Everyone needs to realize that the past mistakes are not a life sentence. We usually keep our heads low and stop moving forward in life. Imagine what happens in Twerp by Marl Goldblatt, a historical fiction book. In the book, the main character, Julian, is writing a journal that gets him out of assignments in his English class. His teacher wanted him to write to try to realize what he did to Danny that got him suspended. Julian writes about everything he’s done prior to his suspension. In the end, Julian realizes that although he’s done bad things in the past, he doesn’t have to keep thinking about the mistakes he made in the past and moves on in life. This also applies to real life, when we do something wrong, we don’t go on in life and we …show more content…
Julian threw the egg and didn’t mean to hit him, but he actually hit Danley in his mouth which made his mouth bleed which caused the most serious injury for Danley. After Julian got back from his suspension, Julian and his best friend went back to Danny’s house to apologize to him for what they did to him. They actually shook hands and sort of became friends to some degree. In the book, it said “I stepped forward, and I shook Danley’s hand, and it felt like the right thing I’d ever done, the right moment of my life. (274) Julian realizes that after apologizing, it kind of felt good to get it over with. If Julian started off with this mindset, he would have felt much better. Another example of how the author showed the theme is when Julian kept saying that it wasn’t entirely his fault that Danley got hurt and that he didn’t mean for him to get hurt. In the book it states, “It’s not like I meant for Danley to get hurt, and I don’t think that what happened was one hundred percent my fault.” (1) Throughout the book, he kept denying the fact that he was at fault for hurting Danley which made him
Punishment that makes a person feel guilty normally involves feelings of remorse for the crime committed or regret of making the bad decisions. Tangney (2001) states that “research has shown that this sense of tension and regret typically motivates reparative action…without engendering all the defensive and retaliative responses that are the hallmark of shame” (para. 11). If individuals that have committed a crime are subject to punishments that are less extensive than jail time, for example, then they may actually want to change their behavior and not make the same mistakes in the future. For example, a drunk driver might understand just how devastating accidents can be if they are forced to visit the sites of accidents and pick up the debris from the streets and surrounding area. Visiting these accident sites would open their eyes to the potential they could cause if they were to drive under the influence. Additionally, forcing those who have committed crimes to feel a sense of guilt will help an individual not feel like they are a bad person. Tangney (2001) talked about how allowing for individuals to feel guilty about their actions makes them want to work harder to improve their lifestyles so they do not repeat the crime in the future. If they know that they do not have to work on improving their whole selves, but only a behavior that they exhibit frequently, they will have the motivation to better themselves for not only their own personal growth, but for the growth of the relationships that they have with their families and
Life is full of errors, some that can be fixed while others cannot. Those errors that are not able to be handled and fixed turn out to become mistakes. Due to us being humans, mistakes will always be made throughout our lifetimes making it easy to overcome most of them. One the downfall, we will end up regretting some mistakes wishing we could go back after we’ve made that decision that lead to the mistake. When realizing these regrets, different manners of approaching them exist while it also varying from person to person.
...on about his life is blamed on his mother. His hatered for her "gives" him a reason to be a crtical, self-loathing person. Having the ability to tell right from wrong does not assist him in anyway. He is always looking for approval and satisfaction from the one person he accused of being in a "fantasy world". The fantasy world she has lived in for so long is now and were he will spend the rest of his life. Julian is left to fend for himself in a cold world where he is no more prepared to handle than he is a job. Finally we are left to guess whether or not Julian can make it without the one person who annoyed him so much, but stood by his side all of his life.
