In Guy De Maupassant’s Old Milon, the protagonist, Old Milon, is a clever and intelligent Old Man, who murders Prussian soldiers for revenge. Using his cleverness Old Milon develops an insidious plan to achieve revenge on the Prussian soldiers, who have killed his son and father, taken animals and food from him, and who are quartered on his farm. Old Milon knew that in order to not be suspected he must be an amicable host to the Prussians, and he accomplished this as the Prussians thought he was, “obliging and even attentive to [them]” (Maupassant p.2). Gaining their trust was what allowed Old Milon to be able to go off his land, which would be where he would kill after the first murder, and it was what kept the Prussians from thinking that he had been the murderer. Knowing he would need to go off his land to …show more content…
The soldier would not have known Old Milon was there and would not have had time to fight back or run. Also, after the first murder, “[Old Milon] took all his clothes… and hid them away in the little wood behind [his] yard” (Maupassant p.3). These cloths would later allow Old Milon to guise himself as a German Soldier. This guise would cause the Uhlans to trust him, which gave him the advantage and made it easy for him to approach and kill them without them fighting back. Finally, while hiding in a bush, Old Milon, “put his ear to the ground in order to make sure that only one horseman was approaching” (Maupassant p.3). This was clever because more than one horseman would have been able to defeat him, so by checking to make sure there was only one it made his chances of success higher. This also shows that Old Milon is smart because he knew that by listening to the sounds of the horses through the ground he could tell how many horsemen were approaching. Due to his clever thinking, Old Milon was able to create his insidious plan that shows that even knowledge can be used for
Quests do not need to be started by the most likely people, as long as they put all that they have into it they can still succeed. In the book Into The Beautiful North, Nayeli is inspired by the movie “The Magnificent Seven” to bring back men from the United States to liberate Tres Camarones. She wants to bring back the men and her father who had left for jobs, to defend their village from the banditos. There are many circumstance in which Nayeli has to face before she can even get to “Los Yunaites”. She will need assistance from what is most unlikely source. She will face trials that she was never prepared for. Before all of this she has to be called to save her village from outsiders. Nayeli’s perseverance after many trials and her desire
In “The Red Convertible” by Louise Erdrich the two main characters Lyman and Henry are brothers that have an amazing relationship with one another. In the beginning of the story Erdrich writes about how Lyman and Henry bought a gorgeous red convertible; and together they went on plenty of road trips and bonded over the car. On the other hand, the two siblings in Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use” don’t have that same sibling bond. The siblings in “Everyday Use”, Maggie and Dee, are complete opposites. Dee is extremely vain, snobbish, and outspoken while Maggie is coy, insecure, and timid. Although Maggie and Dee aren’t as close as Lyman and Henry, they still have a very complex relationship in terms of being “close” to one another even though it seems as if they’re from two different planets. In the stories “Everyday Use” and “The Red Convertible”, the characters share one particular trait which is
"I think you're rotten," says Yvette at the end of The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, "I wish you were dead" (Richler 318). This sentiment is echoed throughout a substantial amount of the criticism of Mordecai Richler's tale. At best, we question whether Duddy has learned anything during his apprenticeship; at worst, we accuse him of taking a tremendous step backwards, of becoming an utterly contemptible human being. When Duddy steals money from his friend and admirer, Virgil, to pay for the final parcel of land around Lac St. Pierre, it may seem that he has sunk to a low from which he may never recover; but careful consideration of the events leading up to the theft, the turn of events after it, and finally, Duddy's emotional reaction to both Yvette's anger and Simcha's disappointment indicates that Duddy is not the monster that he is frequently made out to be.
In The Return of Martin Guerre, one man's impersonation of an heir from an influential peasant family in the French village of Artigat ultimately leads to his public execution. The tale of Arnaud du Tilh alias Pansette (meaning "the belly") is full of ironies, not the least of which is his death at the hands of a man who by some accounts harbored some admiration for the quick-witted peasant. Set in a time and place where a hardly discernible line separated proper behavior from that which was grounds for death, du Tilh was guilty of more than one serious charge. Yet he was well-known as a strong farmer, loving husband, shrewd rural-merchant, and eloquent speaker. Arnaud's actions are not the result of his own audacity, rather of something more universal, so universal its results can be seen in other historical figures from the text. Du Tilh assumed Martin Guerre's identity because doing so represented a unique opportunity to test the extent of his abilities and leave behind his presently troubled life.
The notion of Bertrande de Rols in The Wife of Martin Guerre as having good intentions suggests not only that she was mindful of her own feelings in her pursuit of the truth, but also of the feelings of others. However, Bertrande’s intentions were to cleanse her soul and absolve herself from sin by indicting the impostor, Arnaud du Tilh. Yet, she undertakes this task considering the despair it would inflict upon the mesnie. These actions also are detrimental to Bertrande in causing her perhaps the most anguish and grief of all. Bertrande intends to uphold the status quo, yet she has due knowledge that pathway to the greater good will be harmful to her and the Mesnie.
