suffering to …show more content…
Are humans inherently sinful and in need of a Savior? In the case of Hazel Motes and Enoch Emory, the two could not escape their inevitable fates. Despite the attempts of Enoch Emory to be a normal teenager, he surrenders to his animalistic behavior he desperately fought so hard to suppress. Similarly, Hazel could not shake Jesus. He could not escape the truths his grandfather spent time shouting from his pulpit. Throughout the novel, Haze crafts idols in attempts to replace his idea of Jesus. O’Connor uses imagery and symbolism to vividly explain the conflicting sides of Haze: his humanly rebellious side and his spiritual side. Haze spends most of his time in Taulkinham convincing others that sin is a made up concept and that said sin does not need atonement. He preaches that there is no consequence for sin, yet, at the end of the book, tortures himself for his own transgressions. In Wise Blood, Haze is a dynamic character in that he gives in to what he spent so much time denying and finds repentance. He no longer views Jesus as a ragged man in the shadows, but the just Judge. Enoch, on the other hand, inherited his father’s “wise blood” and tried to prevent his deterioration into bestiality. However, as Enoch finds out, one cannot escape his destiny. In this novel, O’Connor uses irony, symbolism, and imagery to disguise the inevitable truth – you cannot escape what’s in your blood. As Haze and Enoch discovered, fate certainly does not wash out in the
Every human has sinned but Dimmesdale’s evil deeds led him to live a double life—one as a godly minister and another as the “greatest sinner.” Meanwhile Hester was at trial and being punished for her sin, Dimmesdale showed no sign of guilt and he did not have the valor to stand by her side and take full accountability for his actions. Not only did Dimmesdale fail as a lover, but he also failed as a father by denying Pearl and allowing her to live as an outcast. The townspeople held the minister as a saint but little did they know that he disobeyed the eighth commandment from Exodus 20:16, by hiding the truth from his church Dimmesdale became a liar. Moreover, in chapter twenty Dimmesdale confesses all the evil thoughts that roam in his mind and that his flesh desires to do. He even states how he has used his eloquence to manipulate the youngest female member to attend church. As a result of all the evil deeds, the minister seems to depart from his relationship with God and is confused. Dimmesdale becomes lost and desperate, he habitually questions life and his identity but ironically the famed theologian finds no concrete answers to h...
Are humans natural born sinners? Are we content with our self-indulging human nature? Flannery O’Connor shows us through her stories that the worst quality in a human is selfishness. Through grotesque characters, O’Connor demonstrates the common theme of selfish human nature to display the ability it has to ruin/drive people crazy and that people only look to religion when they are desperate.
A sinful nature is an aspect in man that makes him rebellious against God. Everyone has a sinful nature and it affects every part of us. Sin corrupts the human mind and has consequences for doing wrong in the eyes of the Lord. Every individual on Earth sins, and this is represented in the novel The Scarlet Letter. Nathaniel Hawthorne uses Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale to portray how different people cope with their sin and the consequences of that sin.
As a child, Hazel Motes is indoctrinated in religious fundamentalism by his grandfather, “a circuit preacher, a waspish old man… with Jesus hidden in his head like a stinger” (9). Time after time young Haze hears the searing sermon of his Bible-thumping grandfather who, in front of a crowd, would point to his grandson, “that mean sinful unthinking boy,” and pronounced him “redeemed”: “That boy had been redeemed and Jesus was not going to leave him ever…. Jesus would have him in the end!” (10). Understanding Jesus as the “soul-hungry” devourer, as “something awful,” the boy very early comes to the conclusion that “the way to avoid Jesus was to avoid sin” and, at the age of twelve, decides to follow the preacher’s calling like his grandfather. Furthermore, Haze’s mother, with “a cross-shaped face” reinforces the fundament- alist piety in her son by equating the boy’s germination sexuality with sin. Her chilling question “what you seen?,” to the shame-faced boy who just had a peek at a naked w...
Some say to sin is to go to hell, some say sin is a scourge of human nature, some say sin must be confessed, and some say sin must be forced out of people through punishment. The internal consequences of believing one has sinned are more intangible than social attitudes toward sin, but they appear just as often and in just as many different ways. The novel The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, exudes sin. In The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne uses symbolism to demonstrate the effects of sin not only on public reputation, but also on one’s psychological state. The Scarlet Letter A, which Hester Prynne wears on her chest as punishment for adultery, causes her anguish through ignominy but allows her to improve over time through the public nature of her disgrace. Chillingworth, the leech, punishes Reverend Dimmesdale for his concealed sin, and yet at the same time wastes away due to his own sin of sucking the life out of Dimmesdale. Pearl, the illegitimate child of Hester and Dimmesdale, embodies both the open and the concealed sin of her parents. She is unable to be normal because of this and takes on wild and elf-like qualities.
