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Greed in literature essay
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Consequence of Greed “We are in danger of destroying ourselves by our greed and stupidity. We cannot remain looking inwards at ourselves on a small and increasingly polluted and overcrowded planet” (Stephan Hawking). Just as Stephan Hawking illustrates, Norma, the main character in the short story, “Button, Button” by Richard Matheson learns what will happen when she is selfish. For instance, Norma has the option of whether or not to press the button. However, in the end, Norma finds out the hard way by letting her greed surpass her common sense. As a result, she demonstrates egotistical behavior. Consequently, Matheson utilizes the conflict and irony in order to develop his theme: people tend to be so greedy and self absorbed that they tend …show more content…
As a matter of fact, when Norma is discussing the deal with her husband, Arthur, she remarks, “‘Fifty thousand dollars, Arthur.’‘Fifty thousand dollars, Arthur,’ Norma interrupted. ‘A chance to take that trip to Europe we’ve always talked about’” (Matheson 21). Because Norma mentions the trip to Europe, it suggests that she wants Arthur to agree with her, in an attempt to make herself seem less selfish. Also, because she constantly mentions the amount of money they will receive with a push of a button, it reveals her greed; for instance, she will let a child die rather than give up the fifty thousand dollars she does not have. Furthermore, the author inserts Norma’s contemplation in order to reveal that people tend to let greed get the best of them. All in all, Matheson portrays Norma as being greedy when asked about the offer towards the beginning of the …show more content…
For instance, once Norma presses the button and begins to believe it truly has no power, she receives a call from the Lennox Hospital informing her that her husband died; she then calls Mr. Steward and exclaims, “‘You said I wouldn’t know the one that died!’... Mr. Steward said, ‘do you really think you knew your husband?’” (Matheson 25). Because Mr. Steward asks Norma if she really knows her husband, it suggests that Norma’s egotistical personality causes her to be incognizant of her surroundings. The author composes this choice in the plot in order to manifest the concept that greed can cause a person to be desperate enough to make irrational decisions. Moreover, Norma’s recklessness reveals her inability to formulate logical decisions. In the end, Norma’s decision costs her her husband’s
Money can cause people to act selfish and arrogant, especially when they have so much money they do noteven know what to spend it on. In the novel,
These characters, however different they lie on the morality scale, all share the sinful trait of greed. They all ask, and take too much, ruining what the good that they had in their lives. Understanding their mistakes offers its useful readers a lesson, not to demand too much of the things we are offered. The characters struggle with their desires, each of them succombing to their passions.
The Misfit was no exception to her ways of manipulation but her efforts came up short. Her actions, in many ways, could be compared to species of prey as they use their unique characteristics to elude the grasp of their predators. Just as the speed of the gazelle against the strength of the lion, the grandmother’s intelligence could be compared to the Misfit’s need for vengeance. When some people can see death coming, they will do anything in their power to avoid it. The grandmother knew who she was dealing with as soon as she saw the Misfit’s face. Yet, she tried to fool herself into believing that her sure fate could have been changed by her own actions. It is hard to say that her actions were just out of manipulation. T...
...nable, the readers can begin to question other individual’s actions and behaviors. This is brought upon by the narrator representing that even individuals that claim they are tranquil can still have horrific actions and motives, which can create terror within the readers.
We can see many times when she shows her greed, one of the most obvious ones is when Mr. Stewart tells her that it can prove to be very valuable and she becomes interested and even replied by saying if it has Monetary value. Another thing that she says that proves that she is greedy is when her and Arthur are arguing and she goes to bed she only thinks of the fifty thousand dollars which not only shows greed but also ignorance since she is neglecting the fact that someone will die in order for her to receive that money. Norma proves to be very ignorant in this story as she neglects everything her husband is saying to her and instead just tries to convince him that what she is saying is correct and as we can see this ignorance proves to be fatal as it and her greed cause arthur to become deeply depressed and end his own life. Norma also tries to convince Arthur by telling him that they can use the money that they will receive for murder to the things they always wanted like go to Europe or have The cottage they wanted or even have a baby. When she is about to press the button she justifies so by saying “ for us” which is not true as we
The struggle the other characters face in telling Mrs. Mallard of the news of her husband's death is an important demonstration of their initial perception of her strength. Through careful use of diction, Mrs. Mallard is portrayed as dependent. In mentioning her "heart trouble" (12) Chopin suggests that Mrs. Mallard is fragile. Consequently, Josephine's character supports this misconception as she speaks of the accident in broken sentences, and Richards provides little in the way of benefiting the situation. In using excess caution in approaching the elderly woman, Mrs. Mallard is given little opportunity to exhibit her strength. Clearly the caution taken towards Mrs. Mallard is significant in that it shows the reader the perception others have of her. The initial description the author provides readers with creates a picture that Mrs. Mallard is on the brink of death.
