Task 4 Essays

Lies can create a web of troubles for the liar. In order to maintain a deceit, a liar will have to expand and complicate his stories, avoiding the truth and the clear conscience it provides. Fyodor Dostoevsky once said, “…fear is simply the consequence of every lie. “ In other words, deceit results in fear and anxiety for the liar. Although I disagree that lies inevitably produce fear, this is certainly true in the case of two works of literature, Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. Using characterization and conflict, Shakespeare and Smith explore the idea that the end result of every lie is fear.

In Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare uses the character of Friar Laurence to show how lies result in fear and anxiety. The Friar, in his first soliloquy, gathering plants from his garden, ponders a paradox of life, that vile things often produce good and virtue, and vice versa. The Friar’s words mirror his own actions. With the best of intentions, Friar Laurence marries the star-crossed lovers in hopes of bringing peace to their families. In order to deal with every subsequent complication, the Friar must create an even thicker web of lies. After the climactic moment in the tomb, when Juliet awakes to find her husband dead from poison, Friar Laurence, rather than stepping in to resolve the situation, sets the stage for a double tragedy. The Friar’s fear is what causes him to behave in such a cowardly, un-Christian way. Repeating the phrase, “I dare no longer stay,” Friar Laurence succumbs to his own fears, the result of the web of lies he has constructed in hopes of bringing peace. Proving his own maxim true, the good, peace-loving friar brings havoc and tragedy to both the Montagues and the Capulets as a result of his constant use of deception.

In A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Smith uses the character of Katie, mother of Francie and Neeley, wife of Johnny, to show how fear is the inevitable result of deception. Using a third-person narrative to tell the larger story, Smith employs a narrative device to reveal Katie’s inner-most thoughts. Katie’s marriage to Johnny is built largely on her ability to avoid the painful reality of Johnny’s alcoholism. To maintain the strength of character necessary for survival under the harsh circumstances in which she finds herself, Katie must maintain an illusion of harmony and balance. Rather than confronting the problems directly, Katie uses euphemisms with her children to refer to Johnny’s drinking. At one point in the novel, Katie’s sister, Sissy, a woman who although guilty of her own deceptions confronts conflict much more readily than her younger sister, steps in to aid Johnny is his one serious attempt to sober up. Kaitie is unable to face reality directly. Although Katie maintains a steely façade to the outside world, Smith’s use of monologue reveals a fearful and desperate woman. This fear and desperation are a direct result of the lies Katie uses to establish her outward sense of calm against the storm of Johnny’s raging addiction.

Although lies can often produce positive results, Dostoevsky was right to suggest that deception results in fear. Friar Laurence creates a web of deception, resulting in fear, which ends in his abandoning the adolescent Juliet at a critical moment. Katie reveals her desperation and fear for her family’s survival privately; unable to break through the web of lies she must construct in order to maintain a semblance of peace in her marriage to an alcoholic husband. Both works suggest that we are better off confronting painful moments, steering through life’s conflicts with a clear conscience. Lies will only add to our hardship.

No achievement comes without a price. Bernadette Devlin once said, “To gain that which is worth having, it may be necessary to lose everything else.” In other words,

our greatest successes require enormous sacrifice. The truth of this quote is explored by two works of literature, The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger and Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. In the first novel, the protagonist, spending a few adventurous days in New York City, struggles with his grief and, in so doing, gains a more mature perspective. In the second novel, the title character, at a critical moment, sacrifices her present comfort for an uncertain future. Both Bronte and Salinger use internal conflict and symbolism to explore the idea that getting what you want can often exact a significant cost.

In The Catcher in the Rye, Salinger uses internal conflict to establish the torment of his first person narrator, Holden Caulfield. Holden, an adolescent grieving the death of his brother Allie from leukemia years before, leaves Pencey, his boarding school, to pursue a few days of reckless adventure in the city. Holden meets a variety of characters that confirm his view of the world as a cruel and unjust place. To Holden, the adult world is "phony"; only children possess the sincerity and innocence Holden seeks to protect.

