Argumentative Essay

Can a man truly redeem his own freedom after many years of reflection? In the novel More Joy in Heaven written by Morley Callaghan, Kip Caley plays a struggling ex-convict in search of redemption while trying to lead a simple life. We experience a thrilling nail biting story of the quest for redemption throughout the entire novel. Kip’s lover, Julie, a lower class citizen, has brought a positive outcome on Kip by making him believe in something, bringing him life and also built up his self-esteem.

To start off, Julie was Kip’s night and shinning armour because she initiated the beginning of their love. Kip Caley was lacking a lot of self-esteem before returning to his home, which often leads to a troubling return into society but Julie built up Kip’s self-esteem in no time. He fell in love with what she represented; a simple life. He also develops a physical attraction to her while at the restaurant, thinking things like “Her dark eyes made her intelligent, but it was her mouth that made her beautiful.” Their love was tied together by the similarities they had from the beginning of the novel such as they were both linked together by the need to have money and they both come from a broken homes. The author used these small details as a foreshadowing method, leading the reader to believe they would never fall apart.

Julie also developed a sense of loyalty towards Kip which then lead him to have trust and believe in someone again. We notice Kip believing in someone other than himself when he stood up to the boys at the restaurant for Julie because he thought she could be a stronger woman than she was. This is very important because Kip lost his sense of hope towards people at a young age due to his father not being present in his life, and his mother not paying much attention to Kip because of work issues. He kept his guard up, leaving no room for others to fail him. Julie also gave him a sense of belief that she will always be there when he needs her. From the minute she told Father Butler something was wrong to her using her small body as a shield for Kip, we sense his best interest was at heart.

From the day they meet to the day they died Julie brought him a fresh start. Kip’s lover also awarded him the effect of being happy, it is said that she brought him life. Julie would always give him comforting and she changed the way he saw things in society such as there’s more than one class of people that matter. Thanks to Julie, he came to realize the upper class was not what he wanted. Afterwards, she helped Kip find hope in a new life that could be realistic for him. Having someone believe in him so much made him realize the purity of her heart. Julie was one of the only persons in Kip’s life that initiated his hope to have that simple life he dreamed of for so long.

We can conclude that Kip Caley was influenced by Julie in a positive manner, resulting in Kip having the chance to lead a simple life with the women he loved. Many signs were given through out the novel that validated Julie’s effort in other to change him for the better by giving him hope within himself. It is clear that Morley Callaghan stayed true to the theme of redemption. On a last note, it would be interesting to know if ex-convicts are accepted as reformed citizens in today’s society.