Guilt in The Sweet Hereafter Guilt is a powerful emotion and is the theme for many different works of art. It is the basis for many decisions made by people in their everyday lives. Guilty people avoid their demons by distracting themselves but that seldom absolves their guilt. The Sweet Hereafter is a novel by Russell Banks that shows different characters dealing with their guilt in different ways. Dolores feels survivors guilt and uses the community as a jury, Nicole feels guilty for how she and her family react to the accident, and Mitchell feels guilty for the way his daughter turns out and buries himself into his work to avoid dealing with his dysfunctional family. This novel is a powerful tribute to grief and the guilt associated with …show more content…
losing a loved one. Dolores feels responsible for the crash of the bus. She feels guilty because she is a survivor of an accident that killed 14 kids and is therefore unable to face the community and the grieving parents. Dolores suffers from survivors guilt and feels that she is responsible for the crash as she was the driver. “But there’s no point now to lingering over the dog, whether it was a dog or a tiny deer, or even an optical illusion, which, to be absolutely truthful, now seems likeliest.” (Banks 2) Dolores is obsessed with the dog like blur that made her turn the wheel. She wants to believe that she was in control of the situation just so she can have a reason to feel guilty. She does this because she feels guilty for surviving the crash. Dolores is the kind of person that hears what she wants to and sees what she believes, as is later observed by Michael when he notes that she sees her husband’s meaningless squabble as if it were intelligent conversation. She is in denial and unable to accept that this accident was in fact just an accident. Also, this survivors guilt makes her feel as if she is in debt to parents of the kids who died. “She had placed herself on the scales of their judgement, but they did not want to judge her. To them, she was both, of course, victim and cause; just as to herself she was both….. Denial was impossible for her, so she wanted us to come forward and do the job for her.” (144) Dolores feels that the only way to overcome her guilt would be for the parents of the kids who lost their lives to absolve her of her guilt. She cannot bear to think of the pain that they are going through knowing that they had trusted her with their kids. She feels as if she let them down and that it is not fair that they have to live with the loss of their children when she managed to get out without any injuries. She believes that it is for those parents to decide whether she is guilty or not and that she has to respect whatever decision they make. Dolores deals with her survivors guilt by letting the community judge her. Nicole absolves her guilt in a different manner. Nicole feels guilty for feeling ungrateful. She feels guilty because she knows that her and her family should be happy she survived but instead they are pushing a lawsuit against the city. She feels guilty because she is told by grieving parents that she is lucky to have survive but she wishes that she had died in the crash as she does not want to face the pity that comes with the life of a paraplegic. “Poor Nichole, the cripple. That's the best I’d get from them - pity. And no matter how many of those group therapy sessions they’d been to, everyone would see me and instantly think of the kids who weren't there anymore, the kids who not been lucky like me, and maybe they would hate me for it. And I wouldn't blame them.” (177) Nicole knows that her past life is gone and that she will no longer be the star that she once was. She knows that people now look upon her as if she is nothing more than a disabled child; a dependant and societies burden. Her old friends no longer see her as an equal and her old life has now left her behind. She hates her luck but she hates herself for feeling this way because she is told by everyone that she is lucky to survive. This is also why she feels that the lawsuit is unfair to the community. “It just wasn’t right - to be alive, to have had what people assured you was a close call, and then go out and hire a lawyer; it just wasn’t right.” (171) Nicole is ashamed that her family has hired a lawyer. She believes that it is unfair to the families that did lose their children. For her, the lawsuit is the physical manifestation of her feelings of ungratefulness. It forces her to face her shame and it shows everyone else her character. She believes that she can get rid of her guilt if she can get the family to drop the lawsuit. Nicole sacrifices money and fame by dropping the lawsuit to absolve her of her guilt for feeling ungrateful. Mitchell buries himself in his work to hide from it. Mitchell feels guilty because of the state of his family life.
