Hawthorne’s Reoccurring Themes Nathaniel Hawthorne‚ considered by many to be one of the great American writers‚ is known for his unique style of writing. His darkened tales of moral folly captures the destruction caused by immorality. Examples of this can be seen in “The Minister’s Black Veil” and “The Birthmark”. “The Minister’s Black Veil” is a story about a clergyman that one day arrives at church wearing a black veil. From this day forward‚ he is never seen without the veil‚ and offers
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Oedipus Rex and Plato’s Allegory of the Cave: The Illusion of Reality Sophocles was known for his emphasis on the individual’s uncompromising search for truth‚ particularly in “Oedipus Rex.” In Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave‚” he‚ similarly to Sophocles‚ illustrates man’s pursuit of truth and what that means. Plato suggests that truth is subjective to each man. But what is truer? What is illusion and what is reality? Just because something is illusion for one man does not make it falsehood for the
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Contrast of Poe/ Hawthorne Poe and Hawthorne are the most significant American writers of 19th century. They have their own way of relating to their audiences that’s varied and similar at the same time. Poe’s writing involves the reader emotionally. Hawthorne on the other hand considers author’s imagination important and paints a picture based on it. These innovative thoughts and experimentations in language have forever changed what we appreciate in writing. Poe and Hawthorne used various
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Gatsby’s flaw as his inability to distinguish between reality and illusions‚ which can be seen through his persistent goal of acquiring the wealth and power of the individuals who are considered “old-money.” Although the social hierarchy established by the classification of individuals as either “old-money” or “new-money” made attaining a different status an elusive task‚ Gatsby chooses to ignore this reality. He instead begins to live in the illusion that he will be able to obtain the wealth and power
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between Illusion and reality‚ Blanche Dubois arrives in New Orleans with the impression of a patronising‚ wealthy school teacher who has no time for those who she believes to be below her class as we see in her rudeness to Eunice at the very beginning. As the play progresses we see that Blanche is merely projecting a persona which hides both her past and the inevitably grim future that awaits her. On the other side we have Blanche’s brother-in-law Stanley who acts in opposition of the illusion which
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Mirror When faced with a harsh reality that we cannot bare to live with‚ we try to diverge and create a new route of illusion or fantasy to escape. However when reality comes knocking at our door we start to retreat further into this illusion or fantasy in order to preserve ourselves. In the play “A Streetcar Named Desire” by Tennessee Williams‚ the subject of how the role of self-perception plays when individual try to reconcile the conflict between illusion and reality is illustrated by the character
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beliefs‚ Dr. Josef Mengele’s cruelty and mutilation to Jews and Romas was necessary. During 1943 and 1945‚ a period already infamous for European mass killing‚ known today as a holocaust‚ and World War II‚ many humans taken prisoner were used as guinea pigs in experiments. One question remains from that time frame: What was Dr. Josef Mengele trying to prove or discover using information from his medical-based experiments? The gruesome knowledge derived from Dr. Josef Mengele’s experiments was clearly
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As people grow and evolve‚ their beliefs are solid and unwavering. Humans are stubborn‚ incapable of change. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s claim that men are capable of change is valid. In The Catcher in the Rye‚Holden Caulfield reveals the never changing tapestry that is a man’s personality. He begins as a contemptuous adolescent‚ critical of all those around him. Regarding everyone as a “phony”‚ Holden isolates himself from his surroundings. Continually dwelling in the past‚ Holden refuses to move forward
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represent is clearly implied through the course of scene 10. Her illusions‚ the very foundation of her life‚ are destroyed and this reflects the decay in her power‚ status‚ and mental capacity. Symbolically‚ this scene is used by Williams to show the death of the aristocratic values of Blanche. Blanche herself realises this and believes she is in “desperate circumstances” as she is “caught in a trap” and needs “help”. The “trap” is reality as Blanche feels that her dreams are dying before her eyes and
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are plenty of examples of appearance versus reality in The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The most significant one‚ it seems to me‚ is the fact that the pious minister‚ Arthur Dimmesdale‚ is actually an adulterer who had an illicit affair with a married woman. Throughout the novel‚ a war between his soul/spirit and his body rages. He is a sensitive man to begin with‚ and then the constant conflict between what he knows he should do (public confession and repentance) and what he does (private
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