Supernatural in American Fiction The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown. Therefore, it makes sense that if mortals cannot bear the darkness, they [should not] not go there. If man dislikes black night and yawning chasms, then should he not even consider them? Shouldn't man seek out the sunshine, instead? The remedy is very simple: Avoid the darkness and seek the light. But, no. Mankind would never submit to this. He will immediately turn to the darkness. Drawn by his own cords of fear and longing, man will imagine that he is tired of the light and his small, familiar world.3 "No amount of rationalization... or Freudian analysis" can overcome "the thrill of the chimney-corner whisper or the lonely wood."4 Why? Children will always be afraid of the dark and men will always shudder at what they do not understand, yet everyone will continue to seek it. Perhaps it is because society, particularly American society because of its history, believes the final horrors are ghosts and demons, when truly it is the hidden aspects of its own soul.6 As reflected by its literature, American society has always held a deep fascination with the supernatural. Evidence of this is seen throughout American history, from the Puritan era onward. In modern society, one would think that there isn't any place for fantasy and superstitions, but the United States is full of people who are convinced that psychics can predict their future, they have ghosts living in their houses, aliens visit the Earth in flying saucers, and even that they can talk to the dead.7 People believe in the supernatural because they want to believe, because it makes them h... ... middle of paper ... ...omany, 1962. Miller, Arthur, The Crucible, New York: Penguin Books USA, Inc, 1976 Reino, Joseph, Stephen King: The First Decade, Carrie to Pet Sematary, Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1988. Rice, Anne, Interview with the Vampire, New York: Bllantine Books, 1997. Rice, Anne, The Queen of the Damned, New York: Ballantine Books, 1988. Roberts, Bette B., Anne Rice, New York: Twayne Publishers, 1994. Steinbeck, John , The Grapes of Wrath, New York: Penguin Books USA Inc., 1992. Stossel, John, "The Power of Belief," 17 Dec 2000, On-line. Internet. Available: abcnews.go.com/onair/ABCNEWSSpecials/stossel1990603_belief_trans.html. Thurber, James, "The Night the Ghost Got In," Babusci, Roger, ed. The American Experience, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, 1989. Twain, Mark, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Topeka, Kansas: Tom Doherty Association, Inc, 1985.
I think the main idea the narrators is trying to emphasize is the theme of opposition between the chaotic world and the human need for community with a series of opposing images, especially darkness and light. The narrator repeatedly associates light with the desire to clear or give form to the needs and passions, which arise out of inner darkness. He also opposes light as an idea of order to darkness in the world, the chaos that adults endure, but of which they normally cannot speak to children.
To live with fear and not be overcome by it is the final test of
Sagan said “more than a third of American adults believe that on some level they’ve made contact with the dead” (151). This figure is not hard to believe when one thinks about our need to believe in something greater than ourselves. People believe in superstitions and horoscopes because they want to believe in that something that is greater than themselves is
It can be argued that the theme of light VS darkness is used to good
...ould become unnecessary and meaningless "if only the darkness", like nothingness, "could be perfect and permanent" (116). Nothingness does preclude individual identity of any sort, however. Surrendering completely to nothingness would negate any possibility of authentic intimate human relations: the one source of meaning and happiness to Sylvie.
Fear motivates many people to act upon matters, right or wrong. This emotion has been important in many events in both works of literature, and in the real world. It has forced military geniuses into retreat, and influenced them to plan another method of attack. Fear can be both a positive and a negative acting force in one’s life, a quality that can motivate one to success as well as to downfall.
No matter which philosophy on exorcism is most believable, it remains to have difficult concepts that are hard to trust. Belief is dependent upon one’s beliefs, customs, and expectations of society. Fear of the unknown may be the reason that drives this real belief. But, it also could be a reality or just a way to rationalize an uncontrollable behavior. “Civilized people lose their religion easily, but rarely their superstition about evil,” said Karl Goldmark (Wolpe). Religion gives society a way to accept and to believe “out of this world” behaviors through demons and encourages people to be afraid of devil-like creatures.
"Darkness" implies that as the universe gets colder, humanity, in an effort to stay alive, burns the earth for warmth.
aranormal activity has been a cause of fear and excitement throughout history. The unknown attracts the curiosity from those who wonder whether the supernatural is real or a figment of the imagination. Ghosts are one of the supernatural beings whose existence is questioned every day. Many want to deny the existence of ghosts because they are terrified of other phantoms who may exist and ignore the evidence that has been brought forth throughout the years. However, ghosts are supernatural pheromones whose existence still impacts today’s society.
...ssified ghost into two categories blessed, and damned spirits. Those who come from paradise appear for a good purpose and those from hell for an awful and demonic purpose. While a few apparitions could be heavenly angels in a form of a ghost, Protestants felt that spirits were mainly evil because they take the form of dead friends and relatives to abuse and harm people.
..., because this tale is "the only light we've got in all this darkness" (438).
their world, their universe revolves around it. Santeria is a religion in which many people do not
One of H.P. Lovecraft’s many short stories, “The Outsider” has been praised since its publication as his most profound and meaningful. This story has been interpreted many different ways, varying from an autobiography of Lovecraft himself to several different philosophical analyses. One such interpretation, by Dirk Mosig compares the plot and settings of “The Outsider” to Lovecraft’s own doubtful views of religion and an afterlife. Mosig supports his interpretation with many facts from the story, I believe he pinpoints one very possible meaning of the story. His argument successfully uses the plot and details to convince the reader that his hypothesis is correct.
People in everyday life are trapped by their incomplete and flawed understanding of reality. They are able to free themselves from that, but many prefer to remain in the dark.
This essay explores the research question “In what ways does the use of supernatural elements in literature serve to reflect the nature of humanity?” and focuses on fairy tales, Hamlet, and Macbeth. It begins by outlining and examining the role of supernatural elements in promoting struggles between both the characters and groups within the plot. It then proceeds to showcase how using these elements to create struggles within the plot helps the author to outline the societal struggles of his or her time period within the work of literature. This essay then goes on to consider how and why the use of supernatural elements plays a role in a literary work’s adaptability over time and region. From there, this essay explores how important supernatural elements are in making the stories that they are a part of more intricate and interesting. The role of supernatural elements in aiding character development and the role of certain characters within the plot is examined afterwards.