Good and evil

Melville pulls information from many different sources, including but not limited to the Bible, history, and law to describe his characters and the events in Billy Budd. There is also a clear example of evil and good displayed through Claggart and Billy Budd while the narrator stands in a grey middle ground that doesn’t seem like it’s been developed. The narrator’s unstable stance can be seen in the following quote: “At the least, we can promise ourselves that pleasure which is wickedly said to…

question of what was good and what was evil, since the lines have become increasingly blurred over the years. On one hand, evil is anything that causes physical, mental, or emotional harm to another human being, whereas good is anything done for the physical, mental, or emotional well being of others. The fact remains that people are born good and without evil intentions, but it is the choices a person makes in his or her lifetime that determine whether or not that person is good or evil. One…

choose to act on. That’s who we really are.” Good and evil oppose the meanings of one another. Often in this world, people describe others by either all the positive qualities or by the negative qualities, forgetting that nothing in the world is perfect or completely imperfect. Harper Lee, author of To Kill a Mockingbird, uses numerous themes and symbols throughout the novel; however, none serve a stronger than the application of the co-existence of good and evil. The novel approaches this theme…

illustrates human nature and the universe’s constant struggle between good and evil, “Inside each of us, there is the seed of both good and evil. It 's a constant struggle as to which one will win. And one cannot exist without the other.” John Gardner’s Grendel also exemplifies this conflict, and there is frequent controversy over whether Grendel is considered evil or not. Grendel is not evil; he is merely led to perform evil deeds due to his absence of self-acceptance, companionship, and…

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn said, “the battleline between good and evil runs through the heart of every man.” Humans have a choice from the very start, to chose sides between good or evil. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn believes that the choice of humanity derives from the heart of all humans. What about human nature? Is it a choice? Like Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Nathaniel Hawthorne believed that humans from the dawn of time were constructed evil. Through the parable of “ Young Goodman Brown” Nathaniel…

According to Jorah Mormont, “It’s tempting to see your enemies as evil, but there’s good and evil on both sides of every war ever fought.” This is fundamental in The Red Riding Trilogy. No one knows how deep the corruption is until it is too late. Those that were thought to be good were evil and those thought to be evil were good. The baddies at no point tried to hide how bad they were or how far they were willing to take things. Their motto was, “To the North- we do what we want.” They were…

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee ‘The consequences of evilness on others and how good and evil can coexist in a person’ One main theme, which is commonly seen throughout ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’, is the coexistence of good and bad people in society, and how the evilness of people can affect others. The protagonist, Scout, and her brother, Jem, think that everyone in Maycomb is good, from their childish perspectives. Throughout the story, Jem and Scout both start to develop and they learn how…

“Good” versus “evil” is a dichotomy examined time and time again throughout literature. This contrast can be presented obviously in fairytales, however, when the juxtaposition builds subtly throughout a novel, it inspires a different type of dissection. However, each occurrence of this juxtaposition presents a conundrum. Who has the qualifications to make a statement on what is good and what is bad? However the fact of the matter comes down to this: the concept of good versus evil is elusive as…

The problem of evil and the conflict between good and evil have been the leading concerns in some of the twentieth-century British novelist. Evil is one of the Golding’s major concerns in the novels. He identifies the existence of good but he seems to believe that evil is a more powerful force and under certain conditions would dominate human life. Lord of the Flies express in Golding’s own words “the end of innocence the darkness of man’s heart” and “the fallen state of man” is the principal…

of whether people are naturally good or evil is one that has been asked by writers and philosophers alike throughout the centuries. In “Heart of Darkness” one of the major themes is human nature and whether people are naturally good or evil. Conrad uses Marlow and Kurtz as vessels to explore human nature and to send a message to his audience. By examining the story, the reader can see the difference in how Marlow represents good in humanity, how Kurtz represents evil, and how these two…