The Intricate, Complex Characteristics That Structure Human Nature
“Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe.” ― Albert Einstein. Since the beginning of time, we have been exploring, investigating, and analyzing the still yet unsolved phenomenon that we call “human nature”. The Way the Crow Flies by Ann-Marie MacDonald demonstrates the complexity and varying characteristics that make up human nature through a convoluting yet intriguing plot. This realistic fiction novel walks one through a story of the McCarthy’s, a typical nuclear family in the 1960s who recently moved to an air force base in Centralia, Ontario. The story of this family shows the readers the familiar, welcoming side of human nature, while later unveiling the displeasing, undesirable part that lurks within every soul, and how
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March has an obsession with molesting children, Mr. March could have been another person for the police to look into. Both Madeleine and Jack knew that Ricky was innocent, and also the Froelich family was one of the first people to befriend them when they first moved here. Logically, there is no reason why both the McCarthy’s would refuse to rescue Ricky. But because their feeble, powerless human nature that was so hesitant to help Ricky due to the fear that people will find out their secret, the two ended up just watching an innocent person receive the punishment that rightfully belongs to someone else. Down to the bone, human nature is often selfish. But unlike Mr. March and Marjorie, who are shameless in committing crimes, Madeleine and her father live the rest of their lives in guilt that they could have saved an innocent person but did not. And twenty years later, they are still haunted by their guilty conscience. Before Jack dies, he tells Madeleine that he had indeed witnessed Ricky that
“The boy” and “The man/ papa” set forth on a journey to find a home, a simple most mundane thing which, in their case is an impervious destination. Each day went by and “the boy” and “The man/papa” constantly moved mile after mile trying to fulfill their desires for a dwelling. This same craving is found in McCarthy’s life as he traveled from one place to another due to his father's work. Because McCarthy never settled in an area for a
McCarthy’s The Road exemplifies the struggle to survive throughout the entire novel. In the most trying times, during the longest stretches without food, the father’s persistence and confidence
For centuries, psychologists and psychoanalysts have studied humans in hopes of discovering a common link, a pattern per say, in what provokes their certain thoughts and actions. Many question certain values, morals, religion, even their brain chemistry, but nobody knows for certain. Sigmund Freud’s theory suggests that human actions/personalities derive from three parts of the human psyche; the id, ego and superego. William Golding analyzes this further in his novel, Lord of the Flies, which is about a large group of boys that crash-land on a deserted Island after fleeing a dangerous England in the times of WWII. These young boys are used to entertain the idea of savagery vs. civilization and how evil lies deep within us all. After
The nature and way humans behave has been sunk deep into our ancestors’ history and experiences. The many sides of human nature are present in all of mankind. The nature of mankind is explored by numerous texts. Two of these texts are Lord of the Flies and The Hunger Games. Both texts explore the nature of humans and how everyone has traits of them all.
The use of McCarthy’s style of writing is written in a way that someone can detect the feelings of the character rather than the story of what happened. The purpose for narratives is to focused on the plot of the story but McCarthy wants the readers to really feel exactly what the characters feel so he in repetitive of how “Cold and Grey” (McCarthy 19) the world around them is Even when they are physically battle something like hunger, you can really feel that they were almost always “Out of food” (McCarthy 197).
Human nature can be analyzed through feelings, characteristics, and behavior. Humans are capable of expressing different emotions such as hate, frustration, remorse, happiness and other emotions depending on the situation they are encountering.Various aspects of human nature can be observed through many forms of media. Often times humans are portrayed in a negative way, however there are certain cases where they are portrayed positively, like in the memoir Night by Elie Wiesel. Evil acts, discrimination towards others, and perseverance for survival, are all apart of human nature.
