Goodmen gone bad

In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story “Young Goodman Brown” Hawthorne uses the protagonist, Goodman Brown to show his belief that all humans are inherently evil. Hawthorne has the protagonist go on a journey through the woods. This journey is not only a physical journey but also a journey of faith and self exploration. The events and people he encounters shows Hawthorne’s view of the world. When Hawthorne includes the religious leaders in Goodman Brown journey Hawthorne shows that he even believes that religion is not the cure for evil. Hawthorne is able to represent his belief while questioning the validity of the church and its usefulness. At the end of the story there is no true resolve. The reader never really finds out if these events did happen or not. However because of these events Goodmen Brown becomes bitter and distrusting. Hawthorne is able to show that even “Goodmen” are inherently evil and even one that is happy and has everything can be brought down to his primal self in which their is anger and hate.

Eveline

In James Joyce’s story “Eveline” Joyce uses the protagonist Eveline to show how peoples reliance and attachment to the past prohibits their progress forward. Eveline is a young lady in Dublin Ireland. She has a very hard life. She supports her abusive father and herself by juggling two jobs. She has recently fallen in love with a sailor named Frank. Frank wishes for her to leave her old hard life and start a new life with him in Buenos Aires. Eveline is full of emotions and when the time comes for her to make a decision on whether or not to go to Buenos Aires with Frank she freezes. This epiphany of hers prohibits her progression forward. She is conflicted. She does not know whether she can make the leap of faith needed to start a new life. Eveline wishes to stay because that is what she is used to. She is stuck between the fond memories of the past and the adventure of new experiences. Her attachment to the past prohibits her life from moving forward.

Katherine the Character

In Shakespeare's play The Taming of the Shrew Shakespeare uses Katherine and her character development to forward the play. In act one scene one Katherine states “But if it were, doubt not her care should be To comb your noddle with a three-legged stool And paint your face and use you like a fool” Act 1 sc. 1 The first picture of Katherine we receive is one full of hate and anger. She is upset with her place in society and hates the treatment she gets from the towns people. She constantly insults the men around her which has lead her to earn the label “The Shrew”. Her behavior is the result of an intelligent women stuck in a role that does not suit her intellect.

As the play progresses Shakespeare is able to paint a more complex picture of Katherine turning her into a dynamic and round character. After she doesn't resist marriage to Petruccio and suffers through the numerous injustices at the hands of him. She turns into a whole new character. During a banquet with numerous friends Katherine says “Fie,Fie! Unknit that threat’ning unkind brow And dart not scornful glances from those eyes To wound thy lord, thy king, thy governor.” Act 5 sc 2 Katherine as done a complete role reversal. Her obedience to Petruccio and her adoption of a kind but intelligent manner has allowed her to become the perfect wife. Katherine is able to push forward the play by providing conflict which allows us to see her slowly change. Shakespeare paints a Katherine that is still the same underneath but has adapted and found a role in society that pleases her. Instead of being ridiculed Katherine now is the most prized and best wife in all of Padua. Her ability to fit into society while retaining her intelligence shows that she is a round character that can adapt to new circumstances.

Morph

In Kafka’s short story, The Metamorphosis the negative relationship between Gregor and his family is evident when he changes into a bug and they fail to question his change. Gregor used to be the sole provider of the family. He would work long and hard to support his mother, father and younger sister. The distant relationship he has with his family, which long working hours create causes his family not to question his change but only to lament that he won’t be able to provide for them. Upon discovery, “Gregor’s father drove him back, hissing and crying “shoo!” like a savage” (104) Instead of inquiring how he could help Gregor. His father drove Gregor back into his room as if he was an animal or beast. The father condemned Gregor to live like an animal before ever trying to understand Gregor or his condition. When Gregor finally passed the family reaction was of relief and joy. ““Dead?”... “Well” said Mr. Samsa “thanks be to God.” He crossed himself, and the three women followed his example.”(136) Gregor was dehumanized to the point were it was a blessing to his family when he died. The fact that they care so little about Gregor shows their true character. Gregor’s family can be compared to leaches, they fed on Gregor when he was useful and discarded him when he wasn't. Since his family didn’t care about his well being they never thought to question why he turned into a bug.

Sympathy

In Franz Kafka’s story “The Metamorphosis” the reader is meant to sympathize with Gregor, the protagonist. In section three we can see the obvious neglect of Gregor, “His sister no longer took thought to bring him what might especially please him, but in the morning and at noon before she went to business hurriedly pushed into his room with her foot any food that was available, and in the evening cleared it out again wit one sweep of the broom, heedless of whether it had been merely tasted, or - as most frequently happened- left untouched."(125) Gregor used to be the provider for the whole family. Like leaches they took advantage of Gregor and his hard work so they could live a lazy life style. Now that Gregor is unable to provide for them they feel no connection to him anymore. They neglect and abuse him when he needs love and support the most. This quote shows how Gregor is trying to get attention but his actions are misinterpreted and he fails to be noticed by the non-caring household. His sister thinks of him as being a chore and doesn't give him any attention. Instead of being a person Gregor has been dehumanized to pest or merely an unwanted chore. Gregor is being treated as a prisoner in his own house by his own family. It is easy to sympathize with Gregor. He is miss treated, miss understood, and dehumanized.

Kafka

"His sister no longer took thought to bring him what might especially please him, but in the morning and at noon before she went to business hurriedly pushed into his room with her foot any food that was available, and in the evening cleared it out again wit one sweep of the broom, heedless of whether it had been merely tasted, or - as most frequently happened- left untouched."(125)

In Franz Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis”, the transformation of the character Gregor from a man to one of the most repellent insects, a cockroach, may seem exaggerated and ridiculous, becoming more so over the course of the story as the action builds and emotions become more charged. Kafka’s intention, however, is to expose and explore the impoverishment of human psychology with respect to the ways in which changes in one’s circumstances and conditions reshape notions of justice and mercy.

The story begins with Gregor waking up in bed and finding out that he’s just turned into a vermin, probably a roach. Upon discovering his state, Gregor’s mother sobs and later faints, while his father reacts with great anger. However, they make no attempt to change him back. Gregor does want to find a “cure”, but must give up almost from the start, when he loses his ability to speak. Once he’s unable to communicate, Gregor becomes a mere observer of the world around him. At the same time, this isolation evokes a series of startling revelations and actions from his parents and sister, triggered by their assumption that he can no longer understand what they say and their belief that he has lost all human traits.The revulsion he evokes leads to his mother's ill health and his father's violence. Mr. Samsa chases him with sticks, rolled up newspapers and even fruit "now pitching one apple after another." An apple lodges in Gregor's back forever in an act of abuse: instead of caring for family members, an abuser hurts them, often via withholding food, money, and love.What ultimately killed Gregor Samsa was not the physical experience of becoming an insect; it was people's cruelty to him as a result.Kafka’s The Metamorphosis is an exaggerated symbolic tale that tackles an ambitious number of themes. One of the most important of these is the collapse of justice and mercy, even among those people who are expected to be most fair and compassionate.