When thrown in a unique situation, how one reacts may not reflect their normal social behavior. In fact, it may push an individual to react in a way that could be deemed negative, regardless of having a genuine and positive nature. In the novel Station Eleven written by Emily St. John Mandel, the author explores the conflict desires between good and evil in a post- apocalyptic world. Mandel shows the conflict between good and bad through the characters of Kristen, the Prophet and the boy.
Kirsten Raymonde is portrayed as a strong willed, fierce young woman. She is a complex character who we watch develop over the course of 15 years. We are first introduced to Raymonde when she is just 8 years old and was part of a Shakespeare production entitled King Lear. Kirsten had a great deal of respect for
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People like us.”
“What do you learn, ‘people like us’?
“People who were good, “Tyler said. “People who weren’t weak.” (260)
Similar to the thoughts of his mother Elizabeth, Tyler has strong beliefs that everyone has a purpose in life and God will erase those who are not worthy or deserve to live. We notice a change in the Prophets character as he becomes more and more invested and influenced by the religious group. In fact, he manages to take complete control and convinces everyone in the airport that they will be safe. This is one example of how he manipulates people:
“My people and I, “he said, “when we speak of the light, we speak of order. This place of order. People with chaos in their hearts cannot abide here.”
Here, the Prophet feels that he has been given the responsibility by God, to take control of the people on earth. His rational thinking has become distorted as he has become consumed with power and evil, committing numerous murders such as raping innocent women. Unpredictably it is a young boy who is part of the Prophet’s group who kills the evil man. He had been a part of the group and initially considered to be a worthy
(290). This insinuates that he is sadistic and utilizes the suffering of others to advance his objectives. To carry out heinous crimes and be a dictator of citizens, he exploits his extremely biased ideas as a justification. The Prophet has been driven to delusions and insanity as a result of prejudiced ideologies, causing him to commit awful crimes and become an evil member
Novel: Fifth Business Author: Robertson Davies Section of novel: chapter 4-6, pages 141-257 Role: Discussion Director What (Description): Question 1: What events might have led to Leola’s suicide attempt? Looking through the feminist criticism lense, there are many events that could have led to Leola’s suicide attempt. Boy Staunton tried to force Leola to become someone she was not – a refined socialite.
(72). When he is forced to watch the inhumane and slow, agonizing death of the pipel, he is left wondering how God could remain silent and permit such brutality. His once-firm faith is replaced by a strong sense of rage and despair as he develops a deep feeling of cynicism and
In the novel Station Eleven, Emily St. John Mandel creates a parallel between a pre-apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic world affected by the nation-sweeping epidemic: The Georgia Flu. This dystopian world opens up the conversation about the following unresolved dilemmas: displacement, disorientation, dislocation, alienation, and memory. Each of the main characters faces a certain level of uncertainty while fighting for survival, evidently affecting them mentally, emotionally and physically. For this reason, some readers may question Mandel's choice to have her characters continue suffering from their inner turmoils.
When an individual is threatened they take actions that goes against their characters. What individuals say and do has a great impact on people. We feel guilty when we feel responsible for an action that we regret. People can feel ashamed, unworthy, or embarrassed about actions for which they are responsible. In the novel “Night" by Elie Wiesel it demonstrates the disturbing disregard for human beings, and the horror, and evil of the concentration camps that many were imprisoned in during World War II.
In Richard Connell’s “The Most Dangerous Game” , Rainsford is the positive force in a classic good vs. evil showdown against a psychopathic man-hunter. For example, Rainsford non - evilness is displayed when he declines General Zaroff’s “ We will hunt - you and I,” (10). This is substantial evidence towards Rainsford morals and integrity as a human. Based on the short story, a good and decent person would not want to hunt someone, it is an act of cold blood.
