Similar to The Destructors, there are many consequences of the fall seen throughout the story, The Basement Room, as well. The most obvious display of man’s fallen nature is seen through Baine’s affair with another woman while his Mrs. Baines is out of town. Through committing this act of adultery, Baines is not only letting down his wife of many years, but also letting down Philip, who has put all of his trust in this man who ultimately represents a symbol of distrust throughout the story. If Baines would have stayed faithful to his wife, Mrs. Baines would most likely be alive and he could have given Philip the chance to live his life fully and happily. Another example of Baine’s fallen nature is seen through him fighting Mrs. Baines near …show more content…
the end of the story, when she confronts him about the affair. It reads, “She went over the banisters in a flurry of black clothes and fell into the hall; she lay before the front door like a sack of coals,” (Basement Room 12). Baine’s mistakes and sinful actions eventually lead to the death of his wife as she fights to confront him about his unforgivable actions. This act is also seen as a major consequence of the fall, because Baines would rather physically fight against the person he wronged, rather than admit to his mistakes and make peace with the problem. Overall, Greene uses Baines as a direct representation of the fall of humankind and how his sin affects other characters in the story. The main response of the consequences of the fall shown throughout the story is through Philip’s loss of innocence and refusal to experience life ever again.
Philip’s loss of innocence is represented after he sees Mrs. Baines’s death and says, “Let grown-up people keep to their world and he would keep to his, safe in the small garden between the plane-trees,” (Basement Room 12). After living his life in a sheltered community and suddenly experiencing more life than he could handle, Philip wishes for everything to go back to the way it was before. His only picture of life is filled with sin, deceit, and death, and Philip cannot handle the reality of it. Also, at the end of the story, Philip responds to Baine’s actions and says, “That was what happened when you loved-- you got involved; and Philip extricated himself from life, from love, from Baines,” (Basement Room 16). This quote demonstrates how consequences of the fall can affect mankind either for the better or for the worse. In Philip's case, he was so corrupted and distorted by the reality of life, that he thought it would be better to never truly live again. In doing this, Philip missed out on all of the joys that can be found in the essence of life as well. In the end, Philip's response to mankind’s inclination towards sin is seen as his response to the consequences of the fall, because he would rather live a meaningless life, than live in a world full of
sin. Graham Greene uses the concepts of the consequences of the fall and humankind's response to those consequences as a basis for both of these short stories. Through not giving a redemptive ending to either of these stories, Greene is portraying the reality of the world in that there is not always a happy ending. In addition to this idea, the author uses boys like T and Philip, who are complete opposites, to prove the point that everyone experiences the crushing weight of sin, but it is how one reacts to that sin that truly matters. Through both mankind’s inclination toward sin and doing the wrong thing, one can see how human nature is directly related to the fall of mankind.
...wn by the fact that in one of the books found with his corpse a he had written: “Happiness only real when shared (186).” One could interpret this as remorse, as him realizing—unfortunately too late—that he had made a tremendous mistake. At least he was man enough to face up to it, rather than to allow himself to die in denial; this merely vouches for his noble ways, because no arrogant imbecile would be able to admit a fault, even to themselves. This says it all, really: “Personal perception of perfection is like that. You see only what you want to see. After a while you just see what you need to (Good, 23).”
The premature birth of Paul Dempster and the madness of Mary Dempster were both caused by a rock in which Boy Staunton throws. The statement Magnus says at the end of the novel indicates the reason for Boy’s death perfectly, "He was killed by the usual cabal: by himself, first of all; by the woman he knew; by the woman he did not know; by the man who granted his inmost wish; and by the inevitable fifth, who was the keeper of his conscience and keeper of the stone." (Davies 256) In this quote, it refers to “by himself” which can be interpreted as the cruel acts he does to others around him. It also states “the women he did not know” which highlights, how Boy placed what he does to Mary Dempster in the back of his mind. The actions he does to others, even though he does not remember, is what causes his unfortunate death. Both these characters who do wrongful actions got an equal reaction to what they
Hale takes this job to a personal level when the the crisis takes a turn for the worse. He pleads with the people convicted of witchcraft to confess. He feels he is responsible for their lives because his purpose was to rid the town of witchcraft, not innocent lives. He beholds himself a failure when he cannot convince the accused to confess. His well justified pride is broken. He came into this village like a bride groom to his beloved, bearing gifts of high religion; the very crowns of holy law I brought, and what I touched with my bright confidence, it died; and where I turned the eye of my great faith, blood flowed up. He urges Elizabeth not ot let her pride interfere with her duty as a wife, as it did with his own duty.