Instead of providing punishment, the king shows mercy for Orgon’s crime in the Gentleman’s soliloquy. The Gentleman tells of how “the King now [chooses] to invalidate the deed of gift that cost you your estate, and finally he pardons your offense in shielding even a friend at his expense” (1935). These were actions that Orgon did incorrectly and therefore “the courage that [Orgon] once displayed against [the King’s] enemies” has now led to the mercy that the king gifts him (1939). The Gentleman finished this praise of Orgon by the king with a characteristic of him that is also meant for flattery. He reminds Orgon that the king “remembers help better than harm” (1944).
“He’s here in double trust: // …… his kinsman and his subject, // …… then as his host, // who should against his murder shut the door, // Not bear the knife myself.
Kurt Vonnegut wrote a short fictional story called Harris Bergeron. He was an American writer that was known for his science fiction stories and has since passed. Kurt Vonnegut had a terrible life that included the suicide of his mother, losing his sister to cancer and was a survivor of the Dresden bombing.
The Odyssey portrays Odysseus as a man that showed many bold traits. Written by Homer in 800 B.C.E. Set in greek mythological times The Odyssey showcases a series of islands and kingdoms. The Odyssey visualized in Greek mythology shows many heroes, Gods, and enemies. Odysseus’ many eccentric traits had a great contribution to his journey in The Odyssey. Cleverness, pride, and strength shapes Odysseus and is in place as the backbone of the story.
The cast of animals that Wilbur meets in the farm serves as a collective word of advice of sorts. Although the advice that they offer isn’t always correct, such as when the goose suggests that Wilbur run wild and wreak havoc (page 17), they appear to be well-meaning and benign all things considered. They are also very fond of gossip, which is demonstrated by the rapid spread of the news of Wilbur’s escape (page 19). However, while most of them are kind-hearted, there is a singular nasty exception. This exception is a rat named Templeton, who is as self-serving and inconsiderate as they come. He blatantly expresses this by straightforwardly and rudely telling Wilbur that he will eat the latter’s food because he “hasn’t got sense enough” to eat
This concept is also present in the Count of Monte Cristo. After Danglars deceives the leaders of France and frames Edmond Dantes, Dantes is put into prison for fourteen years.... ... middle of paper ... ...
As humans, we all embody different qualities and characteristics that make us unique. I might find someone with completely opposite traits than me, and the contrasts between us may become apparent. In East of Eden, John Steinbeck introduces many such contrasts, most notably good versus evil and fate versus free will. He creates characters to represent these contrasts, some at the extreme ends of the spectrum, and some in the areas in between. The most significant of these characters are Cal and Aron Trask. Throughout the second part of the novel, the brothers visibly clash. We are not really introduced to them until Chapter 24, but their differences are greatly stressed from that point on. Steinbeck uses these characters to show the contrast
Within The Stranger, Albert Camus includes a passage concerning the story of the Czechoslovakian man. Camus employs this passage not only to foreshadow Meursault’s final fate, but also to emphasize Meursault’s antihero status by creating foils between Meursault and the Czechoslovakian man. The Czechoslovakian man has a brief appearance in the story which plays a large part in Meursault’s emergence as a dynamic character. Meursault’s emotionless demeanor throughout the story distinguishes him as a flat character, at face value, at least. Once he enters prison, he must find ways to pass time, and one of those ways becomes recalling how to remember. The story of the Czechoslovakian man turns into one of his means of remembering, as he reads and rereads this story, memorizing details and forming actual opinions. These shifts within Meursault represent his first real commitment to any single entity, even if that entity exists only to pass time.
In fact, he began as a rather forthright mess officer who was actually committed to taking care of his men. However, as his profit-chasing motive begins to run rife, he takes extreme measures to satisfy his greed, seen when he strikes a deal with the enemy (The Germans) to bombard his own men, for the sole purpose of recovering money from a cotton investment. He sees the enemy as business partners that he has to honor, rather than as war enemies he should be against, as he directly states, “And the Germans are not our enemies.... sure, we’re at war with them. But the Germans are also members in good standing of the syndicate, and it’s my job to protect their rights as shareholders… don’t you understand that I have to respect the sanctity of my contract with Germany?” (256). Furthermore, it should be noted that although the men were bombed, they still accepted the payment, suggesting that it is everyone has some degree of greed within them, although the men certainly do not possess the same level of greed as Milo. As seen, the very nature of greed seems to eventually take over, as Milo begins to lose self-awareness, and even expects others to comply with his view. In his eyes, a business contract is the highest order he needs to respect, especially when it benefits
Dorothy Johnson in “A Man Called Horse” writes about a young man who was born and raised in Boston. He lives in a gracious home under his grandmothers and grandfather’s loving care. For some reason, he is discontent. He leaves home to try to find out the reason for his discontent. Upon leaving he undergoes a change in status and opinion of himself and others. He begins a wealthy young man arrogant and spoiled, becomes a captive of Crow Indians- docile and humble, and emerges a man equal to all.