Innate Evil and the Temptations of the Devil Essay -- American Literat

primeval American literature is unique in that it is abundantly limitd by scriptural themes and intellects. Being that this country was founded by the strict, fundamentalist Puritans, it seems obvious that the literature would be pervaded by such things as the presence of evil and its impact on goodness and holiness. The evil that is found in Melville and Hawthorne is interesting because it reflects the Biblical idea of evil tempting good and attempting to convert it rather than simply nullify it. The stories of Poe reflect the turmoil and evil that is contained within a person and tempts him or her to commit evil acts.What is fascinating about this literature is that in baton Budd, The Scarlet Letter, The Imp of the Perverse, and William Wilson, evil is always victorious. In todays guild, it is tempting to read stories and watch films in which good always prevails and the characters outlive happily ever after however, at the time of these writings, there was belt up an a ir of Calvinism and the lasting idea that mankind is innately evil. Modern decree is uncomfortable with the term evil, but at the time of this literature, it was a cat valium term that was used freely and had clear definitions. Therefore, because of the strong Biblical influence, the aforementioned(prenominal) tales are centered on this presence of evil and its temptation and torture of that which is holy until goodness is overcome. Melvilles Billy Budd is a tale in which the Biblical influence is quite obvious. There are legion(predicate) images of snakes and serpents, which is oftentimes symbolic of Satan. Many critics read the story as an allegory to the messiah story in which Billy and Claggart play the roles of Jesus and Judas (Wright 133). There is tomography throughout th... ...he adultery and temptations in The Scarlet Letter, and the murder in both The Imp of the Perverse and William Wilson all were easily classified as evil. Today, many of these actions woul d be subscribed to the doers childhoods or to other traumatic experiences and the people themselves would not necessarily be held responsible. It is difficult in todays society to classify good and evil because those areas are no longer disconsolate and white however, in early American times, evil was easy to come across and was seen as the influence of the devil. The aforementioned literature of Melville, Hawthorne, and Poe all contains tremendous influence from the Bible and therefore displays this evil temptation from the devil himself. Sadly, in apiece of the stories, evil always seems to triumph, and the characters are forced to realize their own sliminess and depravities.