The novel Weiland by Charles Brockden Brown tells a cautionary tale about how the right combination of religious fanaticism, reliance on sensory perception, and selfishness in individuals can lead to disastrous consequences. Extreme religious views held in the Wieland’s family led him to feel that he had to do murderous actions or else face other horrible consequences. The reliance on sensory perception many character’s held fooled them into believing in Carwin the biloquist and the lies he helped spread. Also, it was the selfishness that Carwin displayed in doing things on a whim simply because he wanted to them that was the source of conflict between the family members of Wieland that helped sow the seeds of distrust that would break down …show more content…
One major catalyst of Theodore Wieland’s religiosity which would help drive him to kill those dear to him was the spontaneous combustion of his father in his temple. When he and his sister saw the body she said His father’s death was marked under mysterious circumstances and may have in Theodore’s mind been a punishment from God, as Clara even remarks that after she saw the body she too wondered “Was this the penalty of disobedience?” (Brown 18). With such thoughts plaguing his sister and himself Wieland’s drive to do whatever he thought God was asking of him, including killing his family. Even though he was reluctant to do as the voice he heard commanding him to murder his wife his extreme religious nature and the memory of what happened pushed him to do so. In his court testimony he even said “The conditions were prescribed; the decree had gone forth, and nothing remained but to execute it” (Brown 126). Perhaps if Theodore Weiland had not been so fanatic in his religiosity and not have been scared of possible fiery punishment from God, he would have been able to resist what the voices had told him to do and questioned whether it was the right course of action to …show more content…
While only a minor character in the novel, Judith the servant to Clara helps bring about the distrust between Pleyel and Clara which would result in rifts that would take years to repair. Judith appeared to not be too caring about her employer’s well-being as she simlply gives Carwin, the man she had become to have an affair with, access to Clara’s room and helps supply Carwin with information regarding the family that he would later use against them. These were quite selfish actions of Judith to take as gave a man, basically a stranger, information to use against her employers all because she was attracted to him. In the case of Carwin, his major contribution to the demise came from his lack of regard about the ramifications of what his actions and random trickeries could do to others. He admits to Clara that he was the one to trick Pleyel into thinking that she had been seduced by him and states that it was only done as “To deceive him would be the sweetest triumph I have ever enjoyed” (Brown 156). By only doing something because it seemed enjoyable and fun, Carwin failed to understand how such a stain on the reputation of Clara could do to her in colonial society. The actions of Carwin help to point as a warning that if everyone is out for their own personal pleasure, many will be left worse off for it. When trying to explain himself to Clara towards the
Throughout a lifetime, many things are gained; experience, wisdom, knowledge, as well as a sure sense of self. But along with all these great things come regret, guilt, and shame of past events. Everyone deals with these in different ways, sometimes turning to religion and denial as coping mechanisms. In the novel The Poisonwood Bible, By Barbara Kingsolver, each member of the Price family deals with a personal guilt either gained while on their mission in the Congo or long before. This novel exemplifies the different types of guilt the Price family experienced throughout their stay in the Congo, and shows various means of reconciliation and forgiveness as the guilt is absolved.
Cormac McCarthy once said, “I think the notion that the species can be improved in some way, that everyone can live in harmony is a really dangerous idea.” (Overview) This quote leaves us with the impression that humanity as a whole is innately violent, and we will explore this idea by examining “Blood Meridian.” This paper consists of three main topics, all of which have subtopics. The first topic explores the Western setting of “Blood Meridian” and its effect on human behavior. Its subtopics are the absence of responsibility, the failure of manifest destiny’s ideals, and seeing the west as an escape from the past and time. The second topic delves deeper into the nature of Cormac McCarthy’s quote; it asks whether humans are inherently violent. The subtopics for this section are racism and hate as a drive, greed as a drive, and the metaphorical significance of two events in the book. The last topic is man’s need to be led and the way their leader leads them. The subtopics for the last section are the parallel between Hitler and Judge Holden, and the Judge’s general philosophy including the way he leads the men.
James Hogg's classic novel, The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner, portrays the fictional story of Robert Wringhim, a strong Calvinist who justifies murder by quickening the inevitable. Robert commits infamous acts of evil, believing that these murderous actions glorify God by annihilating sinners not chosen to be saved. I believe that a combination of factors involving both nurture and nature shape Wringhim into the suffering creature that he becomes. The greatest of these factors include Paranoia Schizophrenia, Multiple Personality Disorder, and the rejection of society.
Chastisement or punishment can be performed in various forms that can produce in a variety of consequences. In J.B., the sudden punishment of God on J.B has caused a commotion in his family physically and mentally. Nevertheless, J.B’s faith does not die and he also continues to fulfill his responsibility as a “puppet” in a play created by God. After the death of his five children, J.B is placid and not abhorring God for his punishment. “God will not punish without cause, God is just.”, said J.B (109). J.B knows that there must be a reason for God to punish him, because God always acts impartially. Ev...