Throughout the narrative, the text utilizes the conflict over the crisis of cognition, or the very mystery regarding the Marquise’s lack of knowledge surrounding her mysterious pregnancy, as a catalyst for the presentation of the plurality of opinions associated with the Marquise’s current status in society and presumptions to the father’s identity. In itself, this state of cognitive dissonance prevents the Marquise from making any attempts at atoning for her supposed sin, as she herself is unaware of any possible transgressions responsible for her current predicament. In turn, this separation from the truth pushes the marquise to fall into the conviction that the “incomprehensible change[s] in her figure” and “inner sensations” (85) she felt were due to the god of Fantasy or Morpheus or even “one of his attendant dreams,” (74) thereby relinquishing her subconscious from any guilt. However, despite her self-assurance of innocence and desperate pleas at expressing her clear conscience, the marquise becomes subject to external pressures from both her family and society, who come to perc...
Upon reading more closely, the story is revealed to present a tragic journey of a man who has lost his sanity but seeks solace in the materialistic comforts of his old life. The story succeeds in making a number of statements about human nature: that wealth is the most powerful measure of social status and anyone without it will face ostracization; that denial of one 's mistakes and unfortunate circumstances only leads to more pain; that even the most optimistic people can hold dark secrets and emotional turmoil inside them. All of these themes compel the reader to ponder their real-life implications long after the story is
As Lady Audley is examined, the doctor finds “no evidence of madness in anything that she has done” (Braddon 321) because all of Lady Audley’s actions in her life have been for a reason. Freud states that “when an idea immediately produces lively somatic consequences, this implies that…it flows off into the paths concerned in these consequences” (Freud 1936, 224), explaining that it is the ego of Lady Audley that is weighing her options of how to gain the status and wealth that she yearns for. Lady Audley’s upbringing has changed her ego into a cunning and calculating machine because her constant desires have impacted her decision-making process. She employs the challenges she has experienced and channels them into intelligence and ways that can advance her in society. She finds a happy medium within her superego and id by having “the cunning of madness, with the prudence of intelligence” (Braddon 323), which symbolizes her ego throughout the story. As a woman with this ability, “she is dangerous” (Braddon 323) because no other woman has presented these qualities, meaning it would be harmful to the power and control of men. Even though “there is a splitting of the mind into two
The consequences of selfishness are seen to be so dramatic and devastating, that an audience can’t help but be
In conclusion, it was no surprise when Mrs. Mallard is shocked when her husband is standing at their front door. He had missed his train; therefore, sparing his life. When she is making her symbolic descent down the stairs, she spots her husband and realizes that she can never reverse her progress. The “joy” that kills her is the joy that she refuses to surrender, but for one hour she gets glimpse of what true joy is (Jamil 219).
Once examining the story I found an interesting insight on Mrs. Mallard in terms of acts and happenings; the happenings (a change of state not brought about by an agent and manifested in the discourse in the act of happen) are events out of Mrs. Mallards control, and the acts (a change of state brought about by an agent) are Mrs. Mallards emotional realizations and her change of outlook on life and death rather than physical actions: Mr.
Imagine what our world would be like without governments, religion and possessions. John Lennon’s song “Imagine” reflects on the world we live in and who we are as people. John Lennon's song creates a feeling that’s unthinkable. Lenon’s masterpiece is visionary and pure genius. It may come across as simple words, but each word has a remarkable meaning behind it. Lennon was asking the world to imagine a place where things that divide people (anything from religion to possessions) did not exist.
Mallard’s emotions over the presumed death of her husband. The author used both dramatic and situational irony to mislead the reader and surprise them with a plot twist ending. By utilizing both external and internal conflict the author expresses the internal debate of Mrs. Mallard’s true feelings and those of the people around her. The author used symbolism to display Mrs. Mallard’s desire for freedom from her marriage. In the end it was not joy that killed Mrs. Mallard but the realization that she lost her
The first reader has a guided perspective of the text that one would expect from a person who has never studied the short story; however the reader makes some valid points which enhance what is thought to be a guided knowledge of the text. The author describes Mrs. Mallard as a woman who seems to be the "victim" of an overbearing but occasionally loving husband. Being told of her husband's death, "She did not hear the story as many women have heard the same, with a paralyzed inability to accept its significance." (This shows that she is not totally locked into marriage as most women in her time). Although "she had loved him--sometimes," she automatically does not want to accept, blindly, the situation of being controlled by her husband. The reader identified Mrs. Mallard as not being a "one-dimensional, clone-like woman having a predictable, adequate emotional response for every life condition." In fact the reader believed that Mrs. Mallard had the exact opposite response to the death her husband because finally, she recognizes the freedom she has desired for a long time and it overcomes her sorrow. "Free! Body and soul free! She kept whispering." We can see that the reader got this idea form this particular phrase in the story because it illuminates the idea of her sorrow tuning to happiness.