Sin and Redemption
Throughout literature, the theme of sin and redemption has been extremely important. This theme is shown in many classic stories such as The Minister’s Black Veil, The Crucible, Sinners in the hands of an angry God, and in the biblical tale of King David. The puritans believed in predestination and as a result, were always looking for signs that God had chosen them. If they sinned, it could be interpreted that they would go to hell, meaning redemption would be impossible. However, the idea of a forgiving god is widely accepted in today’s Christian religions. The theme of Sin and Redemption can only be developed once a character commits a seemingly unforgivable sin which they then try to right.
To begin, The Minister’s Black Veil is a good example of the theme of sin and redemption. The story focuses greatly on the subject of the secret sins of others and implies that everyone is hiding sins and soon their judgment day will come when the chance for redemption will be too late. This is shown when the minister says, “the hour will come, when all of us shall cast aside our veils”, (pg.343 Hawthorn, Nathaniel). The black veil had a huge impact on the townspeople, causing them to be afraid for what it truly stood for, and what they did not want to admit. The tale ends with the minister dying and the black veil never being removed from his face.
Another good example is The Crucible. The story was inhabited by an extremely strict puritan colony which of course meant the idea of redemption nearly impossible unless the officials of the church saw an opportunity to allow a church member the chance for redemption. The theme is clearly shown in the relationships between John and Abigail and John and Elizabeth. Joh...
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...viduals, such as John Proctor and King David, who committed seemingly unforgivable sins but in the end, found a path to or were offered some form of redemption.
Works Cited
Edwards, Jonathan. "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God." al., Kate Kinsella et. Prentice Hall American Literature. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc., 2002. 108-112. print.
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. "The Minister's Black Veil." al., Kate Kinsella et. Prentice Hall American Literature. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc., 2002. 336-348. print.
Miller, Arthur. "The Crucible." al., Kate Kinsella et. Prentice Hall American Literature. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc., 2002. 1233-1344. print.
“1 Samuel” New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures. Brooklyn, New York: Watchtower Bible and Tract society of New York, Inc., 2013. print.
On July 8th 1741, Jonathan Edwards preached the sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” in Enfield, Connecticut. Edwards states to his listeners that God does not lack in power, and that people have yet not fallen to destruction because his mercy. God is so forgiving that he gives his people an opportunity to repent and change their ways before it was too late. Edwards urges that the possibility of damnation is immanent. Also that it urgently requires the considerations of the sinner before time runs out. He does not only preach about the ways that make God so omnipotent, but the ways that he is more superior to us. In his sermon, Edwards uses strong, powerful, and influential words to clearly point out his message that we must amend our ways or else destruction invincible. Edwards appeals to the spectators though the various usages of rhetorical devices. This includes diction, imagery, language/tone and syntax. Through the use of these rhetoric devices, Edwards‘s purpose is to remind the speculators that life is given by God and so they must live according to him. This include...
Men and women walk around in the same neutral colored clothing, hand in hand with the lord and their Puritan values. However, these seemingly ordinary Puritans are all similar in one form— sin. In archaic theme-based literature, similarities can be distinguished between two stories and their attributes. Within the works of The Scarlet Letter and The Crucible, a plethora of correlative elements can be identified by the reader.
... at great cost to himself. Giles Corey is the first person to outright defy the General Court, but this is only possible because John Proctor stood his ground first giving other the courage to stand for what they know to be morally correct. This in turn seems to be a common catalyst wherever there is inexcusable persecution.
Miller, Arthur. The Crucible. Elements of Literature: Fifth Course. Eds. Kylene Beers and Lee Odell. Orlando: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 2007.
Jonathan Edwards is able to use powerful scare tactics to convince his congregation to undergo an emotional conversion. Edwards is a Christian preacher and theologian who stimulated the “Great Awakening.” Edwards is known for using powerful language; he creates images of absolute horror and images of delight. Edwards uses specific wording that lingers in his listeners mind. In Jonathan Edwards’s sermon, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, Edwards’s use of negative imagery, negative diction, and positive imagery and diction is able to convince the congregation to undergo an emotional conversion.
Miller, Arthur. The Crucible. Prentice Hall Literature: Timeless Voices, Timeless Themes. Kate Kinsella, et. Al, New Jersey: Pearson Education, 2002. 1233-1334. Print.