Holden's view of the world and his subsequent hostility toward it are symbolized by his red hunting cap. Salinger uses the cap to express his character's anger toward a cruel world that destroys innocence. In addition, the hat allows Holden to protect himself from that same world. While wearing the hat, Holden self-conciously adjusts it according to his temperament, signaling his ability or inability to cope with world around him. Even the hat's color, a bright red, echoes the color of his dead brother's hair, which Holden describes as being visible from a great distance. At the end of the novel, Holden gives the hat, a kind of adolescent security blanket, to his sister, thereby signifying Holden's readiness to accept the more complicated world of adulthood. This symbolic gesture suggests that Holden has finally embraced a more mature outlook and can finally let go of everything he knows, namely the grief he has nurtured since his brother's death.

In Jane Eyre, the title character is a young woman in search of her identity. Various conflicts create critical moments of choice for the young protagonist when Jane must make decisions that will profoundly effect the course of her life. Jane reaches one such moment when she must decide whether to accept the marriage proposal of her cousin, St. John, a proposal that for Jane represents a compromise. Knowing that there is no passion or love between them, Jane realizes that the marriage symbolizes the taking of a wrong course. After successive attempts by St. John to persuade her, at the moment when she is about to accept, Jane hears a voice calling, the voice of her soulmate, Rochester. Rather than making the easy choice and give in to her cousin's will, Jane rejects his offer and leaves everything she knows in order to pursue the meaning of this voice. Her position as a teacher in the local school, her new-found family, a possible future as a missionary with her cousin, all are abandoned on an impulse. As a result, Jane is reunited with Rochester and the novel reaches its cinderella ending. But in order to get it, Jane has to give up everything she knows.

Bernadette Devlin was right - the best rewards are often a result of enormous sacrifice. As Jane Eyre and Holden Caulfield both discover, the proverbial "light at the end of the tunnel" presupposes a dark tunnel, where one must journey, often under precarious circumstances, to reach that final moment of understanding.

It is not what an author says, but what he whispers that is important."

Logan Pearsall Smith

In the novel Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen makes us read between the lines with the character Mr. Darcy. Mr. Darcy when he is first acknowledged, is shown to us as a miserable man who despises poor, not so wealthy people.

Melissa

In William Shakespeare's Macbeth the weather is an important symbolism in representing the mood of the play. The thunder and lightening that accompany the witches appearance and the terrible storms that rage on the night of King Duncan's murder these symbols reflect the corruption in the moral and political order.

Gabriella

For example, the red-room acts as a symbol for Jane's isolation. Her being locked up in that room, filled with fear shows her adversion to feeling isolated or excluded, which is her main conflict throughout the novel.

Renee

Austin shows us not to trust everyone, through Mr. Wickham. he is a man who knows how to please others, but only to get something in return. Elizabeth at first begins to really like Mr. Wickham and she believes him when he talks about Mr. Darcy, but Mr. Darcy and Mr. Wickham are foils of each other. Wickham pleases people to get something from them but Mr. Darcy doesn't please anyone, he helps people and gives them something without wanting anything in return.

Everything that happens to Jane only makes her stronger. It motivates her to do better and to be equal to everyone, even those at the top of society. Jane, at one point in the book, is completely homeless, she doesn't have food, she still continues, and when it seems even nature is against her she finds new relatives and an uncle who leaves Jane a lot of money after he dies. Jane doesn't just show she's equal, or strong, she shows a women is able to do everything she wants without anyone's help.

Rafaela

Every action has its consequences. As L.M. Montgomery said, “…we pay a price for everything we get or take in this world…” In other words, nothing is free in this world; there is an expectation involved with every human relationship. This quote is true and proven by two works of literature: The Tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare and Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. In Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, a manipulative wife, must eventually pay for her unbridled and immoral ambition. In Jane Eyre, Edward Fairfax Rochester, master of Thornfield Hall, must pay for the arrogance and deceit of his dealings with the title character. Both authors use symbolism and characterization to prove that every action comes at a cost.

The red room is a symbol of what Jane needs to overcome in her so find what she struggles to find what she wants, freedom, happiness and a sense of belonging. By the end of the novel, she is no longer imprisoned; she finds what she wants and more.

Rafaela

Overcoming obstacles is part of life.

Victoria

Both Jane and Christopher suffer greatly. Jane is an inferior woman who is forced to leave the one she loves, while Christopher is an autistic teenager, eager to do things on his own.

Nicole K

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nite Time is centered around the protagonist, Christopher, who faces many obstacles in order to become independent.

Monique