The Inevitable Void
In Albert Wendt's novel "Leaves of the Banyan Tree," the author traces the lives of three generations of Tauilopepe men. Each man is faced with a changing society consuming his every move. The novel's setting is located in Western Somoa during a time of mass conflict in replacing the old traditions with new ones brought on when paplagi European views came into their lives. The challenges of colonialism on this society cause each of these men to react to this traumatic culture change differently. Tauilopepe, Pepe, and Galupo each have the illusion of power within them based on their own unique moral standards. Each man's behaviors, attitudes towards power, and ambitions for the future show how they are all obsessed with competition and a strong desire to gain as much power as they can.
Early in the novel, Tauilopepe is the head of an aiga and an important chief whose prestige and power shows through his behavior. He takes great pride in providing the basic elements of living for his family. Though, soon after, materialistic greed consumes Tauilopepe causing a perversion in his family system. His behavior is now geared toward setting his own laws on how his family shall live. His actions have become motivated on papalagi standards, and are not of the traditional Somoan ways anymore. Even the church has become a place where money equals power. Tauilopepe's corrupt behavior now shows when he is given the opportunity to preach in church. Instead of teaching on God's love for this community, he uses his newfound power to preach on `God, Money, and Success.' Tauilopepe's sermon has direct consequences on this village. The village spends all of its resources in building a new church so that Tauilopepe can be ...
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...ve the illusion of power based on their unique moral standards throughout the novel, but in the end the darkness holds all the power. Each man's behaviors, attitudes towards power, and their ambitions for the future allow them to be obsessed with competition along with their strong desires to gain as much power as possible. The novels concludes on an invitation for the reader to identify which character was worthy enough for our affections based on their moral standards. Tauilopepe is considered a villain until he loses his illusion of power, but gains self-confidence that brings him closer to mankind. Pepe is considered a rebel until he loses his power of persuasion, but gains peace of mind. Now with Galupo, we are left in the dark for so long that he is a very mysterious man. In turn, he gains the illusion of power but loses the environment that engulfs his soul.
In the novel The Power of One, the main character, Peekay, is a very complex character who through a perilous and difficult journey is able to achieve the power of one a concept that means through personal struggle a single person is able to change the world for the better. The novel is a summary of Peekay’s life through his early childhood to young adulthood and throughout these years Peekay developes a many traits and qualities that contribute to his gaining of the power of one and through the continuous development of these traits Peekay, in turn, achieves the power of one and becomes the best version of himself. While a number of things contribute to the achievement of the power of one, three traits that Peekay obviously demonstrates are
Civilization struggling for power against savagery was shown throughout Lord of the Flies. These opposite mindsets are shown battling while determining who had the right to speak during assemblies, when the group hunted pigs, throughout the struggle over Piggy’s glasses, and finally with Simon’s death. These polar opposites are shown throughout these examples and reveal the desperation of clinging to civilization while savagery took over the actions of the some of the boys in Lord of the Flies.
Cheng, Ah. The King of Trees. Trans. Bonnie S. McDougall. New York: New Directions, 2010. Print.
story as the corruption of evil takes a prominent role in the story of the two children. The
the evil in the characters comes out. Throughout all three of the stories, the reader realizes that
Character in novels come in many shapes and sizes. A character can either be round or flat, and they can also be static or dynamic. Authors use the characters actions, conflicts, and dialogue to portray different themes that they are trying to get across. A common theme portrayed through the use characters is power. Power in novels can be shown in many ways. George Orwell’s Animal Farm and Ayn Rand’s Anthem are two excellent representations of what power can be and how it affects the characters. By the characters, the theme of power is portrayed in Animal Farm and Anthem through the use of character development, use of lack of free will, and the use symbolism.
If these characters were both purely evil, and had no guilt whatsoever, this would be simply a boring story of unhinged men. Adding both good and evil sides to an individual adds a little something extra to the story that distinguishes it from many other pieces of literature. Aside from adding to the storyline, these morally ambiguous characters give students a chance to practice their skill at analyzing characters and think for themselves, forming their own outlooks on the characters and the book as a whole.
At the outset, an insightful reader needs to draft the general boundaries of allegory and symbolism in the story. To put it most simple, the problem of distinguishing between good and evil undergoes a discussion. It is not difficult to notice that the Grandmother stands for good and the Misfit for evil. But such a division would be a sweeping and superficial generalisation, for both the characters epitomize good and evil traits. Moral evaluation is a very complex process and it is not the human who is to decide on that. There are rather various degrees of goodness and evil, both interwoven, also in their religiousness. Th...
Cheng, Ah. The King of Trees. Trans: Bonnie S. McDougall. New York,NY: New Directions, 2010. Print.
Individuals use both obvious and subtle powers to influence the world around them and communities they engage with. Shakespeare’s five act tragedy, Othello portrays traditional forms of power held by Venetian military men, who exercise their influence in the commanding of their subordinates. In the strict hierarchy of the Elizabethan court, parodied in Ben Elton and Richard Curtis’ satirical Blackadder II, subtle powers such as deception and charm are used by characters to assert their individual wishes and influence the behaviour of others. Depending on their status, an individual’s influence over others can stem from obvious or subtle power.
The characters in this novel entertain conflicting notions of morality and pride. Sometimes, these characteristics are at odds with one another, creating the immoral and "evil" characters. Other times, they cooperate to create realism in these people. The moral characters are good, but still have enough pride to be dignified, yet not arrogant. Sometimes, when the evil twins (or other halves) run amuck, things get out of hand and troubles abound. Though most of the time these troubles spring from the discrepancy between pride and morality, at other points, dignity and morality work hand in hand to create reliable and realistic characters.
My second-grade teacher was a second-rate poet. For one of our elementary school's semiannual pageants, our class was supposed to represent colored pencils. Definitely silly, but we were much better off than the kindergartners, who had to portray paste. All we had to do was wear different colored outfits and recite the little verses our teacher had written for us, one pertaining to each color. I was black. My stanza went something like this: "Black is the color of night,/And of the pupils in our eyes,/And our eyes are the windows to our souls." Not exactly earth-shattering poetry. I still remember it, though, because at the time it set me wondering. It was the last line, really. If souls have windows, knowing people is easy. Anyone can see into a window, if the light is right. I thought maybe, if I looked deep enough, I could see all the way to the bottom. I could know everything about someone just by looking. I could know everything.
Despite the men’s best efforts to sustain civilization, Kayerts’ and Carlier’s are doomed. The men are only “insignificant and incapable individuals, whose existence is only rendered possible through the high organization of civilized crowds” (Condrad 5). The steamer, their only real connection to civilization, casts off and leaves them in the wilderness of Africa. Without a connection to society, Kayerts and Carlier slowly fall from civilization.
To become powerful, is to become corrupt and The Tragedy of Macbeth is a prime example. In William Shakespeare's tragic tale, a young noblemen soon becomes corrupt when he is given the opportunity to become king. His need for power and safety drives him to corruption, ultimately killing off anyone who stands in his path: innocent or not. Throughout the play, many characters portray the impact power has on a relationship: Lady Macbeth and Macbeth, Banquo and Macbeth, Macduff and Macbeth and many more. While all these characters were affected by power in the play, Banquo and Macbeth's relationship best demonstrates the effect of power. By examining the effect that power can have on relationships in The Tragedy of Macbeth, it is clear that Banquo and Macbeth's relationship represent best what the impact of power on friendship can be like. This ultimately illustrates that the need for power can drive people to take extreme measures in capturing that power.
... fully understand the characters, as well as the major changes both physically and mentally which allow the characters to successfully complete their task to dominate over the forces of evil.