Evil Is The Underlying Element In Life

Of A Living Creature Essay, Research Paper

“Evil is the underlying element in the life of a living creature.” This

quotation, by Ray V. Sjorvek, expresses the idea that all living creatures

contain a certain degree of evil inside themselves. In literature,

protagonists usually express their sinister sides through words or actions

when trying to prove the point that one’s hidden emotions cannot be

concealed. Authors generally write about evil causing the downfall of

society. In many cases, authors speak of hatred persuading people to aid in

the corrosion of civilization. Christine Sparks’ famous novel, The Elephant

Man, William Shakespeare’s play, “Romeo and Juliet”, and Mildred Taylor’s

novel, Let the Circle Be Unbroken, all convey the idea that hatred, which

develops out of the evil within man’s heart, can only lead to destruction.

In Christine Sparks’ novel, The Elephant Man, many of the characters

express hatred towards a character referred to as the Elephant Man. One of

the first characters introduced in the play is Mr. Bytes, the keeper of

John Merrick (the “Elephant Man”). Bytes continually beats Merrick like he

would an animal and he uses Merrick to gain money by performing at “freak

shows”. Because of his appearance, society views Merrick as an outcast.

Furthermore, Bytes expresses his frustration towards Merrick by beating up

the “Elephant Man”. Another character in the novel named Dr. Treves is a

kind, compassionate man. However, when he first meets Merrick, he chooses

not to associate with John because of his outward appearance and apparent

lack of intelligence. Lastly, we meet Jim Renshaw who is a cold, heartless

janitor working at the hospital where Merrick resides. Renshaw, like Bytes,

abuses Merrick and wants to use him to gain money. All these characters

display the idea that undeserved retribution towards someone who is

abnormal develops from pre-existing hatred of someone different than the

others in society.

In William Shakespeare’s play, “Romeo and Juliet”, hatred leads to the

death of several people. A long-lasting feud between two families, the

Montagues and the Capulets, results in the death of many of the major

characters in the play. Tybalt, one of the first characters in the play to

be killed, loses a duel to Romeo after he murders Mercutio, Romeo’s friend

and a relative of Prince Escalus. Thus, the prince exiles Romeo from Verona.

However, this is not the end of the killings because Juliet’s fake suicide

ultimately leads to the death of Paris, Juliet’s to-be husband, and the

suicide of Romeo. Seeing Romeo dead, Juliet stabs herself with a dagger.

The root of these deaths was the feud between the two families. This feud

inspired Romeo’s hatred for Tybalt and Tybalt’s hatred for Mercutio and the

Montagues. Therefore, we can conclude that the pernicious and destructive

actions of the characters were caused by their inability to control their

hatred for one another.

In Mildred Taylor’s novel, Let the Circle Be Unbroken, hatred leads to

prejudice towards colored people. Prejudice towards blacks and other

minorities was nothing odd during the 1930’s. The protagonist of the story,

Cassie, first experiences an example of racial tension when she notices a

drinking fountain and cannot drink from it because it is “White Only”.

Another example of prejudice occurs when Suzella, who looks white but is

actually half white and half black, gets attention from many white boys.

However, when the boys find out that Suzella is partially black, they stay

away from her. Lastly, society’s hatred towards blacks displays itself when

a young boy named T.J. Avery is falsely accused of robbing a store. T.J.’s

imminent conviction shows us that the judicial system, the one thing that

should defend people’s rights can be warped according to the way society

wants it to be it to be. Therefore, we can conclude that prejudice is yet

another manifestation of hatred.