Pearl is a sort of living version of her mother’s scarlet letter. Like the letter, she is something that stands out in society by being an uncommon child. Yet, even as a reminder of Hester’s sin, Pearl is more than a mere punishment to her mother: she is also a blessing. She represents not only sin, but also the vital spirit of that sin. Thus, Pearl’s existence gives her mother reason to live, bolstering her spirits when she is tempted to give up; acting as a hero who constantly saves her mother from the tortures of Puritan society.
He also tells the murderers that Banquo is blameworthy for their tragic, unhappy lives. After angering the murderers, Macbeth switches to a more sarcastic tone and manipulates the murderers so they will feel like they need to prove themselves men, worthy of Macbeth’s presence. By asking questions, Macbeth leaves a gap between him and the murderers and waits for them to fill it. He asks “Are you so gospeled/ To pray for this good man and for his issue/ Whose heavy hand hath bowed you to the grave/ And beggared yours forever? (3.1.98-101).
Chillingworth is a learned man and his intellect was so important to him that it showed in his physical features. As the story progresses, Chillingworth’s physical appearance begins to change with his dedication to seek revenge against the one Hester committed adultery with- Dimmesdale. When Hester sees Chillingworth at the governor's house she notes “how his dark complexion seemed to have grown duskier, and his figure more misshapen” (103). Chillingworth is becoming more evil over time because he is consumed with revenge which is reflected in the darkening of his features and increased deformity. His darker features reveal the darkness in his soul, while the physical deformity suggests a corruption in his soul.
The fact that he seduced and impregnated a married woman is reason enough for him to be thought a villain. I believe that the true villain is the husband, Roger Chillingworth. As we await the arrival of Hester Prynne’s husband, his character and nature stay a mystery. Hester says very little of her husband or what he is like. We are kept almost entirely in the dark about this character.
She goes on a life changing excursion to make sense of her difficult predicament. She matures and becomes the woman she is at the end of the novel through her relationship with T. Ray, experiences with racism, and internal struggles. Due to her loathsome relationship with her father T. Ray, the protagonist Lily drastically changed into a more independent and confident woman. Lily has finally built up the courage to leave her abusive father when she thought, "I knew exactly what I had to do-leave. I had to get away from T. Ray" (Kidd 41).
Oscar Wilde's A Picture of Dorian Gray presents many themes, including conflict and influence. In this novel, Lord Henry Wotton creates a conflict with the naïve and innocent Dorian Gray by influencing and mentally corrupting him. Under this influence, Dorian becomes a hedonist, constantly pursuing pleasure and everlasting beauty. This one-way conflict, where Lord Henry almost completely controls Dorian's emotions, is the cause for Dorian's downfall and death. Lord Henry, who enjoys manipulating people to calm his hedonist feelings, spots Dorian's vulnerability immediately and plants the seeds of terror in the young man by imposing him his radical, yet catchy theories of life.
Hester Prynne became pregnant during the absence of her husband she was accused and convicted of adultery. Her sentence was to wear a scarlet letter "A" on her bosom to let everyone know that she committed adultery. Because of her unique sentence everyone knew that she was an adulteress and people treated her that way. Society condemned her for her sin, without knowing anything else. Hester was forced to live on the outskirts of the city.
He began to betray his father right from the start. In his first soliloquy, Edmund says “Well, my legitimate, if this letter speed and my invention thrive, Edmund the base shall top the legitimate; I grow; I prosper” (1, 2, 19-21). The fact he pointed out was that he wants more power even though he is the younger and less loved son. He figured the best way to get this status was to ruin Edgar’s reputation. To achieve this, his plan was to trick his father Gloucester into believing that Edgar wants to kill him.
Emily Bronte’s unique character representation thus creates a dilemma in readers mind about him being protagonist or antagonist of the novel. Though he is the main character of the novel, he is both protagonist and antagonist. In one hand he is the main character and readers sympathize with him, on the other hand on the path of revenge he destroys everyone including himself and becomes the villain. In literary terms the protagonist is the main character in a story, novel, drama, or other literary work, the character that the reader or audience empathizes with. The antagonist opposes the protagonist.
Naguib Mahfouz made the reader understand the suffering of the women in our society. He tried to show us the tragic position that the young girl had in the short story "The Answer Is No". Also he succeeded in analyzing the psychology of the young girl, and how she could overcome the trap that the man put her in. The short story is entitled "The Answer Is No" because the young girl revolted against the male-dominated society, her weakness, and also to the future love and the past that she had by saying "NO". When she was raped, she didn't understand what had happened to her, and she was shocked and every inch of her body was trembling.