“Lead me not into temptation. I can find the way myself,” Rita Mae Brown once remarked. Temptation is all around, no matter where one might be, there is no use in going out and looking for it. For some individuals, the enticement is so strong that it has caused them to break away from the ties that once bound them to their upbringing, such as faith, but for others, it has brought them even closer to their faith. There is no questioning whether or not one would be strong enough to deny the temptation in order to remain pure, but, rather one’s faith is strong enough to go through the test that has been taking place since the very beginning when Adam and Eve were tempted in the Garden of Eden. Tone and symbolism throughout Nathaniel Hawthorne’s
Not only does Asch prove that we are still bound to the social conducts that bounded our ancestors, but also that the independence that many claim to posses, is not prevalent when faced against a crowd. Asch’s findings are explained in even simpler terms in Frank O’Connor’s short story, “First Confession”. The story revolves around Jackie, the protagonist, and his misbelief of confession. Influenced by the ideas and beliefs of others, Jackie rues the day in which he must go to confession, believing that he will be eternally damned and confined within the depths of Hell. Nevertheless, it is daunting to believe that a child, who has not entered his teen years, is led to believe that he is destined to enter Hell, if he, or thinks, of breaking one of the Ten Commandments. This fear haunts Jackie, and does not have the courage to go against a popular opinion, essentially conforming to what others believe. Although it may seem exorbitant to believe that one is destined to Hell because of a mortal sin, Jackie’s submission to a popular consensus reflects a prevalent scenario in human
...e veil from their faces,” illustrates the obsession the townspeople possess which diverts their possible reflection and understanding of their own sin symbolized in the black veil of the minister. Additionally, the minister seems to carry the burden/sins of his townspeople, and so does Goodman Brown, in the sense that he perceives and imagines everyone’s sin brought forth before his eyes. Because Goodman Brown allowed his negative opinion of others to dominate his life, “his dying hour was gloom” (Hawthorne 395). The significance of his end demonstrates his inability to accept sin as a part of human nature. The culmination of sin demonstrated in both works displays sin’s overwhelming power to control a human being. Hawthorne proves one cannot consider themselves more righteous because their own accusations and passing of judgment of someone else is thus sin itself.
People need redemption from our continual sin, otherwise, we just wallow in the shallowness of that aspect of our lives. Sin stays with an individual and effects the way their lives are lived. Unless they confront their past the sin will always be present. For example, Khaled Hossei’s , The Kite Runner explains how Amir- one of the main characters in the novel redeems himself because he undergoes strong guilt from his past sins. By examining Amir’s sins in his childhood, in his teenage years and in adulthood, his attainment of atonement is revealed. Particularly Amir atones for his past sins of being an eyewitness of Hassan rape who is his most loyal and devoted servant. He is influenced by this moment because he realizes that Hassan always
Hawthorne uses symbolism to write a story that is left open to the reader’s interpretation. I do think Hawthorne wants the reader to be aware of sin in his/her own heart. I also think he wanted the reader to know that being aware of sin can help one better deal with life and to isolate oneself from society and reject all that have sinned can only lead to a lonely, miserable end.
The novel East of Eden by John Steinbeck is an allegory to the biblical story of Cain and Abel, and many of its characters become embodiments of both good and evil. As they struggle to overcome what has been decided for them they are taught they hold the power to overcome and rise above their destiny’s. When the Hebrew idea of “timshel” is introduced to the allegory of Cain and Abel, it become apparent that whether life is predestined or not; mankind holds the ultimate ability of deciding what will become of himself. Adam’s choice to move on from Cathy, Cal’s decision to forgive himself, and Cathy’s decision to let evil overcome her prove that overcoming what is predestined for one lies in the hands of the individual.
Throughout Nathaniel Hawthorne 's literary work, The Minister 's Black Veil, the sensation of the veil, the separation it creates from good things in life, and the persistence of the black veil on earth symbolize sin in mankind. During the whole parable, Mr. Hooper is restrained by the black veil and cannot live a free, enjoyable life. Also, people around him cannot tolerate the overwhelming, dark feeling that the black veil generates. Similarly, sin can take over people’s lives and create a feeling of hopelessness and gloom. Hawthorne’s parable overall demonstrates power and impact of sin on
In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, the reader is able to observe how one sin devastates three lives. Hester, Dimmesdale, and Chillingworth are all guilty of succumbing to temptation, anger, and desire, causing all to fit the definition of a sinner. Yet, Chillingworth's iniquities raise him up above Hester and Dimmesdale on the level of diabolic acts.
Humans have a sinful nature and have to be filled with the Holy Spirit to be changed.
As spiritual beings, living in a natural environment the external world is what we come in contact with the most. In order to devalue the children of God, the Devil positions men and women in impartial atmospheres that lead these individuals to make choices that may not lead to the life ordained and assigned by God. Atmospheres subliminally suggests the actions individuals should participate in, the school one attends and the life lived. The human mind is the most efficient organizational system on the planet, in it resides all consciousness regarding who we are, and the thoughts we think. Our greatest battle resides in the mind as there are thousands of thoughts that attempt to reason us out of our destiny, daily. Through the process of actively studying the word of God and his will for my life, renewing my mind, and plunging into my destiny I have begun to move my own fear of inadequate and an incapability to succeed in an environment bigger than me, and begun to live a dauntless life.