Thematic analysis -Good, Evil, and Human Dignity- To Kill a Mockingbird is largely remembered of in terms of the trial of Tom Robinson and its racist outcome. For this reason, people often think that the book's theme is simple, a straightforward criticism of racism and evil. But To Kill a Mockingbird is actually more complicated (and interesting). Except in the case of Bob Ewell, the novel avoids simple portrayals and criticisms of "evil." Instead, it shows through Scout and Jem's experiences that Maycomb and its citizens are a complicated mixture of good and bad, full of people with strengths and weaknesses.
However, if the overall narrative of Michael Collins suggests that violence has tragic consequences, the film does not repudiate republican violence. At one point Collins says "War is murder. Sheer bloody murder", and the assassinations carried out on Collins's orders are depicted in all their casual brutality. The story of Collins is another instance of the theme of violence spinning out of control; as Jordan says in his film diary, published with the screenplay, the film shows both "the exhilaration of violence, [and] the grotesque conclusions of its outcome".# It is not only the tragedy of the story which implies the need for an end to violence, however; Collins himself is depicted as a reluctant warrior who wants peace. He declares his belief in the future in a sequence which intercuts between Collins and his fiancée, Kitty Kiernan, in a hotel room, and Collins's assassination squad executing British intelligence agents.
As a result, the audience is able to engage with the deeper currents of thought in this film. One of the main themes in this film concerns the alienation that arises from justice and the unfairness of the legal system and its treatment of prisoners. The main character Andy is unjustly convicted of the murder of his wife and her lover. Andy is given a particularly harsh sentence by the judge because the judge regards his quite reserved manner as a sign of his lack of remorse. This is conveyed through the use of dialogue. "
Macbeth’s wrongdoings are amplified by the kindness and loyalty of Macduff and the legacy Duncan left as a great king. Macbeth and Macduff are almost complete opposites. Macduff’s sincerity and loyalty helps expose how bad Macbeth actually is. Macduff’s character shows that even though Macbeth is the main character, and in the beginning he doesn’t seem that bad, but in the end he seems like a really horrible person. Macbeth seems like an even worse person after he kills Macduff’s family for no apparent reason.
Interrogating victims, hunting Llewelyn Moss, and evading Tom Bell. Chigurh often has symptoms similar to those of a psychopath, giving justifications to acts that could never be justified. His belief that he is a sort of ultimate being is the only justification that he needs to flip a coin and discard of a human life. Chigurh represents the bad choices made in life and is the ultimate evil that McCarthy uses to show one of the extremes in choice making. Tom Bell plays the sheriff of a small town police force who stumbles upon a drug deal gone wrong.
Staples suggest that people still tend to portray black men as violent and dangerous individuals from racial tendencies without rationalizing and thus causing stress to the victims (black men) because they’re seen as threats despite their true nature. In the past, black men have had reputations that associate themselves with murderers, thieves, rapist etc. thus making people around them feel anxious and/or concerned. I feel Brent Staples' Black Men and Public Space was insightful. He really expresses what racism was like for him and every struggle he went through.
He decides to try and change his destiny by being a good person. In broad terms he turns to a life with integrity. That for him was not an easy task because he knows, consciously, that he is naturally an evil person. Steinbeck makes sure this struggle is evident because it is the most representative struggle between good and evil in the novel. In East of Eden, Steinbeck makes Cal the main victim of the struggle between good and evil by emphasizing thou mayest.
In the world, there is and always will be a war of good versus evil. It is a battle that will not end until the world itself has ended. In The Lord of the Flies, there are some boys who can be thought to represent evil, and boys who represent good in the world. Jack and Roger both symbolize savagery and evil with their horrible behavior and thirst for killing. Ralph and Simon are almost complete opposites of Jack and Roger, because they are symbols of good and purity in the book.
As other novels dishonestly romanticize and glorify war, Heller does the opposite. A main theme Heller tries to convey throughout the novel is that the reality of war is absurd and corrupt, as well as the people involved in war. Although Yossarian is selfish and untrustworthy, Heller slowly shows the reader that these seemingly dislikable characteristics of Yossarian show a type of heroism. As Yossarian evolves, the reader comes to realize that Yossarian’s obsession with preserving his life doesn’t necessarily emphasize his selfishness, but rather the value he puts on life. Throughout most of the novel, the reader follows Yossarian’s quest to escape the war,
Another aspect of the tragic hero is that they are responsible for their own fate. Macbeth is certainly responsible for his fate. He chooses to commit the murders and take the crown although it is not rightfully his. However, like all tragic heroes the fact that he has committed murders does not make the reader totally despise him. He is seen, in part, as a victim of Lady Macbeth’s ambitions.