John Ames Character In Marilynne Robinson's Gilead

“The writers, I do believe, who get the best and most lasting response from readers are the writers who offer a happy ending through moral development. By a happy ending, I do not mean mere fortunate events: a marriage, or a last-minute rescue from death; but some kind of spiritual reassessment or moral reconciliation, even with the self, even at death.” – Fay Weldon

People like the idea of believing in religion and a higher power because it gives people something to believe in when nothing seems to make logical sense. This is exactly the case for John in A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving. As stated at the very beginning of the book, Owen is the reason John believes in God, and it’s because it helps John make sense of everything that happens that doesn’t seem possible. The things Owen does and the things he knows prior to them happening are only possible if there is some higher power guiding Owen’s life. Thus, when Owen knows when his life is going to end and what he needs to do leading up to it, John can’t help but believe Owen has some sort of connection with God. Since Owen has a certain knowledge of the future, many of his actions foreshadow his inevitable death. Therefore, a major theme all throughout the novel which adds immensely to one’s understanding of the story is the idea of foreshadowing.

Throughout the book The Crucible we see many, honest, courageous, and even weak characters who significantly change the stories direction. In this book we experience Betty Warren, the weakest character, Rev. John Hale who is the most courageous character, and of course John Proctor who is the most honest character in the story. All three of these important characters are the very roots of this book and make the story what it is.

Goodness and nobility is determined by an individual’s morality and their willingness to follow a virtuous path in their life. It is also determined by the ability of an individual to acknowledge their shortcomings and become more self-aware. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, John Proctor is a good man as he showcases righteous morals and principles. This is shown, as he ends his affair with Abigail, protects his wife and his friends’ wives, and dies to preserve his integrity and honour.

In the short story of "You'll Love the Way We Fly", Lori Jakiela described her encounter with an old sickly man on her job as a flight attendant. In the story she talks in vivid detail about who she is as well as the man and the way they interact throughout the plane rides. The story protagonists are the old man and of course, Jakiela. In the story Jakiela decides what she will do about the old man and how it will change her throughout the story. By looking at the evolution of the relationship between Jakiela and the old man in the flight, we can see there are certain parts that make her rethink her decisions to care for the man: which most readers don’t see; this is important because by the end of the flight Jakiela turns her attitude around and thinks about the man and his home life.

“You remember what you want to forget and you forget what you want to remember,” (McCarthy 12). With most aspects of life, the horrendous moments are the times that no one can erase. This applied to The Road by Cormac McCarthy. Towards the end of the novel when the son loses his father proves to be the most indelible moment with the assistance of the feelings experienced during that part. The son encounters a variety of emotions including loneliness, loss and hope. In enduring these complex emotions, this section was the most remarkable part.

In John Steinbeck’s East of Eden, the archetypal mother figure of Olive Hamilton, who is modeled after the author’s own mother, is sharply contrasted with the novel’s antagonist, the ultimate anti-mother figure of Cathy Ames. This juxtaposition of characters highlights not only Olive’s loving, selfless nature, but also Cathy’s diabolical, egocentric one.

William Faulkner’s novel As I Lay Dying follows the Bundren family on a journey while it explores the subject of heroism and discusses its subjectivity. The family travels on an expedition to bury Addie, the deceased mother of the protagonist, Darl Bundren, and his siblings. As days continue to pass, however, the journey seemed interminable. During the adventure, the family takes a stop at Gillespie’s barn for the evening. While they rest Darl sets the barn, in which the coffin sits, ablaze. Darl Bundren’s act of arson exhibits heroism because he performed the act for the sake of others. Faulkner uses irony to subvert the preconceived notions of heroism. Although the protagonist was sent to a mental institute at the end of the novel for

The concept of “The Hero’s Journey” plays a major role in nearly every piece of fiction humanity has created since its inception, from epic poems to blockbuster movies. In many ways, works of fiction and some pieces of nonfiction could not exist and would not make sense without the concept of a Hero’s Journey; it allows the reader to comprehend and follow the progression of characters over the course of the story. While Cormac McCarthy’s novel The Road may not display most of the archetypal qualities found in classic Hero’s Journeys such as J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit or Homer’s Odyssey and Iliad, it most clearly exemplifies the qualities of a Hero’s Journey through the Boy’s character in relation to the mentor, tests and enemies, and the

Grief is defined as the neuropsychobiological response to any kind of significant loss, with elements both typical and unique to each individual or situation. The response is mostly associated with degrees of suffering, at times intense or even unbearable, and of widely variable duration. Grief is an individual or a larger group of individuals’ event where they are thrown out of equilibrium through changes brought on by loss.

As I was reading “The Crucible” it gave the impression that there are a few antagonists that appeared throughout the story, but one antagonist stuck around throughout the whole play. I believe that the antagonist is the perception of the character 's reputation. It seems that the concept of reputation affected John Proctor, the protagonist in the text, and Reverend Parris.

3. Why did John allow his brother to move in even though it increased the likelihood of further problems for him and his family?

The affect change has on its surroundings and anything involved could be very detrimental depending on the situation. The poems “Mid-Term Break” and “Nothing Gold Can Stay” are similar, for they are both poems that talk about change. Throughout these poems, it is displayed that change has a negative effect on its surroundings because what comes first, which is the youth that is considered precious, comes to an end and what follows is second best. The first stage of life is precious and when it changes, or ages, a period of grief comes as a result.

The Short Story The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin explores the emotions of Louise Mallard a woman with a heart disease. In the hour that the story is told, it ranges from showing Mrs. Mallard different reactions to learning of her husbands death to him surprisingly showing up alive and eventually her untimely death from a heart disease. Although only a brief period of time is shown, many emotions are revealed through the third person omniscient point of view. This point of view shows more than just the protagonists thoughts and is not limited to one person. It allows the readers to know something about Mrs. Mallard that she does not as the story ends after Mrs. Mallard has already died. The readers can be more sympathetic towards Mrs. Mallard.

Death, which is present as a plot, theme and symbol. It is the most one of the defining elements written in the modern literatures. Death, Sorrow and Isolation are just part of our lives, even though it is the miserable thing that people go through. In the poem “A Dead Rose,” by Elizabeth Barrett Browning and the short story “A Rose for Emily,” by William Faulkner there are many similarities and differences. The main similarity that both author’s has developed in their poem or story is the way how characters share the same atmosphere, symbolism of sadness, and isolation. The main difference that has been shown in the story or the poem is the way how characters react to death differently. The author’s use of describing their story or poem helps them personify the journey of life of the main characters and the characters self-reflection.