Good versus Evil
Ever since the start of time, from stories being told by mothers to their children all the way through modern films, good versus evil has been a very common theme. Disney classic movies such as Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, Hercules, and many others would always have a plot centered on this idea, along with love, for little kids. The kids that watched the movies since they were little would always be glad to watch it again when they are older because it is a very simple theme that outstands the test of time unlike any other movie that’s a trend now such as the annoying, overrated, Twilight series. At least for me I still love the Disney Classics and probably always will. In The Scarlet Letter there are many interpretations of good versus evil and how they are viewed as either good or evil.
The scarlet letter is the first sign of good versus evil in the book. “At the very least, they should have put the brand of a hot iron on Hester Prynne’s forehead” (pg. 59) The market is filled with people and a group of women are talking about how Hester has such a beautiful punishment. They view the letter as a sin and that it should be ugly on her for such an ugly crime she committed. Whereas Hester knows she has committed a sin but being punished for it now on Earth she knows she will go up into heaven. At the start of the book the “A” stood for adultery and progressively starts becoming accept by the society. “ Such helpfulness was found in her-so much power to do and power to sympathize-that many people reused to interpret the scarlet ‘A’ by its original signification. They said that it meant ‘Able’” (pg. 156) The villagers started seeing the “A” for able was because Hester did not shut herself down after she was releas...
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.... Winthrop’s entry into heaven.
Good versus evil is present throughout this book, it can be found in many other novels and movies, sometimes hidden in the storyline or out in the open as the main plot. The reason why the theme of good versus evil is a very classic and original one is because it is a fact that is drawn from life outlasting the test of time. There is always going to be good versus evil in life. Depending on how a person looks at the situation, it could seem as good or evil just like the perspective of the characters in the novel. It is human nature to look at a situation and see what they want to see, there will always be two sides to a story. In The Scarlet Letter there are many interpretations of good versus evil and how they are viewed as either good or evil, that’s why The Scarlet Letter is still discussed after many years of being published.
Macbeth is a play, written by Shakespeare, about a soldier who is overtaken by ambition. The soldier, Macbeth, starts out as a loyal soldier who fights for Scotland. As the play progresses, Macbeth becomes more and more evil, killing whoever is a threat to him. Evil overtakes good for Macbeth.
"The line between good and evil is permeable and almost anyone can be induced to cross it when pressured by situational forces"~Philip Zimbardo. It is hard to not cross the line between good and evil because if someone is getting you mad, you might want to harm them in some way. But you have keep your cool and let it go. Being good or evil is your own choice. Even if you are good, you always have an evil side. This quote fits perfectly because it talks about how evil is really only in people under certain situations. People are essentially good, but under certain circumstances, turn evil.
The scarlet letter is more than just an “A” that Hester Prynne wears as punishment. The “A” on Hester’s clothing is a symbol for adultery, but under the hand stitched “A” it is much more. The “A” tells a story of how one mistake can make a big impact on life. Throughout the book there have been many scenarios that the “A” has affected different characters, in a positive and negative way. This little letter has many meanings to many people, some people that did not know it would even affect them. The simple letter is much more powerful than what anybody thought.
The scarlet letter A marks sin and inflicts punishment for it. It primarily represents open sin and it consequences, such as public shame, as it is worn upon Hester’s breast to punish her for adultery. The ignominy of the letter devastates Hester. “If she survive, the tenderness will either be crushed out of her, or . . . crushed so deeply into her heart that it can never show itself more” (Chapter 13 p. 148). She is tormented by the anguish of her humiliation. Through this she loses much of her tenderness and passion and reverts to be being cold and numb. The pain of her sin numbs her to her own pain. ...
As a kid I always loved going to the movies and seeing Spiderman, Batman, or Superman kicking the bad guys’ butts’ on the big screen. It seems movies these days always have the same overarching theme though good vs. evil. Even those super girly princess movies have aspects of good and evil. Take The Little Mermaid, for example, there is the protagonist, Ariel, and the antagonist, Ursula, and just like in all of the other movies, the good guy always wins. Although, the theme of good vs. evil is not only found in movies; it can also be found in history, literature, and day-to-day lives. Though the battle between good and evil manifests itself in many types of literary work, good always triumphs evil.
Six Works Cited In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, the meaning of the letter "A" changes throughout the novel. This change is significant as it indicates the personal growth of the characters as well as the enlightenment of the townspeople. When the novel begins, the letter "A" is a symbol of sin. As the story progresses the “A” slowly transforms to a symbol of Hester’s strength and ability. By the end of the novel, the letter “A” has undergone a complete metamorphisis and represents the respect that Hester has for herself.
In the Lion the Witch and Wardrobe, good vs. evil is teaching children the right from wrong in this book. Lewis uses the archetypes hero and villain very good throughout his novel to also portray right from wrong. His use of archetype the hero reminds readers that Aslan is the hero in his novel. He shows this by the many ways Aslan rescues and saves his people all throughout the novel. His use of archetype villain shows the readers that the White Witch is the villain in his
How are the themes of good and evil explored in Chapters 16 and 17 of
The scarlet "A" is the most important symbol in the Scarlet Letter. The letter "A" does not have a "universally symbolic relationship" with adultery. The letter "A" was the first letter of adultery and the Puritans put the negative connotation on the letter. The community interprets the cosmic "A" as Angel, signifying the passing of Governor Winthrop. The letter on Hester's bosom represented the sin of adultery, yet as that it meant different things to Hester, Dimsdale, Pearl, Chillingworth and the Puritan community. To Hester it represented "alienation and unjust humiliation" .
Everyone believes something different. Many people believe society has a large impact on today’s world. Many people believe you should read a book by its cover and not allow any underclassmen into your life due to their class in the world. While today many people are not punished for what they have done, in the olden day in age, everyone of everyone was punished for every crime that wasn’t allowed. Society has changed so much through the years, it has helped and also harmed our small and very large communities greatly. The Scarlet Letter, The Crucible, and Of Mice and Men are great ways to show how society has affected today’s day in age.
Nathaniel Hawthorne's bold novel, The Scarlet Letter, effectively employs three major symbols: light, dark, and the scarlet letter. The novel relies heavily on light and dark symbolism to represent the eternal struggle of good versus evil.
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.
It was not until last year that I realized the answer to the little girl's question about the existence of evil. In English class last year I read Arthur Miller's play The Crucible as required reading. According to my English teacher, one theme of The Crucible was that having evil in the world is necessary to balance out the goodness. If either entity overpowered the other, they would throw off the entire balance.
"All conflict in literature is, in its simplest form, a struggle between good and evil." This means that all conflict in any work is basically just a fight between the forces of good and evil. The Crucible by Arthur Miller and The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne show that this statement is true.
The word evil is find on the dictionary as wicked, sinful, bad, likely to cause trouble. On the other hand, good has a meaning of beneficial, honest, noble and pure. In society, evil and good mean different things to each person, what is holy for one person is damaging for another. Historical fact that establishes that humanity’s evilness is part of their nature as human being, people born with abomination. Experiments as the Milgram and the Stanford prison experiments show the wickedness of the society. Indeed the Lord of the Flies by William Golding brings to light the theme of evilness versus good. What makes this novel attractive is a group of boy, trying to survive on an island making effort to live with civilization to avoid the war in the group. As the time approaches the behavior and the real personality of each one of theme reveals itself. As in each one of the experiment there is a chief, in the novel, Jack is a leader that takes advantage of his authority to have control over the other boys. Above all, for some people in society evilness is learn from the people. In contrast, evidence attests that evilness triumphs over good.