...ealization that he should live as an innocent, free from the evil burden of guilt, allow this novel to be called a morality tale. Not only good, but also evil are linked to the concept of morality. However, acts of good or evil doing depend on the views of the person making the decision. Understanding that each and every person does not have the same viewpoint is a valuable lesson that Mulisch presents in his novel. Another lesson is coming to the realization that there is no need to feel guilty for something that cannot be controlled. These two moral lessons, presented in the novel, suggest that people should live a prosperous life. Even though good and evil are opposing concepts, they are necessary to piece together the puzzle known as the universe.
When a secret is hidden inside it can engulf and even destroy a person. Arthur Dimmesdale, a revered young minister in the town, demonstrates what happens to the soul. Dimmesdale, as it is later made known, commits the serious crime of adultery with a young married woman named Hester Prynne living in the Plymouth Colony. Hester is unwilling to reveal her partner in sin. Dimmesdale’s fear of persecution and humiliation forces him to keep his sin a secret. So he watches as Hester is placed before her peers on a platform in front of the whole town and is then called to speak to her and urge that she reveal her fellow adulterer. In essence, he is called upon to commit yet another sin, that of hypocrisy. Dimmesdale’s accumulated sins build inside of him, constantly afflicting his soul until it begins to affect him physically. Thinking himself a hypocrite, he tries to ease his conscience and requite his sin by scourging himself on the chest during the night, fasting for days on end and even climbing the same platform on which Hester began her humiliation.
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 ...
These men were so infatuated that other people thought so highly of them, that they never even considered any of the other factors involved In Status and Identity in Marital Interactions” Stets notes, “In adulthood, women are more likely than men to derive feelings of well-being from the “success” of their marriage…for men, feelings of well-being are tied to “success” at their job” (10). Both Mr. Doran and Armand put their social status as their first priority without ever thinking about the antagonists, Polly and Desiree or about how they felt with the situations they were in. Leaving them with no choice but to remove themselves from the heartbreaking decisions their mates had made without a second thought. Polly made it clear that she would “put an end to herself”, while Desiree packed up and left along with her baby. Although Polly did not actually put an end to herself, it was Mr. Doran’s selfish actions and thoughts that drove her to that point of wanting to kill herself. It is not clear what really happened to Desiree and the baby, it is implied that she took her own life as well as the
and Mrs. A, who has lost their marriage due to Mr. A leaving his wife to pursue someone else that will cause him to be happier than he was before with his wife. Claire, the woman speaking to Lewis on the subject, provides a perspective that Lewis is presenting to his audience that people may have the right to be happy in any way that is right in the eyes of the law but doesn’t make it morally right. This opens up the comparison Lewis makes that a right to happiness makes as much sense as the right to be six feet tall. This proceeds Lewis’s thought and argument against Claire. Lewis presents this allegory in order to show a real life situation to present to his audience how the world has become based on the law of the state rather than moral law. Claire believes in the idea that Mr. A had the right to pursue this new life with Mrs. B; although, Lewis exposes this belief with adding the thought that Mr. A could very well leave Mrs. B to pursue happiness with someone else. Mr. A and all others spoke of previously, including Claire, in this story never have an impact as Lewis only speaks of them; This leads me to believe that all of these characters Lewis has spoken about our fictional, in the efforts to present a common moral law that people tend to break. This allegory excellently opens up the persuasiveness argument that Lewis then begins to speak about that is the base of this entire argument that humanity must change their ways in order for us not to become morally
Adam and Eve’s interactions reflect this burden of human society by the way Adam responds to Eve as he is giving her the wreath that he created for her. Adam prepares a wreath for his beloved Eve and as he is about to give it to her, it becomes known that she ate from the Tree of Knowledge and because of this he is shocked and drops the wreath symbolizing his loss of love for her. His view of her as his companion lessens because he views her as one in a “fallen” state, i.e. the fallen wreath. He accepts her sinful acts by the end though and through his nature he breaks the bounds of logic and represents the complexity that is companionship. Companionship forces people to make people go through with actions that are often completely illogical. The construct causes Adam to go with Eve out of Eden and face the terror of the future together, a selfless act, but also one of dedication and dictated by their
...onnects his audience to the characters and although the play is written for the Elizabethan era, it remains pertinent by invoking the notion of human nature. He implements themes of love, anger, and impulsiveness and demonstrates the influence these emotions have on human behavior. It is evident that because human nature is constant, people have and will continue to be affected by these emotions.
