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Now and then character analysis
Now and then character analysis
Character analysis everyday use
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Religious Practitioner's Assignment
1. Amasa Dempster
From his professional career to his personal life, religion consumes every aspect of Amasa Dempster's life. He is known by the citizens of Deptford to impose his view of religion on everyone and everything he encounters. When Mary was sick in bed after Paul's birth his actions reveal that his feelings and religious beliefs often overtake reason. He knelt on the floor next to the bed where Mary laid and prayed feverously that it would be easier for Paul if his mother were to accompany him to heaven. Mrs. Dempster seemed unaffected by his ignorance and narrow-mindedness, but these character traits were large factors in his ostracism from the community. Amasa had tendency to drop at any time and pray with "intense passion"; Dunstan thought this was indecent and found him spooky because he was believed to walk with god.
After discovering that he had been teaching Paul about cards, illusions, and worst of all, the Catholic saints, Amasa forbade Dunstan to talk to Paul or enter their home. Dunstan was angry because he demeaned his talents to mere cheating and gambling. He also seemed to hold a grudge towards Amasa because of the way he treated Mary.
I think that Amasa Dempster is the strangest character in the novel. His actions prove he is neither intelligent nor articulate, further confirming the contrast of Baptist feeling to Presbyterian good sense. I agree with Dunstan that his sporadic praying is spooky, but I also think that his disposition is generally eerie; he is quiet and soft spoken, but every experience that the reader is exposed to conveys his creepy nature. The fact that his wife is so much younger than himself makes him seem that much creepier. He acts as though he loves his wife; even when he found her in the pits with a tramp he did not question her, only helped her. Tying your wife to a rope is inhumane and appalling, and makes her seem like a domestic animal instead of his life partner. I understand his anger towards Dunstan regarding the card playing, it is against his religious morals, but Dunstan was still a young child and he talked to him as if he should have known better. I find his character very disturbing.
2. Donald Phelps
Donald Phelps is the Presbyterian minister in Deptford who replaced Andrew Bowyer. From Dunstan's few encounters with Phelps it is noticeable that he is a much more contemporary minister than Amasa Dempster.
Furthermore, there are several occurrences of the harm against women in regards to Mrs. Dempster. She undergoes a stark change in personality after being hit with the snowball, described by the denizens of Deptford as having “gone simple”. One of Mary Dempster’s most shocking acts after the fact is when she is found having sex with a tramp (later revealed to have been done in order to restore his faith). Her husband, Amasa, decides that Mary is too much of a burden to him and ties her to chair, making her unable to leave her home. Despite this, the young Dunny does not think of Mary as a burden, in fact referring to her as his “greatest friend”. He keeps her up to date on the goings-on in Deptford, he prides her on her fearlessness. He knows
However, he says “miracles are things people cannot explain. Miracles depend on time, and place, and what we know and do not know” (166). As the result, he teaches Dunstan saints are not objective and all the miracles depend on the situation and facts. Because Ramsay considers Mary Dempster's actions against Willie, himself, and the tramp to be miracles, she is therefore a saint. Secondly, Davies uses Jungian the Great Mother archetype in the figure of Mary Dempster due to Dunstan’s Mother Complex.
Dunstan's guilt causes him to have an unhealthy relationship with Mrs.Dempster. As a young boy, Dunstan’s mother forced him to help Mrs.Dempster with the daily duties needed to be done. He was sent to be the eyes and hears of his mother because many of the town village people believed that Mrs.Dempster was “simple” and therefore was not ready to bear the burden of a child. This had brought Dunstan closer to Mrs.Dempster and had made the bound that linked their life's together stronger. He had been seeing her everyday which caused him to start to care and love for her like says "I know I was in love with Mrs.Dempster, but in a painful and immediate fas...
The reader is a bit shocked to find that Dunstan has acted in such a non approving way. It is probably just a taste of this side of him, and we will most likely hear more of it as the story progresses.
Through the characters Dimmesdale and Chillingworth, Hawthorne reveals the true nature of Puritan society through parallels among the three. All three’s hidden evil is masked by each of their perfect appearances. Chillingworth exhibited the Puritan’s benefit of the doubt they received because of their relation to religion, while Dimmesdale presented the fact that corruption fuels the association with religion and as corruption within someone or something increases, so does a person or people’s betterment.
