The Picture Of Dorian Gray Motifs Essay

Individually the symbols offer a well-developed message; however, the multiple meanings contradict, because the different meanings mean opposite ideas. For example, Hester will forever be seen as an adulterer and a steward. These are two opposite concepts, especially in Puritan Society, because a steward helps and an adulterer sins. As the scarlet letter changes through the novel, the symbol contradicts Hester's image and her role in society. Hester is scarred with her sin and the punishment from the Puritans.

“Her characters, who sometimes accept and other times reject salvation, often have a warped self-image, especially of their moral status and of the morality of their actions” (Hobby). This addresses how some of the important lines in the story describe to the reader about the extreme exaggeration and the psychological realism of the church, which O’Connor wanted to express within her story. The extreme use of exaggeration and how the use of the characters bring a sense of an uncanny feeling of good and evil within each character, portrays how deep the meaning is seen in this short story.  “the story is filled with dark, grotesque humor created largely by the story 's many ironies” (Hobby). The author of this source highly emphasizes that O’Connor creates this dark humor for her characters to build on her meaning in the story and uses irony to create the distortion within her

After reading both of the text “The Minister 's Black Veil” by Nathaniel Hawthorne and “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” by Jonathan Edwards they’re various similarities and differences can be noted, especially toward the attitudes of sin and guilt. In the story’s the are just portrayed a little bit different. In both stories the feel that sinning is horrible and should be frowned upon. In the story the “Minister 's Black Veil” Nathaniel Hawthorne wants the reader to know that Reverend Hooper is wanting to hide his past sins.

Poe believes that stories that dealt with gothic literature needed to have allegories in them to have a second level of meaning in addition to it’s literal meaning. Theses types of elements were popular in this time period because they taught moral lessons and contributed to the dark feeling a person undergoes when finding the true meaning of not only the story, but are able to personally understand the true feeling the author is trying to make individuals feel. In “The Tale and Its Effect”, Poe stated that he used and supported unity of effect to go about discussing the themes he embedded within his stories in order to make the reader to feel a certain way. He believes that they need to be short and sweet so that the author can get all the details to the reader. Poe exclaims that short stories are superior to novels because one is able to sit down and finish it in one-sitting rather than breaking the experience, with the possibility of forgetting important elements.

The main themes of this novel are ‘Nature vs. Nurture’, ‘Creator and Created’, ‘Humans playing God’ and ‘Ethics and Science’ (Potter, 2013). The Morality and the Gothic Novel with Specific Reference to Frankenstein and Wuthering Heights Morality plays a big part in society and these novels seemed to have been filled with different examples of how morality was gone against. The strange events that happen in both novels are against the morals of the then society. According to the Marriam-Webster Learners Dictionary (1828) morality is distinguishing between what is right and what is wrong behaviour and these are centred around peoples beliefs.

Say One Thing, Mean Another (The Use of Satire in Canterbury Tales) “Filth and old age, I’m sure you will agree are powerful wardens upon chastity”(Chaucer). Chaucer, the father of English literature wrote a tale called Canterbury Tales where he told a story about a religious journey. This tale is made up of many different stories by characters that Chaucer made up to prove a point. Chaucer doesn 't agree with a lot of things that are going on in his society so Chaucer uses satire. Which is the use of humor, or irony to expose people 's stupidity.

4. Separation In love with himself alone, he finds a perverted pleasure in the constant comparison of his reflection in a mirror with an increasingly repulsive portrait: “He grew more and more enamoured of his own beauty, more and more interested in the corruption of his own soul” (Wilde 106). Dorian felt under Lord Henry influence, who in turn encourages Dorian to live a “life of sensual pleasure, while he himself enjoys looking on from a safe intellectual distance. Herein lies the Mephistophelean aspect of his character” (Kohl 156).

