In John Steinbeck’s “East of Eden”, the author continuously brings up the theory of man always at war with good and evil, and ultimately having to choose which side they are on. As humans, uncertainty and confusion are two main factors to our indecisiveness. Nor is it easy when we are being engulfed by conflicting pathways and influences of others. In “East of Eden” the complex character of Cal Trask is pulled by two conflicting directions. He battles his evil ancestry, and yet tries to compete with the goodness of his perfect brother, Aaron. These influences exemplify Steinbeck’s message of the struggle between good and evil being recurring theme throughout human history. To begin, Cal faced with the struggle of good versus evil. This struggle …show more content…
Aaron, the perfect son, a smart, good-looking young man that everyone wished they could be. One thing that Aaron has that Cal doesn’t is the love and affection from others. Aaron is adored and is the light of his father’s eye, which Cal is just a piece of dust to his father. Because of the constant scrutiny and loneliness that was embodied within Cal he created a fiery rage for his brother. Though, he loved his brother, Cal began to hate himself and felt that is has grown to be evil. Since Aaron exemplified goodness and pureness, Cal did not. He could be categorized as the evil one from the twins. Shortly after a feud between the twins, Aaron enlists in the army. On the day Aaron enlists in the Army to fight in World War I, his father asks Aaron's twin brother, Cal, "Where is your brother?" and Cal answers, "How do I know? Am I supposed to look after him?" (Steinbeck 564). Cal has to basically compete with his brother. His father wants Cal to look for him, because he is the pride and joy of his eyes. Cal refuses to do what his father ordered because Adam is using him so maybe he could wonder the streets to find the most valuable person to Adam, Aaron. No longer will Cal be manipulated and be seen as a rag doll, while his brother becomes the star. He is tired of being in the background trying to fight for
The battle of good versus evil is present in all aspects of life. Actions taken by people can determine how others view them. Some choose to do what is right and good, while others choose what is wrong and evil. Many characters are forced to choose between the two, and some do not foresee the consequences of their actions. In the book Peace Like a River by Leif Enger, actions committed by the Davy, Jeremiah, and Jeremiah’s friends, both good and evil, always have consequences.
"Battleground America," written by Jill Lepore, provides a strong history of guns and the way they have changed in the eyes of the American through the years. She proves her point with strong evidence throughout her article, sprinkling it with opinion and argument that is strongly supported. She presents her argument to convince her audience that the open availability of guns allows citizens to undeservingly purchase them by displaying the credibility in her sources, using negative connotations in her speech, and the strength and objectivity only a strong logos appeal can provide.
On the surface, O'Connor's A Good Man is Hard to Find appears innocent enough in its content. But as the reader becomes more and more involved in the symbolic underpinnings that embody the story, it is quite clear that there is a distinctive flavor of evil versus Christianity. In fact, it has been argued that the extent to which O'Connor utilizes the central theme of Christianity is as a subtle, symbolic plot to convert her readers, whom she had envisioned as nonbelievers. By demonstrating to her audience all the good that comes from faith, along with all the bad that merely begets more evil, it was her intention to enlighten her readership down the right path.
What does it take for one to achieve the American dream? What kinds of struggles does one need to overcome to achieve their goals in life? In the classic novel The Grapes of Wrath, written by John Steinbeck, you can follow the Joad family in the pursuit to their dreams and the difficulties they faced and overcame. The Joad family faced numerous conflicts including; men, society, nature, and him/herself but overcame many to keep pushing them towards their dream; to go to California and find a better life.
Timothy Findley pieced The Wars together like a giant jigsaw puzzle. When putting a puzzle together, a person must start off on the outside and work his/her way in, slowly adding piece upon piece until a clear overall picture is seen. Readers have to realize that the themes, characters, and setting within this book operate like puzzle pieces; they each weave themselves within the story and within each other. Their connections are the bonds that hold the book together, and one of the bonds at this puzzle's core is madness. To understand how madness appears to play a major role in the events of the war, we have to know the characters that are mad, the characters that are believed to be mad and how madness affects masculinity.
