Ahriman of Persia. Gauna of the African Bush People. Gui of China. Set of Egypt. Hayagriva and Mara of Buddhism. Iblis of Islam. Oni of Japan. Ravana and Shiva of Hinduism. Lilith and Satan of Christianity. No matter the name, evil takes form in every society's faith. Religion, one of the themes in the Romantic Movement, helps reveal the fears and ideals of society. In fact, this movement highlighted morals, individualism, and intuitive perception. They also stressed that nature was good and society was corrupted. The stories “Young Goodman Brown,” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, and “The Cat,” by Edgar Allen Poe, highlight religion, or the doubts that come with it, as an important theme. In Romanticism, the central religious theme of many pieces,
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Self-explanatory examples such as naming the village Salem (after the scene of many witch trials), calling the main character's wife ‘Faith,' and portraying a devious ritual in a dark forest relate to religion (Hawthorne 1, 6). Other illustrations hide themselves; for instance, most of the adjectives in the piece have negative connotations. On page 5, the last paragraph on the sheet displays words like “frightful,” “horrid blasphemy,” and “hideous” (Hawthorne). By tying in negative biblical ideas, Hawthorne reveals the various emotions of puritans at the time. The fact that ‘Faith' betrayed Brown shows that people doubted their belief - if their hard work would pay off. Naming the town Salem and portraying a conniving ritual in a dark forest tied into the townspersons' fear of the supernatural. By using negative words during and around these events, the author strengthens the fearsome theme. Altogether, the plot and word choice of this parable show the doubt and fear that came with religion in the …show more content…
After the main character's house burns down, he sees something on the only remaining wall. The story says that he “approached and saw…the figure of a gigantic cat…there had been a rope about the animal's neck” (Poe 3). In Christianity, the Roman Catholic catechism calls capital punishment a “lawful” practice (Paul 2267). This may relate to the fear of hanging. If someone goes against the church or its laws, no law exists to stop the accused from the ultimate penalty. Later in the piece, the narrator describes the mark on his new cat's neck, he details that “It was now the representation of…the Gallows” (Poe 5). This event, while tying back to the fear of hanging, shows a new fear – one of the supernatural. The story gives no plausible reason why this cat developed a white mark, in the shape of a noose, about its neck. Finally, at the end of the book, the police have discovered the tomb of his wife, and, upon opening it, they see the cat. The main character then describes, using the words, “solitary eye of fire” (Poe 8). In Christianity, when describing God, the Bible says that “his eyes were like flames of fire” (Revelation 19:12). This cat acted like God, in that it made the main character pay for his wrongdoings. These three events show the fear of religion and other unknown powers
Self-explanatory examples such as naming the village Salem (after the scene of many witch trials), calling the main character's wife ‘Faith,' and portraying a devious ritual in a dark forest relate to religion (Hawthorne 1, 6). Other illustrations hide themselves; for instance, most of the adjectives in the piece have negative connotations. On page 5, the last paragraph on the sheet displays words like “frightful,” “horrid blasphemy,” and “hideous” (Hawthorne). By tying in negative biblical ideas, Hawthorne reveals the various emotions of puritans at the time. The fact that ‘Faith' betrayed Brown shows that people doubted their belief - if their hard work would pay off. Naming the town Salem and portraying a conniving ritual in a dark forest tied into the townspersons' fear of the supernatural. By using negative words during and around these events, the author strengthens the fearsome theme. Altogether, the plot and word choice of this parable show the doubt and fear that came with religion in the …show more content…
After the main character's house burns down, he sees something on the only remaining wall. The story says that he “approached and saw…the figure of a gigantic cat…there had been a rope about the animal's neck” (Poe 3). In Christianity, the Roman Catholic catechism calls capital punishment a “lawful” practice (Paul 2267). This may relate to the fear of hanging. If someone goes against the church or its laws, no law exists to stop the accused from the ultimate penalty. Later in the piece, the narrator describes the mark on his new cat's neck, he details that “It was now the representation of…the Gallows” (Poe 5). This event, while tying back to the fear of hanging, shows a new fear – one of the supernatural. The story gives no plausible reason why this cat developed a white mark, in the shape of a noose, about its neck. Finally, at the end of the book, the police have discovered the tomb of his wife, and, upon opening it, they see the cat. The main character then describes, using the words, “solitary eye of fire” (Poe 8). In Christianity, when describing God, the Bible says that “his eyes were like flames of fire” (Revelation 19:12). This cat acted like God, in that it made the main character pay for his wrongdoings. These three events show the fear of religion and other unknown powers