He feels guilty because he thinks that he has failed his daughter and he distracts himself from that guilt by burying himself in his work. Mitchell thinks that he has not done enough to keep his daughter from becoming a drug abuser. “It’s like I'm in the position of having to buy her clean needles to protect her against AIDS. Forget protecting her against the drugs. Forget healing her mind.” (101) Mitchell feels guilty that he is fueling his daughter’s drug addiction out of desperation. He thinks that he should have done more to have not gotten to this point and is ashamed that he has given up. This pent up desperation leads to him using his work as a means of escape, as a means to vent his anger. “Five years of this and what happens? You get pissed off - believe me, enough rage and helplessness, your love turns to steamy piss….except when I'm burning myself out on something like the Sam Dent school bus case, I'm dizzy and incoherent, boiling over, obsessed, useless - mad.” (101-102) Mitchell uses his work as a means to vent his anger in a constructive manner. He is attracted to being a lawyer as it provides him with a thrill that nothing else does. Unlike the situation with his family, he has complete control of the situation when he is at work. Mitchell also tries to solve negligence cases in which he is helping a victim get reprimands for something they have lost due to the recklessness of a higher power, something he could never get with his daughter whom he believes rehab and anti-drug institutions have failed, as he says he has done everything “the loving father of a whacked out drug addicted child is supposed to do.” (100) Mitchell’s workaholic nature shields him from his failed family
life. The Sweet Hereafter is a novel about dealing with guilt. Characters such as Dolores, Nicole and Mitchell all deal with guilt in their own way. Most people deal with guilt by distracting themselves but that only works temporarily. Guilt is a common human emotion
In Red Kayak by Priscilla Cummings, guilt is shown in almost every character in the story, but it is through Brady that we see the most guilt.
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman is about the cross-cultural ethics in medicine. The book is about a small Hmong child named Lia Lee, who had epilepsy. Epilepsy is called, quag dab peg1 in the Hmong culture that translates to the spirit catches you and you fall down. In the Hmong culture this illness is sign of distinction and divinity, because most Hmong epileptics become shaman, or as the Hmong call them, txiv neeb2. These shamans are special people imbued with healing spirits, and are held to those having high morale character, so to Lia's parents, Foua Yang and Nao Kao Lee, the disease was both a gift and a curse. The main question in this case was could Lia have survived if her parent's and the doctors overcame the miscommunication, cultural racism, and the western way of medicine.
Guilt can take on many forms. It is a powerful force to overcome, and a majority of people collapse because of it. In “Fifth Business”, by Robertson Davies, guilt is the intended study that is portrayed throughout the novel and impacts a number of lives. Davies demonstrates this by having one character feeling guilt and tries to confront it, a second character ignoring it and a third who tries to run away from it. Davies introduces the reader with Dunstan Ramsay and Percy Boyd Staunton who are parallels in competition with each other. Percy throws a snowball containing a small rock at Ramsay. Who jumps aside, causing it to miss him and strike Mary Dempster, which then we are met with the premature birth of Paul Dempster. In this novel the study of guilt is shown through experiences of the characters as Dunny felt guilty for the premature birth of Paul, Boy appearing not as to be affected by the incident but later on feels guilt for the death of Leola, and Paul Dempster feeling guilt for his mother, Mary, which later made him run away from home. Guilt essentially is what drives the characters of Fifth Business and in the end determines the final conclusion. Lastly, although Boy and Dunstan are parallels of each other Davies uses their awkward relationship to create a major element in Fifth Business which is what makes it an interesting story. Thus, the story revolves around the idea of competition and guilt.
Communication is cited as a contributing factor in 70% of healthcare mistakes, leading to many initiatives across the healthcare settings to improve the way healthcare professionals communicate. (Kohn, 2000.)
Guilt is the inevitable consequence that comes along after committing a crime and is a feeling that can paralyze and tear one’s soul away. However, it is evident that an individual’s feelings of guilt are linked to what they believe is right or wrong. In Robertson Davies Fifth Business, guilt is a principal theme in the novel and its effects have a major toll on the lives and mental state of many characters. Throughout the novel, it is apparent that the values and morals instilled within childhood shape an individual’s personality, as exhibited by the different ways the characters within the novel respond when faced with feelings of guilt. The literary elements Davies utilizes in the passage, from pages fifteen to sixteen, introduce the theme of guilt and display the contrast in how
Born Sinner Aren’t we all sinners? We all have committed acts of violence at some points in our lives, and our answer we are human, we are wired that way or it is our instinct. People have a habit of hurting one another and it comes naturally to them. After reading Flight by Sherman Alexie, violence is a prominent theme throughout the novel. This idea of aggression is represented in many different ways, shapes, and forms.
Like many in the world, people sometimes have too much guilt with them, and this guilt leads to people being sad and depressed and sometimes even confused on a certain topic. In “The Isabel Fish” by Julie Orringer Sage is very mean to his sister because of his depression caused by his guilt. Later they both admit their guilt and make peace. Even though initially Sage believes Maddy is responsible for Isabel’s death, as he is exposed to a taste of his own medicine he begins to realize both himself and Maddy are living with too much guilt, and ultimately comes to see that it’s better if they both move on.
In the poem pride, Dahlia Ravikovitch uses many poetic devices. She uses an analogy for the poem as a whole, and a few metaphors inside it, such as, “the rock has an open wound.” Ravikovitch also uses personification multiple times, for example: “Years pass over them as they wait.” and, “the seaweed whips around, the sea bursts forth and rolls back--” Ravikovitch also uses inclusive language such as when she says: “I’m telling you,” and “I told you.” She uses these phrases to make the reader feel apart of the poem, and to draw the reader in. She also uses repetition, for example, repetition of the word years.