John Steinbeck's novel, East of Eden is the epic story of a California family who struggle to overcome issues of betrayal, infidelity, and the age old battle between good and evil and sibling rivalry. The story centers around two generations of brothers in the Trask family-Adam and Charles, and Adam's sons Aron and Cal. In each generation, one of the Trask brothers is moral and good while the other brother behaves badly and immorally. Because the good Trask brothers are favored, the bad Trask brothers develop envious tendencies and a recurrent theme of sibling rivalry appears throughout the book. Steinbeck's dramatic account of the Trask brothers and their rivalry in East of Eden is an impressive tale, but it is also a familiar one that closely echoes a
Many people say that the metal of a man is found in his ability to keep his ideals in spite of anything that life can through at you. If a man is found to have done these things he can be called a hero. Through a lifelong need to accept responsibility for all living things, Robert Ross defines his heroism by keeping faith with his ideals despite the betrayal, despair and tragedy he suffers throughout the course of The Wars by Timothy Findley.
This allegory is a strong image of man’s relentless battle between good and evil. Mankind’s personal and social quarrels through different dealings can result in good consequences and/or bad consequences. There are many symbols throughout Young Goodman Brown that exemplify Puritan ideology relate to modern times, such as faith, the staff and the forest. Additionally, Nathanial Hawthorne’s ancestral tie to the Salem Witch Trial is a great example of how a man can be tainted by social influences. However, it is up to each person to choose their own path, guided by their perception of faith, no matter their religion. “Depending upon one another's hearts, ye had still hoped that virtue were not all a dream. Now are ye undeceived. Evil is the nature of mankind. (pgs. 325-337)”
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck is considered a classic novel by many in the literary field. The trials and tribulations of the Joad family and other migrants is told throughout this novel. In order to gain a perspective into the lives of "Oakies", Steinbeck uses themes and language of the troubling times of the Great Depression. Some of these aspects are critiqued because of their vulgarity and adult nature. In some places, The Grapes of Wrath has been edited or banned. These challenges undermine Steinbeck's attempts to add reality to the novel and are unjustified.
McCarthy established his work to demonstrate the facts of immorality, fear, and the end of American standards in the aftermath of a terrible truth. In the novel, the shortage of resources has driven many survivors to murder, robbery, and even cannibalism. The principle of the narrative is the result of the shocking event that life is considered to nothing more than survival. Therefore, people in the region became very frustrated and are so agreeable under certain situation to hand over the most important concept in their life, which is their humanity and lose everything in order to survive. But, in every time and in every place in the world, we can find individuals who can continue to live stronger and are able to hold onto their morals in life. The father and the boy fight to keep what humanity they have left to be the good guys after they have realized that keeping humanity while surviving is important in someone’s life, While it is easier to turn to evil and become a bad
The clash between good and evil has been a prominent theme in literature. The Bible presents the conflict between good and evil in the story of Adam and Eve. Many authors use the scene in the Bible in which the snake taunts and tempts Adam and Eve to take a bite of the apple of knowledge to demonstrate the frailty of humankind. John Gardner provides these same biblical allusions of good and evil in his novel, Grendel.
Timothy Findley was a famous Canadian novelist who wrote for various television series and stage performances. Before his death on June 21, 2002, Findley completed one of his most renowned short stories called “War”. Findley wrote this story revolving around the life of a young boy named Neil. Neil is dreading to accept that his father is joining the army and going off to fight in the war. Throughout the story, Findley demonstrated numerous characteristics that uncovered Neil’s inner conflicts. Firstly, Neil’s character starts off being shown as fragile. Secondly, Neil exposes his stubborn characteristics, which are triggered by his inner feelings of neglect. Finally, aggression is another one of Neil’s characteristics Timothy Findley emphasizes
The idea of good versus evil is illustrated in several ways in John Steinbeck's East of Eden. This is seen through the external conflicts in the novel, the internal conflicts of the characters, and a universal understanding of the battle between good and evil.
Many have written entire novels on the topic of good versus evil. Philosophers have spent their entire lives researching and debating and providing theories to somehow find an answer that will never be clear. What makes a person evil or good? In her short stories, “A Good Man is hard to find” and “Good Country People,” Flannery O’Connor explores the theme of good versus evil and differentiating between them and what that conveys about the complexity of human nature.
Then novel War and Peace was written by a famous Russian author Leo Tolstoy in 1865. The novel describes the war with Napoleon in which many countries were involved such as Russia, Austrian, Prussia, Spain, Sweden, and Britain. The novel mainly focuses on Russia. It reflects the different views and participation in the war of Russian aristocracy and peasants and also shows Tolstoy’s negative viewpoint on the war.