John Steinbeck once said: "I believe that there is one story in the world, and only one, that has frightened and inspired us, so that we live in a Pearl White serial of continuing thought and wonder. Humans are caught—in their lives, in their thoughts, in their hungers and ambitions, in their avarice and cruelty, and in their kindness and generosity too—in a net of good and evil. I think this is the only story we have and that it occurs on all levels of feeling and intelligence. … There is no other story. A man, after he has brushed off the dust and chips of his life, will have left only the hard, clean questions: Was it good or was it evil? Have I done well—or ill?” What in your group novel supports this ascertation? Explain. Who/what is the evil in the novel? Is the evil defeated or victorious? Explain.
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In As I Lay Dying, there is a constant battle between deciding between what is good and bad. Anse thinks he is doing good by bringing his wife to Jefferson. He says he promised her and that it was all she wanted. In the end, Anse brings Addie for the wrong reasons. He finds a new woman and brings Addie to Jefferson so he can get his teeth. What was thought to be good in the beginning turned out to be bad in the end.
In Their Eyes Were Watching God, there are three major evils. The first evil is Logan. To Janie, Logan is becoming a horrible husband. This evil is defeated quickly by Joe, who takes Janie away from Logan. Times are well with Joe, but then Janie is swept again into a bad relationship. This evil lasts longer. Janie lives with Joe's rules for many years, until he becomes sick. Yet again evil fails. The last evil comes with Tea Cake. The evil is not Tea Cake, but the monster Tea Cake's disease makes him. The disease in the end is victorious, and makes Janie take the life of the only man she ever loved. IH
In As I Lay Dying, Anse is the "evil" character in the novel. He is the lazy and careless husband of Addie. He made a promise to Addie that he will bury her in Jefferson when she dies. He accomplishes this task and also endangers the lives of his children. He is lazy and careless because it took him nine days to bury his wife. Anse is victorious because he buries his wife, has new teeth, and remarries... all on the same day. -DE
In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie is faced with many decisions between what is right and what is wrong. In the end, she chooses to follow her heart, despite what others think. Janie's conflicts correspond to John Steinbeck's emotions, because her entire narrative occurs in retrospect. Janie knows and believes that true love exists. Though she has never met someone who is "the blossom on her pear tree", she continues to seek him. Janie has to decide between the wrongs of her role in Joe's store and her place and Logan's kitchen, or a true love yet shabby lifestyle with Tea Cake. Her biggest decision, however, comes when she kills Tea Cake out of love and self-defense. Looking back, Janie has no regrets, and has a much greater understanding of herself.
The bad opposition in The things they carried is the war. Everyone is trying to defeat the war or overcome it. Sometimes the war is victorious because it destorys many lives. The war is not defeated.
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