In the novel, Lord of the Flies, William Golding is able to use his outstanding writing abilities utilizing metaphors, symbolism, and other literary devices to establish a hidden message throughout the novel. The hidden message that Golding builds on is that there is a natural evil inside every human being, which is suppressed in an organized society through laws, rules, and punishment. The young boys in the novel are on an island all by themselves. There is no punishment for their actions, therefore allowing that evil to come out of most of the boys. All humans have an innate evil within them and that evil is brought out when there is a lack of civilization and consequence as seen in Simon’s murder,
Throughout Lord of the Flies, Golding shows his views of the inherent evil of humans. He shows how humans can be in such a savage state, practically mimicking the way of life of their prehistoric ancestors. He exemplifies this with acts of carnage carried on by the young stranded children. It all started with a slight urge to hunt down a pig and then continued on to murdering another human being. Golding shows his views best at the end of the book with the boys being rescued by a Navy crew, which would go on to war it self.
In attempting to reveal insight upon the first part of this two-fold question, one must first discern the meaning of human nature. According to the authoritative opinion of The Random House College Dictionary human nature is defined as; "the psychological and social qualities that characterize mankind." In assessing the psychological and social qualities of mankind, it was easy to find oneself consumed within the vastness of characteristical qualities for which humanity has been endowed. These qualities range from ignorance to knowledge; grief to joy; from incontinence to self-restraint; lust to perseverance; injustice to
In the year 1908, in the northeast region of Wisconsin on a struggling farm, a devout Roman Catholic couple brought a their son, Joseph Raymond, into the world. The McCarthy’s, an Irish-American family, were hard working and industrious on their farm in a rural area of Wisconsin.
Human nature is the collection of distinct characteristics that defines what it is to be a human. In the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare and the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding, it is debatable what distinctive characteristics are found in human nature. The texts reveal that human nature tends to start as innocent, it is susceptible to corruption, and the duality of human nature. This stance will be illustrated by comparing evidences found within the texts and comparing it with one another.
Cormac McCarthy is a well-known fictional author, especially well-known for his dystopian novels and his ability to lure readers into his books through his language and his depth of writing. His famous novel “The Road” entices readers in through his well-constructed post-apocalyptic dystopian genre. McCarthy cleverly uses language techniques such as third person and indirect free speech. The relationship of the man and his son unveils the true meaning of love and the willingness to fight for the survival of a
Human nature is a broad subject. What does it truly mean? It is a word with more than just one definition. To put in simpler terms, human nature is characterized into two major types; human perception and human behaviour. Of course, not all humans have the same perspective. Likewise, they all do not perform the same behaviours. Humans are different from one another, as is every other living entity. Because of this, there may be similarities between humans, but there are most definitely differences as well. Written by Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner is a book that describes the life of a young Sunni Muslim/Pashtun named Amir. The book follows his life as he changes from childhood to adulthood to show how human nature greatly affects his life, and the individuals around him. This book is filled with many characters that have unique strengths and weaknesses that help describe their ‘human nature.’ For instance, Baba, Amir’s father, nicknamed as Mr. Hurricane, is described as an extremely brave person who acts upon himself to help and defend others from their troubles. An example of this is when he decides to build an orphanage (Hosseini 12-13). His downfall in the end was his decision to reject the chemotherapy, as his bravery made him ignorant. The author’s perspective on human nature shows how it is able to determine the fate of an individual throughout their life. This is evident on Amir’s case, as his actions revolve around the
The understanding of human nature is the concept that there is a set of inherent distinguishing characteristics, including ways of thinking, feeling, and acting that all humans tend to possess (Winkler, 1996). My basic view of human nature correlates with
Human nature is what tells us apart from each other and makes us distinctly human. Our nature and understanding is what makes us different from animals and other creations due to our ability to think and reason. No other creature on this earth has that given ability. Our reason gives us the upper hand and allows us to reflect on our nature and behaviors that allows us to make changes and transform. For example, when facing adversity, we have the choice to continue with our struggles or terminate the situation; if we witness someone else’s misfortune, we have the option to follow in their footsteps or avoid making the same mistake. Human nature, gives us the capability to express our emotions, love and connect. It also allows us to display emotions and actions that are not always appropriate like hate, rape, murder and war. Despite our positive sides, as humans we are capable of destruction, competiveness and greed. Although, I strongly feel that a person’s environment and upbringing will shape their life choices, it does not automatically define who they are or