...ically wiping out her family. If the others die, so be it so long as she lives, but alas her pleas fall on death ears. Wolff’s story is about three men, hardened by nature, who hunt animals for sport. When violence occurs, they should be more accustomed to deal with it, but they are completely incapable. The feeling of kinship for good friends becomes nothing when there could be potential repercussions for the self. Violence then is not only in the moment of its occurrence, but has lasting effects for all parties concerned.
...pherd", only the agony of total defeat. Sheppard's epiphany comes too late and the stark contrast that once distinguished him from the dark object of his alms turns into the faded realization that he is no better than the beleaguered beneficiary. Through O'Connor's strategic literary devices, deft character contrast, and parody of entrenched Christian values, the reader is left to digest and dissect the fact that maybe the entire flock [comment15] isn't worth one black sheep. Between the black and white islands of moral certainty, good and evil, there lies a sea of ironic grey.
During the time when Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God was being written, there was much religious unrest. It had been only three decades since the gruesome Salem trials which led to the imprisonment and death of hundreds. This shocking massacre of innocent people led to a religious movement called the Great Awakening which Edwards led the charge in. Edwards preached to the masses about the revival of the interest in religion and a need for redemption in the eyes of God. Edward’s success in influencing the masses came not only because of the subjects about what he was speaking, but also because of his clever rhetorical strategies. Some of the rhetorical tools he employed were rhetorical questioning, similes, and anaphora.
What I said was altogether false against my grandfather and Mr. Burroughs, which I did to save my life and to have my liberty; but the Lord, charging it to my conscience, made me in so much horror that I could not contain myself before I denied my confession…”(Godbeer 147).
Guilt is a powerful force in humans. It can be the factor that alters someone's life. On the other hand, forgiveness can be just as powerful. In The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, her characters-the Price family-travel to Africa on a religious mission. Throughout the novel, the concept of guilt and forgiveness is reflected on multiple occasions. Each character has a different experience with guilt and how it affects them in the end. By structuring The Poisonwood Bible to include five different narrators, Kingsolver highlights the unique guilt and forgiveness to each individual experiences as well expresses the similarities that all humans face with these complex emotions.
One of the key aspects that may have led to the initial stages of the trials and ultimate spiral out of control is the religious context of Ne...
Society throughout time has proven to be a frail and feeble structure that has failed to maintain organization on multiple occasions. People have demonstrated that with just enough chaos and pressure, they will have no qualms with deserting their morals at the sight of adversity. Whether it be creating a witch hunt to better the lives of the poor, or putting fellow American citizens’ in concentration camps based off their Japanese ancestry. There is no boundary that people won’t cross in order to feel safe and justified in their decisions. In Isaac Reed’s article,” Deep culture in action: resignification, synecdoche, and metanarrative in the moral panic of the Salem Witch Trials”, he examines the concept of moral panics as a whole, the history
There are many ways to decide what makes a man guilty. In an ethical sense, there is more to guilt than just committing the crime. In Charles Brockden Browns’ Wieland, the reader is presented with a moral dilemma: is Theodore Wieland guilty of murdering his wife and children, even though he claims that the command came from God, or is Carwin guilty because of his history of using persuasive voices, even though his role in the Wieland family’s murder is questionable? To answer these questions, one must consider what determines guilt, such as responsibility, motives, consequences, and the act itself. No matter which view is taken on what determines a man’s guilt, it can be concluded that Wieland bears the fault in the murder of Catharine Wieland and her children.
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 ...
If the idea of morality is abandoned, all actions become permissible. Yet the madman himself says that “there never was a greater event, and on account of it, all who are born after [it] belong to a higher history than any history hitherto!” This statement establishes that the madman actually sees the death of God as a benefit. It may seem unusual to describe the sudden and complete elimination of morality from society in a positive way. However, the attitude of the madman can be explained by a rhetorical question that he poses to the villagers. “Shall we not ourselves have to become Gods merely to seem worthy of [killing God]?” In essence, the madman believes that the death of God will make people directionless, but he also believes that people, out of necessity, will give themselves direction, and decide what is right and wrong for themselves.
Yet, despite the fact that I personally believe that a some of these tragedies could be avoided if the individuals in question had taken even a moment to think critically about their actions I also do not doubt that it is difficult to turn away from the rewards of uncritical thinking. After all, rejecting uncritical thinking, especially when it is related to such concepts and shibboleths, puts an individual in an awkward position where they again have to constantly question their own motives and actions as well as the motives and actions of others. The world around them, which had previously seemed so neatly ordered and structured, suddenly becomes chaotic and jumbled. However, from this chaos emerges an