“Man is the only creature who refuses to be what he is.” - Albert Camus. In many ways, humans tend to ignore countless aspects of their nature. In fiction literature, authors use different methods to reveal this nature. After reading several short stories, it is easy to see the different methods that authors use and what characteristics they specifically reveal about human nature.
Often times, authors of fiction literature will use both actions and the narration of the characters to convey human nature. In Edgar Allan Poe's short story, "The Tell-Tale Heart", the narrator decides to kill an old man, and makes it clear that there is no object in committing the murder since "it is impossible to say how... the idea entered [his] brain" (Poe …show more content…
In the beginning of the short story "Suitcases and Snow Globes", the narrator is depressed, possibly because of some sort of breakup, and with no proper food in her house, she decides to look into the very back of a cupboard for food as a last resort, and feels "for one short moment...smug triumph"(Ferrari 1) at finding the hiding place "before the anger limps back" (Ferrari 1) when she finds it bare. The reader is able to understand the narrator's thoughts and perceive how frustrated she is with her situation. What readers can learn about human nature from this is how humans feel annoyed when they are not able to solve their problems. Later on, after the narrator visits with her neighbor, she finally feels motivated to do something, telling herself that "tomorrow [she will] phone the landlord...throw out [her] robe [and] go grocery shopping for proper food" (Ferrari 4). The narrator is telling the reader her motivated thoughts to make an improvement in her life as opposed to living in her bathrobe, cooped up in her apartment. What readers can grasp from this is how individuals can become motivated to take care of their issues, regardless of what has happened before. All in all, author's often utilize internal monologue such as in "Suitcases and Snow Globes" to allow the reader to learn about human …show more content…
In "The Possibility of Evil", an old lady named Miss Strangeworth encounters a woman named Helen Crane and her newborn daughter, quickly dismisses Helen Crane's worries about her daughter not developing correctly, and later writes anonymous letters to people, and addresses one to Helen Crane saying , "Didn't you ever see an idiot child before? Some people just shouldn’t have children, should they?" (Jackson 4). Here it is easy to see how Mrs. Strangeworth first displays concern for the baby, but then calls it an 'idiot child'. By reading this, people can establish how humans can be two-faced, saying one thing to appeal to someone, but actually believing another. As Miss Strangeworth writes her anonymous letters that are used to criticize people, she uses "a dull stub of pencil...she [prints] them in a childish block print...[and] everyone [in the town uses] the matching envelopes" (Jackson 4). Here, the audience can see how duplicitous Mrs. Strangeworth is, after all, she writes the letter in a childish print, and on a type of paper that everyone in the town uses often, so that the letters can not be traced back to her. Readers here are able learn about human nature, specifically when people become sneaky because they have done immoral things, and are trying to hide what they have done. All in all, people can learn from the actions and words of characters to be able to understand human nature
Often times, authors of fiction literature will use both actions and the narration of the characters to convey human nature. In Edgar Allan Poe's short story, "The Tell-Tale Heart", the narrator decides to kill an old man, and makes it clear that there is no object in committing the murder since "it is impossible to say how... the idea entered [his] brain" (Poe …show more content…
In the beginning of the short story "Suitcases and Snow Globes", the narrator is depressed, possibly because of some sort of breakup, and with no proper food in her house, she decides to look into the very back of a cupboard for food as a last resort, and feels "for one short moment...smug triumph"(Ferrari 1) at finding the hiding place "before the anger limps back" (Ferrari 1) when she finds it bare. The reader is able to understand the narrator's thoughts and perceive how frustrated she is with her situation. What readers can learn about human nature from this is how humans feel annoyed when they are not able to solve their problems. Later on, after the narrator visits with her neighbor, she finally feels motivated to do something, telling herself that "tomorrow [she will] phone the landlord...throw out [her] robe [and] go grocery shopping for proper food" (Ferrari 4). The narrator is telling the reader her motivated thoughts to make an improvement in her life as opposed to living in her bathrobe, cooped up in her apartment. What readers can grasp from this is how individuals can become motivated to take care of their issues, regardless of what has happened before. All in all, author's often utilize internal monologue such as in "Suitcases and Snow Globes" to allow the reader to learn about human …show more content…
In "The Possibility of Evil", an old lady named Miss Strangeworth encounters a woman named Helen Crane and her newborn daughter, quickly dismisses Helen Crane's worries about her daughter not developing correctly, and later writes anonymous letters to people, and addresses one to Helen Crane saying , "Didn't you ever see an idiot child before? Some people just shouldn’t have children, should they?" (Jackson 4). Here it is easy to see how Mrs. Strangeworth first displays concern for the baby, but then calls it an 'idiot child'. By reading this, people can establish how humans can be two-faced, saying one thing to appeal to someone, but actually believing another. As Miss Strangeworth writes her anonymous letters that are used to criticize people, she uses "a dull stub of pencil...she [prints] them in a childish block print...[and] everyone [in the town uses] the matching envelopes" (Jackson 4). Here, the audience can see how duplicitous Mrs. Strangeworth is, after all, she writes the letter in a childish print, and on a type of paper that everyone in the town uses often, so that the letters can not be traced back to her. Readers here are able learn about human nature, specifically when people become sneaky because they have done immoral things, and are trying to hide what they have done. All in all, people can learn from the actions and words of characters to be able to understand human nature