The movie Princess Bride by Rob Reiner presents a journey though tragedy. In the beginning, Wesley the young boy in the movie is naïve, innocent, and he is in love with princess Buttercup. He is not from a rich family as the princess so he leaves to make money so he can marry the love of his life Buttercup. On the way he is captured by the Dread Pirate Roberts, where he had to suffer a lot. However Wesley survives the torture and become one of them, a lower pirate. That’s when his character changes and loss of innocence appears. He no longer stay the same naïve guy instead learn all the evils things that people are capable of. His character describes loss of innocence because he was not
Guilt and shame can tear a person's soul away. The inevitable consequence of sin is the immediate reaction of guilt, shame, and remorse. For example: John Proctor, Elizabeth Proctor, and Reverend Dimmesdale have all committed a sin or sins and are feeling extremely guilty about it. They want to be forgiven, but they have no strength and are cowards. Forgiveness can only be obtained when these characters find the strength within themselves to speak the truth.
In examining popular, tragedy-style theater pieces, it becomes apparent that human morality is a prevalent theme, as it consistently appears throughout various stories. William Shakespeare’s notable play Macbeth, to provide an exemplar, contains such a matter; the literary masterpiece explores the issues of guilt, and the loss of one’s integrity. A perfect display of these conflicts occurs in Act III, scene IV, during which Macbeth struggles with the realisation that he has become a murderer, and will remain forever bound to his crimes:
As a literal deathbed revelation, William Wilson begins the short story by informing the readers about the end of his own personal struggle by introducing and immediately acknowledging his guilt and inevitable death, directly foreshadowing the protagonist’s eventual downward spiral into vice. The exhortative and confession-like nature of the opening piece stems from the liberal use of the first person pronoun “I”, combined with legal and crime related jargon such as, “ crime”, “guilt”, and “victim” found on page 1. Poe infuses this meticulous word choice into the concretization of abstract ideas where the protagonist’s “virtue dropped bodily as a mantle” (Poe 1), leading him to cloak his “nakedness in triple guilt” (Poe 1). In these two examples, not only are virtue and guilt transformed into physical clothing that can be worn by the narrator, but the reader is also introduced to the protagonist’s propensity to externalize the internal, hinting at the inevitable conclusion and revelation that the second William Wilson is not truly a physical being, but the manifestation of something
Things that have happened, to both Prospero and Jacques, have had an effect on their moods. Before Prospero delivers his speech, he discovers that Miranda and Ferdinand are in love and declares happily, “It goes on, I see, as my soul prompts it” (Act 1 scene 2, (424-425). Then cheerfully adds, “So glad of this as they I cannot be, who are surprised withal. But my rejoicing” (Act 3 scene 1, (95-97). Jacques, on the other hand, when hearing Duke Senior state, “Thou seest we are not all alone unhappy” (Act 2 scene 7, (138-141) openly disagrees. He then proclaims, “to speak my mind, and I will through and through cleanse the foul body th’ infected world, if they will patiently receive my medicine” (Act 2 scene 7, (138-141). His view of the word seems to poison his mind resulting in his despondent mood. The events that occurred to Prospero and Jacques find a place in their thoughts and are responsible for altering their attitudes.