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Common themes in literature
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As the death toll grew, guilt and sorrow reminded characters of their dark pasts. In the story, “And Then There Were None” by Agatha Christie, Vera Claythorne and Emily Brent were both a big part of the theme. “And Then There Were None” is about 10 characters who are invited to an island by an anonymous person. Each is guilty of being connected to a murder. As each of them begin to be murdered, everyone scrambles to find the murderer. One of the strongest themes is “Guilt will always come back to haunt people”. It is shown through the Conflict, Description, and Inner-Thinking. From the beginning of the book, the characters show their dark but hidden pasts. Claythorne immediately thinks of Cyril and Hugo and her very dark secret. All of the characters are hurting on the inside but are trying to move on. During the story Christie describes this with Claythorne, “And then, as she stood there, listening, a cold, clammy hand touched her throat-a wet hand, smelling of the sea…Vera screamed”(pg. 217-218). This description shows that Vera tries to escape her dark past, but when it comes …show more content…
Through inner-thinking, Christie described her pain, “do they keep bees on this island? Isn’t it funny? Isn’t it damned funny? She began to wildly laugh again”(pg. 186). This detail from the text shows how Vera went mad from guilt and started to go mentally insane. Her guilt is driving her to the limits to keep reminding herself of her ex-fiancé and Cyril the boy she let drown. Another piece of evidence Christie uses is when she again describes Vera, “Vera moved forward. This was the end, here where the cold, wet hand of Cyril touched her throat...A rope and a noose all ready?...it was what Hugo wanted”(pg. 268). This detail from Christie shows Vera is going so insane from guilt. The guilt took Vera and it tormented her and made her crazy. In the end it wasn’t Vera’s regrets or Hugo that drove her to death, it was her
In Harry Mulisch’s novel The Assault, the author not only informs society of the variance in perception of good and evil, but also provides evidence on how important it is for an innocent person experiencing guilt to come to terms with their personal past. First, Mulisch uses the characters Takes, Coster, and Ploeg to express the differences in perspective on the night of the assault. Then he uses Anton to express how one cannot hide from the past because of their guilt. Both of these lessons are important to Mulisch and worth sharing with his readers.
Two classical themes in literature are concealed guilt and confessed guilt and in many instances the reader sees the affects of these on individuals. In the examination and exploration of The Scarlet Letter and Macbeth the necessary comparison for both is provided. The guilt in The Scarlet Letter is seen in the minds and outward appearance of each main character, Hester Prynne and Arthur Dimmesdale. In Macbeth the readers sees an obvious guilt in the main character, Macbeth.
She soon discovers things are not so easy or as expected. Sherry realizes during her first true parenting experience that she is not quite able to handle life on her own just yet. In order for Sherry to have a chance at rekindling her relationship with daughter Alexis, she must be willing to accept her weaknesses and accept the past. As the film unravels, it is evident she has issues from her past that are kept at bay reflecting on where she is in life. It is Sherry’s desire to change that will ultimately determine whether she gets second chance at life.
In And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie, the different characters respond realistically to guilt in many different ways. The characters on Soldier Island were all pledged guilty for some degree of murder and they all knew that. Although, the way some of them responded to their own grief and guilt is varied. As the characters were talking about their accusations, Dr. Armstrong thought to himself, “Drunk, that’s what it was—drunk… And I operated! Nerves all to pieces—hands shaking. I killed her all right. Poor devil—elderly woman—simple job if I’d been sober” (Christie 71-72). This proves that Dr. Armstrong felt guilty about killing a woman named Louisa Mary Clees many years ago on the operating table. Although Armstrong denied that it
Has any reader ever experienced the likes of such guilt as is found in the pages of Shakeare's tragic play Macbeth? I think not. This paper is an exploration of the many instances of guilt in the drama.
A person’s guilt will eventually manifest itself on its own terms. For most people, guilt is a hard psychological experience. Thus, the effects can be very diverse. In the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare, the effects of guilt and having a guilty conscience is a recurring theme displayed throughout the text. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, the two characters Shakespeare reveal to be most evil, experience an abundance of guilt and its unwanted side effects. Through the characters’ dialogue and soliloquies, the reader can pinpoint exact moments where guilt is unmissable. Shakespeare’s Macbeth clearly demonstrates how guilt can affect one’s actions, and it uses the concept to develop one of the many themes of the play.
