religous commentary in lit.
Often in literature, both modern and classic, authors take the persona of one or more of their characters. Writers do this to portray to the audience their personal perspective on a controversial aspect of their own contemporary setting. A common issue tackled in a variety of different time periods and genres is religion, a controversial subject worldwide since its conception. From this perspective, Duong Thu Huong's Paradise of the Blind and Gustave Flaubert's Madame Bovary are very different novels, since Madame Bovary is from nineteenth century Western Europe, while Paradise of the Blind is from present day Vietnam. Authorial religious commentary is a common thread that links both of these novels together. However, Huong's and Flaubert's novels both contain lots of negative authorial commentary on their respective religious practices and the religions themselves perhaps because the authors themselves are skeptical about their particular beliefs and motives. Duong Thu Huong implies in Paradise of the Blind that in order for women to succeed and thrive in Vietnamese society, they must break free from the constraints of their confining religion and religious customs. Aunt Tam is the embodiment of this theory. "The festiv
He was seen going into the church every evening for a week. Father Bournisien called on him two or three times, then abandoned him. The priest was drifting into intolerance, into fanaticism, said Homais (299). In addition to using Homais to mock the clergy, he uses the priest himself to mock the customs and the religious institution of the Catholic Church. Flaubert uses the scene with the catechism class to show how wrong things are done in the church. "The priest suddenly burst upon them and dealt out slaps all around (98)." This is supposed to represent the intolerance of the Catholic Church at this time. The priest is also mocking religion when he is visiting Hippolyte. This shows that the priest does not genuinely care about the welfare of Charles and is as ambitious as the next man. In summary, Flaubert uses the priest as an example of how Catholicism is corrupt. Comets extinguish themselves, but memory refuses to die, and "hell's money" has no value in the market of life. Forgive me, my aunt: I'm going to sell this house and leave all this behind. We can honor the wishes of the dead with a few flowers on a grave somewhere. I can't squander my life tending these faded flowers, these shadows, the legacy of past crimes (258).
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1121
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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