Adversity Makes Men And Prosperity Makes Monsters Analysis

“Adversity makes men, and prosperity makes monsters” - Victor Hugo; Due to this quotes metaphorical essence, some might have a different interperation of its meaning than others. Breaking the maxim down reveals the core meaning; The word Adversity in this instance, means suffering or bad luck and prosperity means success or well-being. Defining the terms previously mentioned is easy because they are not metaphorical or ambiguous, but the terms, such as men, and monsters are open to interpretation. Due to the context many use this quote in, it is apparent that it uses inorganic versions of some words, which gives the quote some life and depth. In this saying, the word men does not mean a male human being, it represents the stereotypic physical and character traits men are deemed to have, which are mental and physical strength, fortitude, and virtue. …show more content…
“Adversity makes men, and prosperity makes monsters” says that having money or fame does not make someone a strong or virtuous person, but rather a person that experienced hardship in his or her life has righteousness and the other person is wicked. To an extent this saying is true because facing hardships in life is humbling and it builds character, while someone receiving everything he or she wants and living a “perfect life” sometimes causes ego problems, but there are some exceptions; there are some people who become prosperous without letting it go to their heads and there are even prosperous people who have battles in life, but something worth taking note of is that every person in the world eventually experiences