In Agatha Christie’s mystery novel, And Then There Were None, there are ten unsolved murders, and an unknown murderer. As you read you find out the murder is one of the island guest, Judge Wargrave, he is highly intelligent, skilled in manipulating others, and is dying. Justice Wargrave feels that some of the guest on Soldier Island are more guilty of murder than others because of the degrees to which they were responsible for the deaths that took place in their pasts.
In Macbeth, guilt is able to conceal itself beneath many different feelings. It masks itself with ambition, fear, blood, and false confidence. Even though guilt is not always felt at the time of the crime, it soon makes a reappearance and it gets harder and harder to be masked. Eventually, it becomes too hard to ignore and the person cannot manage the feelings anymore and the guilt becomes a punishment. In the end, the guilt felt always becomes unbearable.
Edgar Allen Poe has a keen sense of how the human mind works, and he explores this insight in two of his short stories: “The Cask of Amontillado” and “The Tell-Tale Heart.” Poe demonstrates how the human mind can wander to dark places when clouded by obsession and guilt in “The Tell-Tale Heart,” and masterfully writes about the art of manipulation and revenge in “The Cask of Amontillado.” Both stories share dark similarities both in writing style and in plot, yet the human characteristics and motives driving each of the main characters vary. In these two stories, warped logic is ever-present as both men struggle with their conscience before, during, and after their violent crimes. Poe is able to capture the essence of madness
As seen through the use of symbolism, setting, and internal conflict, Agatha Christie has created the theme “no wrongdoing goes unpunished” in And Then There Were None. Each of the characters paid for their sins through death on Indian Island. Each character either took their own life, due to the regret of their actions or by it was done by an outside force.
The feeling of guilt is a strong emotion in ‘Macbeth'. Macbeth tries to take the throne in a variety of heinous ways and as a result he feels repercussions of his guilt as he carries out his murders. Literary elements are scattered throughout ‘Macbeth’ are used to progress the reoccurring theme “The Horrors of Guilt"
Edgar Allen Poe’s tale of murder and revenge, “The Cask of Amontillado”, offers a unique perspective into the mind of a deranged murderer. The effectiveness of the story is largely due to its first person point of view, which allows the reader a deeper involvement into the thoughts and motivations of the protagonist, Montresor. The first person narration results in an unbalanced viewpoint on the central conflict of the story, man versus man, because the reader knows very little about the thoughts of the antagonist, Fortunato. The setting of “The Cask of Amontillado”, in the dark catacombs of Montresor’s wine cellar, contributes to the story’s theme that some people will go to great lengths to fanatically defend their honor.
The categories associated with the means of means of characterization are considered to be explicit vs. implicit characterization, auto- vs. alterocharacterization and figural and narratorial as the foci of characterization. The use of certain means of characterization depends upon the preference of the author: his style, intentions and choice of focus. The characters are characterized by 1) what they say themselves, 2) what they do, 3) what the narrator says about them and 4) what other characters say about them. One should not, however, take for granted what is said by other characters since they might not be reliable, especially if one notices certain inconsistencies. This essay focuses on a story called Witness for the Prosecution written by the famous writer of detective stories, Agatha Christie. The plot centers around a crime (the murder of Miss Emily French) and starts with the discourse between Mr. Mayherne, the solicitor, and Mr. Vole, the accused person who swears being innocent of the crime. Later in the story appears Mr. Vole's wife and, acting extremely skillfully, plays the major role in acquitting her husband. The essay attempts to analyse Mr. Mayherne's (Agarha Christie's Witness for the Prosecution) characterization according to the aforementioned characterization parameters.
Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” is a frightening and entertaining short story about the severe consequences that result from persistent mockery and an unforgiving heart. Poe’s excellent use of Gothicism within the story sets the perfect tone for a dark and sinister plot of murder to unfold. “The Cask of Amontillado” simply overflows with various themes and other literary elements that result from Poe’s Gothic style of writing. Of these various themes, one that tends to dominant the story as a whole is the theme of revenge, which Poe supports with his sophisticated use of direct and indirect factors, irony, and symbolism.
The setting in And Then There Were None, by Agatha Christie, is a very important part of the story. Since this book is a mystery, of course the setting has to be strange and mysterious. To make sure the plot makes sense, Christie had to think about other factors in order to choose the setting. The setting had to be a time period in which telephones, emails, and other forms of communication were not available. It also needed to be a place where the victims could not reach safety or help. Lastly, the setting had to create tension and confusion amongst the characters. The time period of this book was during the 1930s when there was very limited technological communications. One clue about the time period is the date of latest murder. As the characters