The Significance of Literature in Illuminating on the Shadowy Plane of Humanity - Essay Example

Mans dark past Outline Thesis I. Good men are hard to find a. Story review b. Deductions and conclusion II. Greasy lake a. Story review b. Deductions and conclusion III. A well lighted place. a. Story review b. Deductions and conclusion Summary Literature of the supernatural is characterized by distinct symbols themes and images that succinctly predict the human condition. This is normally brought out by the interactions between the supernatural and natural worlds. Most of this literature deals with tales of irrational aspects of the way of life of humans by attempting to reveal the dreadful facets of human nature. It is noteworthy that most of this horror, fantastic stories involving supernatural forces more often represent the dark side of human nature. This paper explores this literature by focusing on three short stories to determine the significance of literature in illuminating on the shadowy plane of humanity. Good Men Are Hard To Find In “Good men are hard to find” the author initially portrays a horror story, but in the end it becomes a religious tale in which there is a determination of how good and evil are distinguished. The story is seen through a grandmothers’ point of view, the lead character in the story. She represents the old generation who are religious, and is tormented by the modern world, and thus, hard to please in any way. Every person around her appears to be flawed as she says that they lack respect or just because they are tired of dealing with her high expectations. However, what the grandmother does not realize is that her old judging ways were also flawed, for if she stopped dwelling in the past and opened her eyes to life realities she could have saved the whole family from the misfit. Therefore, the title of the story is the representative of the grandmother’s assertion of then changed society, and this is evident when Red Sam’s wife states; “It isn’t a soul in this green world of God’s that you can trust… And I don’t count nobody out of that, not anybody, as she is looking at her husband” (O’Connor 370). Therefore, the story has more to just a family going for a vacation away from home, for it contains prefigures that allude to the conclusion of the story. This is depicted in the conversations of characters, especially the grandmother and children’s mother whom have been used as symbols of the old and the new to bring out lessons to the human kind (DiYanni, 322). This show how good and evil has continued to have a never ending battle through the eyes of O’Connor. Greasy lake The second short story “Greasy Lake” is characterized by rape, death, alcohol and drugs all of which are attributes held by the bad boys in the story (Walker, 257). The main character who is the author begins the story by the description and that of his friends as a bad character. This is depicted in the way they dress: “we wore torn-up leather jackets, slouched around with toothpicks in our mouth, sniffed glue and ether and what somebody claimed was cocaine” (Walker, 250). Therefore, in as much as the narrator has described the greasy lake to be a dangerous place, it is where they chose to spend their days and late nights just to be termed as bad boys (Boyle, 130). However, as it turns out, this lake seems to be a symbol that is used to convey the deterioration of morals in the society. This is because as the narrator says, the current waters of the lake were not the same as in the past, which made the Indians who were the original inhabitants of the place name it Wakan in reference to the clarity of its waters. Therefore, this change of waters from the time of Indians as clear to murky is a sure enough example to communicate the corruption of the current morals of the societal context. The lake symbolizes the decadence in morals, especially the youth culture. This is a depiction of how man can only look back into his history to derive lessons. This is so because during the time the Native Americans lived there, they took care of the lake and the clarity of water was a proof of that. Therefore, the place was safe as opposed to the current status which has left the lake a deserted and polluted place where one would not associate with except for the bad boys who conduct their illegal activities such as rape and illegal drugs. However, in the end the narrator and his friends get to learn through a sequence of accidents that enable them change their ways. Therefore, by utilizing the lake both as a tool for mythical initiation and an object of matching up to and complementing the narrator, one gets to learn the importance of history in determining the future. A Well Lighted Place In the third short story “A Well Lighted Place” there are three characters who represent three dissimilar views of the meaning of life, with one being a young one as compared to the other two. The setting is in a small cafe which is well lit and safe for the older man who normally frequents it late in the evening for serenity. Thereafter, the conversation that ensues between the other two men, one who is old and the other young, introduces the addressees to the actuality of the world from different perspectives. The young waiter, thus, just believes that he has a purposeful life which is a sharp contrast to the old chap drinking away his life. Therefore, the older waiter’s part is unbiased, for he is able to relate to both the extremes. The younger waiter does not see the reason why the old customer wants to murder himself when he already has a lot of money (Hemmingway, 151). This means that he believes life is just about having money. Therefore, for him the cafe is a place to look for money, which is in contrast to the old customer who liked the place because of the accompanying comfort and serenity (Hemingway, 145). As the old man seems to like the place he is not willing to go home early enough, and this anger the younger attendant who wants to go back home to his wife who is waiting for him. This story is thus powerful as well as a depressing investigation of the true meaning of life. This is a true comparison between light and darkness as well as between the youth and the old. It fairly touches on the subject of arrogance and selfishness that most often characterizes the young and understanding of the compassion of being older. It thus illustrates the revelation of the happenings of the past of this young waiter when he becomes older, and this explains why the past of any individual is great in finding oneself. This is because when he grows up the young waiter will get to understand this. Conclusion The three short stories are an appreciable reminder of how history is important in people’s life, for it is from it that the present life finds meaning. Thus, it serves as a source of lessons that are both good and bad that should be aimed at the enhancement of the existing life of human kind. In as much as the young would want to embrace the new, they should know that the past holds more than just memories, and should strive to embrace literature, for with it man finds many revelations that can lead to transformation without losing the understanding of life’s realities. Thus, why literature is an important tool through which the reader can be able to analyze the behavior of human’s, and draw conclusions that are so important in life just as revealed in the three short stories. Works cited   Boyle, T. Coraghessan. “Greasy Lake & Other Stories.” United States: Viking Press, 1985. Print. Walker, Michael. "Boyle's 'Greasy Lake' and the Moral Failure of Postmodernism." Studies in Short Fiction 31.2 (Spring 1994): 247-255. Print. DiYanni, R. Flannery O'Connor in Context. Literature: Reading Fiction, Poetry and Drama. New York: McGraw-Hill. 2007. Print. Hemmingway, Ernest. A clean, well lighted place.1933 pp 149-152. Print. O’Connor, Flannery. “A Good Man Is Hard to Find.” The Writer’s Presence: A Pool of Readings. Eds. Donald McQuade and Robert Atwan. 5th ed. New York: Bedford/St. Matrin’s, 2009. 942-954. Print. Read More