People must forgive themselves before they can help others. It’s hard to fill a cup of water when your sink is broken. I believe the main point in life is to help others out. In order to help others, you must be happy. You’re not happy if you’re constantly sad about the things you’ve done in your past. You cannot change what happened in the past. Live in the present and live one day at a time. If living one day at a time is still too hard, live one hour, one minute, or one second at a time. Do whatever it takes to forget what happened. If you cannot forget it, learn from it. Take your mistakes and turn them into something
This can be taken from when he calls “Mother...Darling, Sweetheart, wait!” and as he is crying saying “Mamma, Mamma”. Julian completely loses it and feel even worse as “The tide of darkness seemed to sweep him back to her, postponing from moment to moment his entry into the world of guilt and sorrow” which wouldn’t have been assumed from seeing how he treated her throughout the story (447). This final understanding that Julian feels over his mother is one thing not presented in “Greenleaf” as it is not known whether or not Mrs. May found peace. Also, it gives again multiple meanings to the story as it could be taken as seeing how much better of a person Julian’s mom was compared to himself and how the mother son dynamic is always strong no matter the differences between the two. Flannery O’Connor does a phenomenal job with the character of Julian’s mom as she at first seems like the bad guy, but then over time gets sympathy as her son treats her worse and she still sticks to her beliefs even though they are seen as wrong because they have carried her throughout her entire life. Julian’s mom represents how the use of round characters in “Everything that Rises Must Converge” made it a more superior story than “Greenleaf” and through
...to take it anymore. Julian's mother didn't realize this, she thought she was being "gracious." The stroke Julian's mother receives at the end is a direct result of her failure to adapt to her current setting.
Life as we all know is full of disappointment and filled with disparity. Most of us are able to go through these and learn from and forgive ourselves. Yet, this isn’t always the case. People are faced with traumatic experiences that often take a long time to get over, if they ever do get over it. These experiences brew in our brain popping up at the most random points often bringing our spirits down. Although these experiences may scar us and fill us with regret and guilt, we can’t continue to live in the past and let these regrets haunt us. Self forgiveness is a key to healing and to moving on in life, no matter how hard it is.
In the first story the character Julian is the key to unlocking the meaning behind the story. Julian has gone to college and has developed his mind. Because of this he views himself as superior to those around him, especially his mother. The mother, although given to prejudices, has a kind heart. This seems to be the main difference between these two characters. Julian puts more stock in how educated a person is and the importance of having a well-developed mind. He sees his mother as lost in the past. He says to her, "You haven't the foggiest idea where you stand now or who you are" (1081). Her sky-blue eyes are described as "innocent and untouched by experience as they must have been when she was ten" (1080). Although Julian's mother is proud of his education, she knows a heart full of love is more important than a head full of empty knowledge. He believes that it is foolish to let feelings get in the way of facts. He believes that he is "unafraid to face facts" (1085). Is he really though? He has cut himself emotionally free from his mother and from society in general; but is he completely objective? According to Way...
When one does wrong, the common reaction is to hide it and pretend as if nothing happened. Because of the human conscience it is difficult to completely forget about a wrongdoing. Through our conscience guilt is built up and eventually that guilt shatters enough barriers and in turn causes the doer to admit his/her wrong.
The way that Julian?s mother kept on picking fights played a big role in the way that Julian acted towards his mother. Each time he tried to end an argument, she would find something else to argue about. She tried to instill her high standards and her feelings about blacks on him, but he had his own standards and feelings. This caused him to act the way he did with her.
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
“Forgive and forget” is a common phrase in our society. However, one may argue that mistakes are never truly forgotten. The Kite Runner suggests that the best way to resolve your past and make up for your mistakes is through doing good. Through Rahim Khan’s wisdom, the actions of Baba, and the journey of Amir, Khaled Hosseini illustrates that the need for redemption, due to unresolved guilt, can haunt someone throughout their life.
Without the inner monologues Julian ponders throughout the story, it would be difficult to claim he was ever in a wrong mindset or that he ever truly would wish harm upon his mother. However, since readers do have access to these realities, Julian’s character seems much more interesting to them, whether good or bad.
One can not change how they have done things before, but being given a second chance opens doors to be to whoever one feels they can be. Without another chance in anything, one can not correct the ways of thinking, the outlook of the future, or the way people see them. It is a way to turn the bad into the good, make a change and leave the wrongdoing behind. There are many who only get one chance and hope and wish every day that there could be a second chance, one that they know they may never get.
There are many reasons as to why the sins of people's past should be forgotten. History has made an enormous impact on what our world is like now, but after sometime, it does not matter anymore, so the best thing for us to do is to learn from it and move on.