The Role of Good and Evil

A detailed Summary of The Role of Good and Evil

The role of Good and Evil in Literature

The role of good and evil in a novel is very important. Fiction or non-fiction, novels which use good and evil as the major or underlying theme are powerful. Three novels, Maus II by Art Spiegelman, No-No Boy by John Okada, and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J. K. Rowling are very different texts all with themes based on good and evil. Although they are presented in different ways and have few idealistic and textual similarities, it is because of the good and evil theme that these novels are alike.

Art Spiegelman's Maus II is the true story of his father, Vladek, and the repercussions of his suffering in a Nazi concentration camp. In 1944 at the height of World War II in Europe, Vladek Spiegelman and his wife, Anja were attempting to escape Poland. They were caught and because they were Jewish, they were brought to Auschwitz. It is in the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz were Vladek experiences the unimaginable yet years later he contributes to his son's novel by sharing his experiences.

The subtitle of Maus II, And here my troubles began, goes along with the underlying theme of Spiegelman's novel. Although the story appears to be about Vladek's experiences

With the use of good and evil in their novels, Art Spiegelman, John Okada, and J.K. Rowling have all written very affective stories for people of all ages. Although these stories greatly differ, they are entertaining and are great literary works.

One specific incident in Harry Potter sums up the good and evil presented in the novel. Voldemort is trying to steal the Sorcerer's Stone, a powerful stone which contains the Elixir of Life. Drinking the Elixir of Life makes the drinker immortal and because of this Voldemort is trying to find it so he can return to power. If Voldemort returns then he will find Harry, kill him, and make life miserable once again. Harry, with the help of Ron and Hermoine, makes it through a series of traps set up in the school to protect the Sorcerer's Stone. At the end of the journey he encounters one of his teachers, Professor Quirrell. It so happens that Voldemort has convinced Professor Quirrell to help him and has since been sharing his body. When Harry sees Quirrell, the professor explains to him how Voldemort convinced him to help the evil wizard. Although Harry knows that there is such a thing as good and evil, Professor Quirrell states, "I met him when I traveled around the world. A foolish young man I was then, full of ridiculous ideas about good and evil. Lord Voldemort showed me how wrong I was. There is no good and evil, there is only power, and those too weak to seek it..."(Rowling, 291).

All three of these novels have aspects of good and evil. Although they have that in common, they are also very different. Maus II is a non-fiction story while No-No Boy and Harry Potter are fictional novels. The evil presented in each novel is affective in that specific novel yet would not work in a different story. The evil in Maus II is that of World War II and the cruelty of the Nazis toward the Jews, while the evil in No-No Boy is that of prejudice and injustice. The evil in Harry Potter deals with magic and mystery as wellas a young boy trying to adjust to a new world. The concepts of evil are easy to grasp in Maus II and No-No Boy while the evil in Harry Potter seems much more far-fetched.

"Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" is a novel by J.K. Rowling. The novel, the first of a seven-part series, is the fictional story of a young boy, Harry Potter, and his experiences in a school of Wizardry called Hogwarts. Harry Potter is an eleven year old boy who has been raised, along with his cousin, by his aunt and uncle, The Dursley's. H

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Approximate Word count = 1694
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English