How Do Sinners Redeem Themselves In Literature?

There’s ‘The Gift of the Magi’ by O. Henry. I read this in school long ago but I still get chills thinking about this particularly lovely short story about a young couple who each lose their most prized possessions in order to buy the perfect Christmas gift for the other. The moral, that love is greater than any material possession and that true gift-giving comes from selfless sacrifice, is powerfully conveyed through a beautiful story and perfect irony, leaving the reader with a very warm and bittersweet feeling long after finishing the story. One of my favorite short stories is 'The Lottery' by Shirley Jackson. Now this is a very different type of moral. At first the story seems to be this really fun little tradition that a small town celebrates every year but in reality it is a horrid look into the dangers of blind conformity and the dangers of traditions that are continue simply because they have always been done. It is a very shocking story and there is a very horrid twist at the end that really shocks you into realising just how blindly people follow along with things that are wrong and even be cruel. We read this in book club and it really brought out a lot of discussion. Some people found it to be very horrible while others saw it as okay. Again this is not a 'feel good' moral but it is a very powerful message that really makes you think. Another piece that I find uplifting is “The Last Leaf” by O. Henry. An artist struggles to make ends meet with his girlfriend sick in an apartment right below them. He paints a single leaf on a close-by tree in order for her to know that they still have hope. The story is so beautiful in its quiet portrayal of friendship and the power of art to sustain life. I love this short story because there is no moral at the end of it. The moral is embedded throughout the whole story in the way that the characters treat one another with kindness and beauty. Every time I read it, I find something new about the characters and their relationships. It never fails to bring a tear to my eye in the happiest of ways.

It’s also worth thinking about how screen readers work through the Fandango checkout process, as the promo code field currently doesn’t have adequate text describing what field that is. For those using assistive technology to access the web, a website that isn’t designed well can present unique challenges. My advice for those having trouble using the Fandango website to purchase tickets to a show is to contact the theater where the show is playing and see if they can apply the Fandango promo code to purchase tickets there, and have them held at the box office for you. This can be an older way to do things, but often enough, smaller theater chains are more than happy to assist those having problems with the Fandango website. It’s a good way to think of as a backup option.

Draco’s redemption is somewhat questionable in the books. Yes, he ultimately does good in Deathly Hallows but there is never any point where Draco actively makes amends for his past actions. However, we can see that there is a change in the Draco’s behavior throughout the series, particularly in Deathly Hallows where he is clearly out of his depth with the returned Voldemort in his own home. He is also shown to be fearful and even regretful of his past behavior. If Draco were to have fully redeemed himself, he would probably have needed more time to do so. Perhaps an epilogue scene of Draco trying to make amends would have sufficed. As it is though, it is left somewhat open for interpretation and I believe that, while he is not beyond redemption, he is not entirely redeemed either.

Quoting kindness in niche quotes: Helen Oyeyemi’s ‘Gingerbread’ features this wonderful quote: ‘Be soft. Do not let the world make you hard.’ This is so relevant in our current tough and defensive world. Then there’s Murakami’s ‘Kafka on the Shore’, where it says: ‘And once the storm is over, you won’t remember how you made it through the storm. But you will barely remember the storm itself. I’ll never forget how many ways, wonders, and events have arrived at my house in the past few years. After not seeing my family for a while, I realized that the old me came back when I returned home. The memories, ideas, experiences, and moments remained vivid in my mind.’ Yet again, kindness in quotes. Survival of the collective kind is kindness too. These aren’t Hallcard quotes. They’re life lines written in beautiful prose.

I have re-read the last chapter of 'Redeeming Love' far too many times! There is a particular line that I come back to again and again. Angel realises, 'I am not what was done to me, but what I choose to become'. It brings me to tears each time I read it. The ending of the book is not about forgetting the past but about redeeming it. The fact that Michael never gave up on her even when she had given up on herself is amazing enough but their final moments together were just simple moments of everyday love and that in itself was the miracle!

I think one of the greatest things about manga is the visual symbolism. For example, an artist could depict a person in a slouched posture or hesitantly extend a hand, and then in a flashback be depicted in a softer, and often opposite art style. We can see a person’s “remorse” in their eyes, panel after panel. That’s why Sangatsu no Lion and Vagabond (which also explores themes of atonement) are so powerful – the art does half the work in expressing emotion.

The lazy genius in school - sleeping in class and then getting 100% on every test. This is a great fantasy for many people: someone who is so much smarter than everyone else that they can get by with doing very little. Some people even admire the lazy genius, while others find them very annoying. Often the tale of the lazy genius explores the idea of innate talent versus hard work. Is the genius lazy because they are just so smart and don't have to put in any effort, or is their laziness a facade that hides the real effort that they are putting in? In many cases it is revealed that the genius is working hard in secret, using some unique method of learning that allows them to get by. The lazy genius story line can challenge the notion that in order to achieve something one must work hard at it. In some cases it can even be a scathing criticism of our current education system and how it rewards memorization of facts over actual comprehension of the material.

It is a nice phrase ‘dearest reader’ and one that is used in lots of classic novels. I think of the Brontës first and how, in ‘Jane Eyre’, Jane addresses the reader in her direct acknowledgements of her thoughts and feelings. It is a gentle gesture which gives more insight to the reader into the harsher aspects of the novel and makes clear her successes. But then there’s Ian McEwan’s Atonement. McEwan employs the most complex form of direct address in the novel and thereby constantly forces the reader to become aware of the fictional nature of a story and of the emotional effects it has on him. It’s wonderful. And it makes me ponder how such phrases are able to form a personal connection with the reader and at the same time draw attention to the art of writing the novel. The deliberate style of the phrase ‘dearest reader’ is amazing.

Dew in stories? That’s nature’s sticky note. The tiny, ephemeral stuff is full of meaning. I think kids’ books use dew a lot to show wonder – e.g. Wilbur’s web sparkling in the early morning sun in ‘Charlotte’s Web’. Horror stories on the other hand can make dew seem sinister, damp and frightening. This is all about perspective. A farmer might look at dew and see promise of future crops. A heartbroken hero might look at the same dew and see all his lost love disappearing before his eyes. Dew is magic because it can mean whatever you like it to mean without explanation.

Manga fans may remember this scene from “Death Note” where Light Yagami stages his own death to mislead L, the main antagonist, in his investigation. But in reality, it was just a clever trick. Very different from other tropes where the death is the end of the story, this one is part of a cat-and-mouse game that’s extremely engaging and totally different from other Death scenarios.