There is one human emotion that can paralyse us, lead us to lie both to ourselves and others, to take action that we don't like, and to cripple any rational thought processes. It is self perpetuating if allowed to get out of control. Its side effects are either anger, aggressiveness or fear and reclusiveness. Its symptoms are irrational behaviour, lying, anguish, lack of self-esteem, and in extreme cases, thoughts of suicide. It is guilt. In The Fifth Business, by Robertson Davies, guilt is a reoccurring theme throughout the novel and is a major force in one’s life. Davies demonstrates this by having one character feeling guilt while another who does not.
“The Sweet Hereafter” portrays the grief stricken citizens of a remote Canadian town traumatized by a terrible accident, and the impact of an ambulance-chasing lawyer who is attempting to deal with the grief in his own life. The film also depicts the grieving subjects susceptibility to convert grief and guilt into both blame and monetary gain and the transformation this small community faces after such a devastating event.
“Without Conscience" by Robert D. Hare is one aimed towards making the general public aware of the many psychopaths that inhabit the world we live in. Throughout the book Hare exposes the reader to a number of short stories; all with an emphasis on a characteristic of psychopaths. Hare makes the claim that close monitoring of psychopathy are vital if we ever hope to gain a hold over Psychopathy- A disorder that affects not only the individual but also society itself. He also indicates one of the reasons for this book is order to correctly treat these individuals we have to be able to correctly identify who meets the criteria. His ultimate goal with the text is to alleviate some of the confusion in the increase in criminal activity by determining how my of this is a result of Psychopathy.
Human nature is a conglomerate perception which is the dominant liable expressed in the short story of “A Tell-Tale Heart”. Directly related, Edgar Allan Poe displays the ramifications of guilt and how it can consume oneself, as well as disclosing the nature of human defense mechanisms, all the while continuing on with displaying the labyrinth of passion and fears of humans which make a blind appearance throughout the story. A guilty conscience of one’s self is a pertinent facet of human nature that Edgar Allan Poe continually stresses throughout the story. The emotion that causes a person to choose right from wrong, good over bad is guilt, which consequently is one of the most ethically moral and methodically powerful emotion known to human nature. Throughout the story, Edgar Allan Poe displays the narrator to be rather complacent and pompous, however, the narrator establishes what one could define as apprehension and remorse after committing murder of an innocent man. It is to believe that the narrator will never confess but as his heightened senses blur the lines between real and ...
Ian McEwan illustrates a profound theme that builds details throughout the novel Atonement, the use of guilt and the quest for atonement are used with in the novel to convey the central dynamic aspect in the novel. McEwan constructs the emotion of guilt that is explored through the main character, Briony Tallis. The transition of child and entering the adult world, focus on the behavior and motivation of the young narrator Briony. Briony writes passages that entail her attempt to wash away her guilt as well find forgiveness for her sins. In which Briony ruined the lives and the happiness of her sister, Cecilia, and her lover Robbie. The reality of the events, attempts to achieve forgiveness for her actions. She is unable to understand the consequences of the actions as a child but grows to develop the understanding of the consequence with age. McEwan exemplifies an emotional novel that alters reality as he amplifies the creative acts of literature. In this essay I will be arguing that, the power of guilt prevents people from moving on from obstacles that hold them in the past.
One particular human emotion can cripple humans mentally and physically. It can cause people to do things they do not want to do. It can lead them to twist the truth and lie not only to themselves, but people around them as well. It is something that they cannot hide. It is more like a disease, however, it is better known as guilt. Along with guilt, comes dishonesty, shamefulness, peculiar behavior, and even suicidal thoughts. Guilt is a recurring theme in both Robertson Davies’ Fifth Business and William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Every individual will experience guilt sometime in their life, but it is how they cope and handle it that defines who they are. Humans must face the feeling of guilt, accept
In John Donne’s sonnet “Death, Be Not Proud” death is closely examined and Donne writes about his views on death and his belief that people should not live in fear of death, but embrace it. “Death, Be Not Proud” is a Shakespearean sonnet that consists of three quatrains and one concluding couplet, of which I individually analyzed each quatrain and the couplet to elucidate Donne’s arguments with death. Donne converses with death, and argues that death is not the universal destroyer of life. He elaborates on the conflict with death in each quatrain through the use of imagery, figurative language, and structure. These elements not only increase the power of Donne’s message, but also symbolize the meaning of hope of eternal life as the ultimate escape to death.