Guilt is the inevitable consequence that comes along after committing a crime and is a feeling that can paralyze and tear one’s soul away. However, it is evident that an individual’s feelings of guilt are linked to what they believe is right or wrong. In Robertson Davies Fifth Business, guilt is a principal theme in the novel and its effects have a major toll on the lives and mental state of many characters. Throughout the novel, it is apparent that the values and morals instilled within childhood shape an individual’s personality, as exhibited by the different ways the characters within the novel respond when faced with feelings of guilt. The literary elements Davies utilizes in the passage, from pages fifteen to sixteen, introduce the theme of guilt and display the contrast in how
Unlike the rest of the townsfolk, Pearl is able to make this connection and questions the minister 's intentions. As the reverend of the town, Dimmesdale is seen by the Puritan society as a holy and just man, yet the readers are able to see past the clergyman 's façade to his true, miserable self. Hawthorne creates the noteworthy persona of Arthur Dimmesdale through the characteristics of being dishonest, cowardly, and secretive.
Dunstan’s guilt originates in his childhood on account of a traumatizing encounter. The guilt Dunstan continuously endures is with him throughout his life, starting with the snowball incident caused by the vindictive Percy. Percy Boyd Staunton, acting foolish, throws a snowball intended for Dunstan; however, Dunstan ducks, and it hits pregnant Mary Dempster. As a result, Mrs. Dempster develops mental health problems and she is forced to
Paul Dempster’s life was irrevocably intertwined with the lives of both Percy Staunton and Dunstan Ramsay. Also like these two characters, Paul has a very powerful sense of motivation and ambition.
In further developing Dimmesdale's character, Hawthorne portrays him as a hypocrite. His outward demeanor deceives the villagers, appearing as a completely holy man. However, before the action of the novel begins, he stumbles into sin, by committing adultery with Hester Pryn...
For many years, cult leaders always had a psychological hold on their followers' minds. Whether it was to kill other people or to kill themselves, they did it without question. Some cult leaders used fear, violence and guilt as a means of a weapon to control the minds of their followers. Other cult leaders used persuasive and spiritual speeches that made their followers believe they were doing good and fulfilling God's plan. Because cult leaders are powerful through psychological offenses, the people that belong to their cults are brainwashed into doing things they wouldn't normally do in their right state of mind.
did not tell anyone how Mrs. Dempster got hit by a snowball. Throughout his life, he continued to
“In thinking about religion, it is easy to be confused about what it is.” (Smart, 1992) To combat this, Smart uses seven dimensions to define common characteristics of religion. Much of what will be explored will fit his dimensions. The practical and ritual dimension can been seen in all three religions through worship and rituals and patterns of behaviour. The latter are those acts that help the believer develop spiritual awareness or ethical insight, such as yoga or meditation in Buddhism and Hinduism. The experiential and emotional dimension of religion explains that religion feeds on human emotions and key events from history to illustrate this is, the enlightenment of the Buddha, or the visions of Muhammad. A person will not follow something without meaning or emotion driving it. The narrative or mythic dimension of religion refers to the use of story telling in religion. Typically, all faiths use stories to illustrate their beliefs or events in history, whether they might be of things to come, or like in this essay, stories of the Buddha, or Muhammad. The use of story telling is important as the stories are often based on accounts of history or documents that have been found. Story telling can enhance the believers faith and are often integrated into rituals. The doctrinal and philosophical dimension of religion talks about the importance of the holy books/ doctrines. Since the doctrines typically have an account of the leaders life, and the leaders are usually educated, believers read the doctrines to gain an insight into the leaders life; and thus strive to become more like them or abide by their teachings. The ethical and legal
The most important woman in Dunstan’s life up until he meets Liesl is Mrs. Dempster. This is the pregnant woman hit with the snowball, and she plays a very subtle, yet significant role in the story. Although not responsible, Mrs. Dempster is the reason that Dunstan lives a life full of guilt. She gave birth to her son prematurely leading her to become simple minded.
Dunstan Ramsay’s family, especially Dunstan’s authoritative mother, is the epitome of Scottish Presbyterianism in Dunstan’s life. The Scots are the paragons of common sense and prudence – they are not allowed the "usual failings normally associated with the human condition,"1 and Dunstan is indeed acutely aware of any shortcomings he might have. Though Dunstan declares that "the Scottish practicality that [he has] imitated from [his] parents [is] not really in grain with [him]"2, the "chilly Presbyterian ethos"3 remain. When he dodges Percy Boyd Staunton’s snowball and it hits Mary Dempster – which causes the premature birth of Paul and the "madness" of Mary – ...