1. Bowers, Kristen. The Crucible by Arthur Miller: Literature Guide. San Dimas, CA: Secondary Solutions, 2006. Print.
In the 16th century English morality play “Everyman” who’s author is unknown. Everyman has an encounter with death who reminds him who his maker is and that it is time to make a reckoning of his good and bad deeds. He realizes that salvation lies in his hands, and that it is a personal decision that only he can make. One senses the desperation in the heart of Everyman, having realized that his life was blackened with sin; he strives to change the black he has accumulated in the “book of counts” and change it to a book of white. Everyman feels like he must make atonement for his sin, in order to escape death, for salvation is in the hands of the sinner.
"The Minister's Black Veil" is an allegorical narrative in which the agents of setting, symbols, characters, and actions come in a coherent way to represent non-literal and metaphorical meanings about the human character. The black veil is without doubt the most important symbol used in the story. It comes to represent the darkness and duality of human nature, adding thereby a certain undeniable psychoanalytical angle to the short story. The black veil represents the sin that all men carry secretively within their heart as M...
Authors often have underlying reasons for giving their stories certain themes or settings. Arthur Miller’s masterpiece, The Crucible, is a work of art inspired by actual events as a response to political and moral issues. Set in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692, The Crucible proves to have its roots in events of the 1950’s and 1960’s, such as the activities of the House Un-American Committee and the “Red Scare.” Though the play provides an accurate account of the Salem witch trials, its real achievement lies in the many important issues of Miller’s time that it dealswith.
“Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” by Jonathan Edwards uses imagery and symbolism to persuade the audience to become more devout Christians by channeling fear and emphasizing religious values. Jonathan Edwards was a Puritan minister who preached during the time of the Great Awakening in America. During this period of religious revival, Edwards wanted people to return to the devout ways of the early Puritans in America. The spirit of the revival led Edwards to believe that sinners would enter hell. Edwards’ sermon was primarily addressed to sinners for the purpose of alerting them about their sins and inspiring them to take action to become more devoted to God. Mentioned throughout
The first to commit a sin is John Proctor, the husband of Elizabeth Proctor. John is a good man until Abigail Williams comes into his life. John lives in a house feeling empty and thinking his wife does not love him. Lust is a very powerful feeling, and it tempts John right into bed with Abigail. Unfortunately once he commits adultery, Elizabeth does not forgive him. She finds ways to punish John and make him feel more remorseful. For example, Reverend Hale asks John to recite the commandments, and he forgets one, Elizabeth then says sarcastically, “Adultery, John.” Elizabeth responds in such a manner that John feels overwhelming pain in his heart.
Jonathan Edwards used three key emotions to appeal to his audience: fear, pity, and guilt. He created fear by showing sinners their future if they were to continue to sin. Puritans were avid believers in the afterlife, and when Edwards explains a dreadful “long forever, a boundless duration before you, which will swallow up your thoughts and amaze your soul; and you will absolutely despair of ever having any deliverance, any end, any mitigation, any rest at all…” this exploits the Puritans worst fears of a bleak afterlife. (Edwards 105). He also gave the “bandwagon effect” to Puritans, individu...
The first, the importance of personal integrity, is brought to light through John Proctor, who finds himself facing personal conflict when making the decision of whether to lie and 'confess' to the court, saving his own life, or to tell the truth and be condemned by it. Upon first deciding to confess and live, Proctor acknowledges he has given his soul to the devil, but refuses to also tarnish his name by allowing his confession to be stuck to the door of the church.
In the short story, “The Minister’s Black Veil,” Nathaniel Hawthorne tells the Mr. Hooper’s black veil and the words that can describe between him and the veil. Hawthorne demonstrates how a black veil can describe as many words. Through the story, Hawthorne introduces the reader to Mr. Hooper, a parson in Milford meeting-house and a gentlemanly person, who wears a black veil. Therefore, Mr. Hooper rejects from his finance and his people, because they ask him to move the veil, but he does not want to do it. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Minister’s Black Veil”, Mr. Hooper’s black veil symbolizes sins, darkness, and secrecy in order to determine sins that he cannot tell to anyone, darkness around his face and neighbors, and secrecy about the black veil.