By creating characters in the novel who are excluded and labelled the author demonstrates how cruel society can be to people. The purpose of this essay is to show how the author reveals the experiences of marginalised characters in society. Joseph Davidson is an introverted, fourteen year old boy who feels that he is trapped within his own world of chaos, and he too is a marginalised character in the book. It is suggested by the author that other characters believe that Joseph’s mother smothers him too much and his father has
Elie Wiesel, the author of Night, describes the horrors of focusing on your own survival. Certain acts provoke inhumane acts throughout the ordeal. A central theme in Night is, even though it’s difficult, people should value compassion over their own survival. For instance, the evil of a lack of compassion affects thousands of prisoner lives.
What core elements define the essence of humanity? In Mandel’s novel, one is compelled to reconsider the defining characteristics of humanity. Mandel structures the plot of Station Eleven around the main character Arthur Leander’s life. Throughout the novel, Mandel explores a series of sub character’s perspectives of the flu pandemic and each of their roles in the post-apocalyptic world it creates, encouraging the reader to delve into the relationships between humanity and art. Book reviewer Justine Jordan from The Guardian summarizes the book perfectly by claiming that “Station Eleven is not so much about [an] apocalypse as about memory and loss, nostalgia, and yearning” (Jordan, par. 5).
In The Kite Runner, the author tells a story of the close friendship of two boys who come from different social classes, Amir being the wealthy boy and Hassan the servant. It takes place in Kabul, Afghanistan in 1978, a time where the separation of Hazara Shia Muslims and Sunni Muslims took place. A part in the book where we witness betrayal of their friendship and this division of culture is after the yearly kite tournament where Hassan goes after the kite Amir won and promises to bring it back to him. During his search for the kite, Hassan encounters Assef and his friends, who constantly bullied Amir, threatened Hassan to give up the kite or pay the price. Being that Hassan was loyal and wanted to keep his promise to Amir, he decided to pay the price which was rape.
The Outsiders by S.E Hinton is a powerful book that has maintained its popularity because it is real and true. Pieces of evidence in this book have lead many people to the conclusion that external factors are more important than internal in forming identity. Becoming afraid of external circumstances is a regular occurrence for humanity; but learning, instead, to embrace circumstance is more beneficial for human development because God uses circumstance to make His children stronger. However, as a society, humanity should learn to help one another through these storms. The government should help those who are most vulnerable and help make their circumstances better.
She doesn’t get along with the other girls. Unhappy kid.” His affection for her is visible to those around him; Miranda herself observes that she “saw how much he missed his own child, his distant son”. She’s his child on-stage too, not just playing Lear’s daughter, but a hallucination of the childhood version of his daughter. The overall portrayal of Kirsten before the plague is as a small girl, a little overcome by the glamour of the stage, seeking comfort with her father figure Arthur.
In the novel, Hosseini uses Amir’s internal conflict highlights how unresolved guilt and fear can negatively impact one’s life. Hassan’s rape initiates the internal conflict in Amir that lasts the rest of his young adult life. Assef rapes Hassan after the kite running competition prompting Amir to run away in terror and fear. After the incident, Amir celebrates the victory of
In the novel, The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini tells the story of Amir, a young, Afghan boy who learns about what it means to be redeemed through the experiences he encounters in his life. The idea of redemption becomes a lesson for Amir when he is a witness to the tragic sexual assault of his childhood friend, Hassan. As a bystander in the moment, Amir determines what is more important: saving the life of his friend or running away for the safety of himself. In the end, Amir decides to flee, resulting in Amir having to live with the guilt of leaving Hassan behind to be assaulted. Hosseini shows us how Amir constantly deals with the remorse of the incident, but does not attempt to redeem himself until later in his life when Hassan has died.
As the death of Simon symbolizes the sacrifice of Jesus, Hassan’s rape symbolizes the sacrifice of an innocent lamb. Just like how Simon’s death was for a greater purpose, Amir views sacrificing Hassan’s innocence as a sacrifice for the greater good. He sees the look in Hassan’s eyes, who is like the lamb getting sacrificed on Dhul-Hijjah, who “sees that its imminent demise is for a higher purpose”(Hosseini 64). To Amir, sacrificing Hassan is a fair price for kite, and Baba’s love. But the kite that Hassan brought back becomes a symbol of this sacrifice of innocence, and it haunts Amir for the rest of