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"Evil is the Underlying Element in Life of a Living Creature" - How Evil
Appears in The Elephant Man by Sparks, Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, and
Taylor's Let the Circle Be Unbroken.
"Evil is the underlying element in the life of a living creature." This
quotation, by Ray V. Sjorvek, expresses the idea that all living creatures
contain a certain degree of evil inside themselves. In literature,
protagonists usually express their sinister sides through words or actions
when trying to prove the point that one's hidden emotions cannot be
concealed. Authors generally write about evil causing the downfall of
society. In many cases, authors speak of hatred persuading people to aid in
the corrosion of civilization. Christine Sparks' famous novel, The Elephant
Man, William Shakespeare's play, "Romeo and Juliet", and Mildred Taylor's
novel, Let the Circle Be Unbroken, all convey the idea that hatred, which
develops out of the evil within man's heart, can only lead to destruction.
In Christine Sparks' novel, The Elephant Man, many of the characters
express hatred towards a character referred to as the Elephant Man. One of
the first characters introduced in the play is Mr. Bytes, the keeper of
John Merrick (the "Elephant Man"). Bytes continually beats Merrick like he
would an animal and he uses Merrick to gain money by performing at "freak
shows". Because of his appearance, society views Merrick as an outcast.
Furthermore, Bytes expresses his frustration towards Merrick by beating up
the "Elephant Man". Another character in the novel named Dr. Treves is a
kind, compassionate man. However, when he first meets Merrick, he chooses
not to associate with John because of his outward appearance and apparent
lack of intelligence. Lastly, we meet Jim Renshaw who is a cold, heartless
janitor working at the hospital where Merrick resides. Renshaw, like Bytes,
abuses Merrick and wants to use him to gain money. All these characters
display the idea that undeserved retribution towards someone who is
abnormal develops from pre-existing hatred of someone different than the
others in society.
In William Shakespeare's play, "Romeo and Juliet", hatred leads to the
death of several people. A long-lasting feud between two families, the
Montagues and the Capulets, results in the death of many of the major
characters in the play. Tybalt, one of the first characters in the play to
be killed, loses a duel to Romeo after he murders Mercutio, Romeo's friend
and a relative of Prince Escalus. Thus, the prince exiles Romeo from Verona.
However, this is not the end of the killings because Juliet's fake suicide
ultimately leads to the death of Paris, Juliet's to-be husband, and the
suicide of Romeo. Seeing Romeo dead, Juliet stabs herself with a dagger.
The root of these deaths was the feud between the two families. This feud
inspired Romeo's hatred for Tybalt and Tybalt's hatred for Mercutio and the
Montagues. Therefore, we can conclude that the pernicious and destructive
actions of the characters were caused by their inability to control their
hatred for one another.
In Mildred Taylor's novel, Let the Circle Be Unbroken, hatred leads to
prejudice towards colored people. Prejudice towards blacks and other
minorities was nothing odd during the 1930's. The protagonist of the story,
Cassie, first experiences an example of racial tension when she notices a
drinking fountain and cannot drink from it because it is "White Only".
Another example of prejudice occurs when Suzella, who looks white but is
actually half white and half black, gets attention from many white boys.
However, when the boys find out that Suzella is partially black, they stay
away from her. Lastly, society's hatred towards blacks displays itself when
a young boy named T.J. Avery is falsely accused of robbing a store. T.J.'s
imminent conviction shows us that the judicial system, the one thing that
should defend people's rights can be warped according to the way society
wants it to be it to be. Therefore, we can conclude that prejudice is yet
another manifestation of hatred.
In William Shakespeare's play, "Romeo and Juliet", hatred leads to the
death of several people. A long-lasting feud between two families, the
Montagues and the Capulets, results in the death of many of the major
characters in the play. Tybalt, one of the first characters in the play to
be killed, loses a duel to Romeo after he murders Mercutio, Romeo's friend
and a relative of Prince Escalus. Thus, the prince exiles Romeo from Verona.
However, this is not the end of the killings because Juliet's fake suicide
ultimately leads to the death of Paris, Juliet's to-be husband, and the
suicide of Romeo. Seeing Romeo dead, Juliet stabs herself with a dagger.
The root of these deaths was the feud between the two families. This feud
inspired Romeo's hatred for Tybalt and Tybalt's hatred for Mercutio and the
Montagues. Therefore, we can conclude that the pernicious and destructive
actions of the characters were caused by their inability to control their
hatred for one another.
In Mildred Taylor's novel, Let the Circle Be Unbroken, hatred leads to
prejudice towards colored people. Prejudice towards blacks and other
minorities was nothing odd during the 1930's. The protagonist of the story,
Cassie, first experiences an example of racial tension when she notices a
drinking fountain and cannot drink from it because it is "White Only".
Another example of prejudice occurs when Suzella, who looks white but is
actually half white and half black, gets attention from many white boys.
However, when the boys find out that Suzella is partially black, they stay
away from her. Lastly, society's hatred towards blacks displays itself when
a young boy named T.J. Avery is falsely accused of robbing a store. T.J.'s
imminent conviction shows us that the judicial system, the one thing that
should defend people's rights can be warped according to the way society
wants it to be it to be. Therefore, we can conclude that prejudice is yet
another manifestation of hatred.
ADDITIONAL FEATURED ESSAYS
Les Miserables
In Hugo's novel , Hugo shows us the underlying theme through many different symbols and quotations. For instance, when
Human Nature
Many people have different views on the moral subject of good and evil. Ashley Montagu argues that " is good, as such le
The Original Sin (poem)
Throughout the book of Genesis, the serpent has been portrayed as the evil entity several times. The most evident exampl
Frankenstein
Many lessons are embedded into Mary Shelley’s (Bantam Books 1991), including how society acts towards the different.
Frakenstien
Frankenstein's Ill Fated Life Mary Shelley's novel, Frankenstein, classically symbolizes the struggle between man and cr
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