The function of religion is a very important yet subtle theme in Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment, and is presented through the novel’s characters and their various associations with religious allusions. The presence of religion in the novel offers a unique paradox; on one hand, the text circulates around a godless person who committed a reprehensible and sinful crime, while on the other hand the importance of religion and how each individual understands it is emphasized. Due to this, the idea of ‘Holy Sinners’ arises, in which there are characters that take part in appalling actions, but symbolize purity as well. The most prominent characters to demonstrate this paradoxical take on religion are Sonya, for her being praised for her purity but shunned for her occupation, and Raskolnikov, for committing a terrible crime but coming to terms with it in the end. First and foremost, a character that displays this paradoxical view of necessary wrongdoing is the saintly prostitute, Sonya Marmeladov.

Considering his thought and the “convulsive shudder” (10) towards this birthmark, Aylmer’s obsession for perfection, obsession for success in an experiment, surpassed the love for his wife. Georgina’s death, due to the ‘elixir’ that Aylmer presented as the cure that would vanish her imperfection, symbolizes the consequences of the imbalance stated before. Even research of genecology, such as those stated in “The Perils of the Imperfect Expectations of A Perfect Baby”, agree that several complications are possible to those mothers who wish to birth the “perfect baby.” Hawthorne’s story illustrates the outcome of such imbalance, proving that perfection does not exist, and those whom which to surpass nature and transcend to higher level than that set by nature will face the consequences. “The Birthmark”

In a work of literary genius full of sarcasm and satire, Voltaire expresses his disapproval towards the Old Regime in a condemnatory yet playful tone during a period referred to as the Enlightenment. Voltaire's Candide presents seditious contemplation of the dimensions of social hierarchy. The most ubiquitous argument bestowed in this novel is Voltaire's rejection of the tyranny the church displayed through religious intolerance. Both secular and religious leaders alike immediately denounced the rebellious book and its author, but that did not stop its effects. In his now world-renowned novel, Voltaire articulates his powerful opposition to religious sectarianism, assists in implementing these revolutionary ideas into the minds of the oppressed,

That which is inhuman, cannot be divine!” (19). The “American religion” was used as “a thin vail to cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages” (20) and their “prayers and hymns, your sermon and thanksgivings, with all your religious parade, and solemnity, are mere bombast, fraud, deception, impiety and hypocrisy” (20). Hence, Douglass purpose was not to primarily motive to can “American religion” a lie was to emphasize the “national inconsistencies” and bring up change. Douglass also uses the same method when stating that “it [the Constitution] will be found to contain principles and purposes, entirely hostile to the existence of slavery” (38).

We learn how to reach out to others.4 4. Condemnation or Rebuke – To the liars, but not the church (Revelation 3:9) “Take note! I will make those from the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews and are not, but are lying—note this—I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and they will know that I have loved you.” (Revelation 3:9, HCSB) We can catch the flavor of the Greek word for ‘lie’ by thinking of these people as ‘pseudo-Jews’. They claim, falsely, to be the holy people of God.

Islam and Christianity share similar ideas as the abstract religion in the coming of age novel “Bless Me, Ultima” by Rudolfo Anaya. Islam and magic each have stigmas connected to them from personal assumptions. Pagan beliefs in the novel and Christianity share the same concept of afterlife and symbolism. Magic and Islam are falsely accused of being malevolent in nature due to society using the religions for hate crimes. Antonio was pondering the motive for his dad’s concern about Ultima visiting and he realized, “Ultima was a curandera….

His sermon and Bradstreet’s poem are alike in their ability to show eternal life and the prizes and consequences of following and putting your faith into God. Bradstreet shows the consequences of sin by using a subtle interpretation to go back to righteous ways, Edwards on the other hand is very aggressive in the way he shows the price of sin and to “persuade” un pure puritans back to christ. He is very detailed in the way he speaks on hellfire and pain. Both writers attempt to draw back puritans and to show the cost of sin in two different ways. Both writers show the eternal life given to them good or bad , sinful or righteous.

When most people think of monsters, they think of ugly creatures whose purpose is to scare anything that it comes across. In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, that is the case. Dr. Victor Frankenstein’s creation is a hideous monster that terrorizes his creator and townspeople. On the other hand, Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray depicts a monster as a beautiful young man whose painted portrait starts to look more like a monster than his actual self. Frankenstein and The Picture of Dorian Gray both tell stories of monsters who do evil things.