“It is a time, of all others, when Want is keenly felt, and Abundance rejoices." Dickens created these characters to attack and wake up the greedy society without offending the rich. Scrooge being the cold hearted miserable man responds only with sneering sarcasm, asking the men if buildings such as prisons and workhouses are still in operation, "Those who are badly off must go there." Scrooge as well as the rest of the oblivious rich society believed that taxes, which help fund these establishments, are more than enough support for the poor. Although readers know that this is not true and that, “many would rather die than go there.” The use of these gentlemen who are, minor characters constantly remind both Scrooge
The primary objective of Gothic novelists is to rouse the reader into eliciting emotional responses such as shock or fear (Hume 284). In keeping with this theory, Walpole both begins and ends Otranto with unexpected deaths that are violent in nature, and designed to shock the reader. It begins with the death of the primary antagonists son, Conrad, who is “dashed to pieces” beneath the weight of an enormous helmet directly before he is to be married (Walpole 28). The shock arises not only from the unexpectedness of the incident, seeing as it happens so early in the novel, but also from the violence and the apparently supernatural element of it. He finishes the novel with the unintentional filicide of
Satire in Dracula and Children of Men Both Dracula and Children of Men are narratives which contain some surface-level meaning in addition to a deeper satirical criticism of the social status quo in Britain in their respective timeframes. Dracula criticises Britain by juxtaposing the fantastical elements of pre-enlightenment era superstition with the modern, conservative values of the Victorian era. The result is a social commentary that uses horror to satirize superstitious beliefs and prudish, proper social standards. Children of Men, on the other hand, criticises the current bureaucratic government and conservative social situation in Britain by illustrating an absurd apocalyptic world in which said values of government and society still prevail. Children of Men also uses symbolism to satirize the conservative nature of British society, making reference to the Holocaust as well as Pink Floyd’s Animals.
Luther spoke out against clerical celibacy, papal abuses, salvation by works, and other Catholic doctrines. Luther proves to be the better reformer because of his full commitment to reformation. He did not involve himself with the teachings and rituals of the Catholics, within his writings and words he tore down what he found corrupt. Erasmus on the other hand was a Catholic priest, even though he wanted to reform, there was still a part that did not want to fight the church upfront because of his role. Erasmus tried to find a middle road approach, but this only disappointed scholars from both sides.
Brooks contrasts a strong feminist theme and positions us to see their heroic gestures to the weaknesses of men as the villagers are faced with great tragedies. Joss Bont is one of the villains of the plague year. Brooks positions us to see that Joss views the tragedy merely as an opportunity, and his extreme greed and insensitivity know no bounds. His exploitation of the dying and their families makes us see that Anna is glad she no longer shares a last name with him. When Bont adds attempted murder to his other crimes, the demoralized village finally calls him to account.
Whilst both Dracula and Twilight explore similar themes they are expressed in different ways to represent different insecurities in society. For example in each text we see the classic universal battle of good versus evil however in Dracula this battle has been used to express societies fears for the loss of Christian values. In Twilight a key theme involves acceptance of others, which represents societies insecurities about the lack of acceptance for others within our modern society. The concept of the new woman used in Dracula demonstrates the 19th century role of women within society, this is then contrasted by the role of women in twilight, allowing the responder to see how differing themes in each of these gothic texts demonstrate the context of the society during the era in which they were composed. As these themes mirror the insecurities and fears of society as Dracula reflects the 19th Century society and Twilight represents a 21st Century society.
The Story of Humanity: The War between the Supernatural and Natural In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the prevalent theme of the supernatural versus the natural underpins the idea that calamity will happen if mankind defy the natural world—in Macbeth’s case, murder. From the beginning of the play, the witches introduce both the readers and Macbeth to the world of the supernatural. Their existence alone defies the popular concept derived from Plato and Aristotle, the Great Chain of Being. It is through this introduction that something changed in Macbeth, kindling the traitorous flame that would ruin him. In defiance of the Great Chain of Being, the inclusion of several uses of the supernatural in the Scottish place, which includes Macbeth’s first meeting with the witches, the three apparitions, and the air-drawn dagger, serve to illustrate the danger resulting from the humanly desire to go against the natural order.
“Gothic and Romanticism” – David Punter Frankenstein: The Modern Prometheus and a Monster’s inevitable doom In Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein, it appears that Shelley attempts to draw an important analogy between the lone genius Prometheus, the archetypal seeker after forbidden wisdom, and her own protagonist Victor Frankenstein, who also dares to transgress boundaries in order to create life. Thus the subtitle The Modern Prometheus. However, it is crucial to note the invariable difference between both old and modern Prometheus. Whereas old Prometheus suffers alone for his sin, in the case of Shelley’s Prometheus, Frankenstein, the monster involuntarily partakes in the sin, by being its final product, and therefore has to suffer too. To the reader, it seems that Shelly consistently reminds us of the lack of responsibility on the part of Frankenstein, and the monster’s inherent innocence, who is only made evil by his circumstances.
. because his tragedy occurs as a consequence of possessing too much knowledge" (115). "Philosophy is odious and obscure" During the middle ages, there was but one church, the Roman Catholic Church, and any form of doctrinal disagreement was labeled as atheism. This hard-line approach did not allow gradual evolution from within, forcing a drastic reformation by those who would be excommunicated. The new
Byronic heroes were used to describe Lord Byron by his jilted lover, Lady Caroline. She would describe him as “mad, bad and dangerous to know” (Wikipedia). The term reflects a flawed character and has some of the same characteristics of a Gothic character, with more of Byron’s “negative” characteristics thrown into the mix. Such character istics would include: bipolar, hates social norms, outcast, sexuality (homosexual, prostitute), cynical, loner, and self-destructive (Wikipedia). The features of Gothic fiction are both psychological and physical.