NOTE: Free essay sample provided on this page should be used for references or sample purposes only. The sample essay is available to anyone, so any direct quoting without mentioning the source will be considered plagiarism by schools, colleges and universities that use plagiarism detection software. To get a completely brand-new, plagiarism-free essay, please use our essay writing service.
One click instant price quote
Often in literature women are depicted as powerful, impelling forces that alter the characters or entire society that surrounds them. In Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, Lady Macbeth urges Macbeth into murder, in The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Hester Prynne alters society's attitudes toward her sin, and in My nokia, by Willa Cather, the life of nokia Shimerda motivates Jim Burden to lead an exceptionally successful life. In Macbeth, Lady Macbeth compels Macbeth to assassinate King Duncan. From the instant Lady Macbeth is introduced to the reader, one can infer that she is a strong and ambitious woman. Moreover, when the reader first encounters Lady Macbeth, she is already plotting Duncan's murder.
From this first meeting with Lady Macbeth, one can easily deduce that Lady Macbeth is an ambitious woman who has an intense desire to gain more power. Lady Macbeth is mentioned as the ambitious wife who instigates her husband to murder [so] that she may herself be queen (Freud 33). Furthermore, she is the dry, mannish fury, the harsh, rough, vain mistress, the detestable business woman, inflexible, self contained, unfeeling, crafty, treacherous and colder than the steel of the dagger which she wields (Brooke 30). Lady Macbeth is thus powerful enough to manipulate Macbeth into murdering King Duncan.
In addition, Lady Macbeth promises to provide the pusillanimous Macbeth with the courage he desperately needs to make the prophecy of the three witches become true, fearing that his nature is too soft to take the direct route to the throne (Dominic 256). Furthermore, she realizes that Macbeth is too full of human kindness, and part of her tactics with Macbeth is to urge him to be more of a man (Johnston). Ultimately, Macbeth murders King Duncan as a result of the vigor and forcefulness of Lady Macbeth. Likewise, the power of women is illustrated in The Scarlet Letter, wherein the vitality of Hester Prynne provides for the change of her Puritan society. Hester, characterized as a tough and persevering woman, is tall, with a figure of perfect elegance on a large scale (Stewart 104). After the township discovers Hester's sin, Reverend Dimmesdale publicly torments her.
While on the scaffold, under the pressure of the entire parish, Dimmesdale tortures Hester into revealing the name of the father. Nonetheless Hester stays strong and does not fall victim to his constant palaver, and she does not disclose the name of the father. Ostracized from society, Hester does not move to a different town, but instead she devotes her life to charity and good works. Even under the constant anguish caused by society Hester remains resolute, which demonstrates her strength and perseverance. The further elaborate on her vigor, at one point in the novel Hester goes to the Governors house to defend herself against powerful people who [wish] to take Pearl away from her (University of Wisconsin-Madison), a seemingly futile act for a person in her position. These actions, all of which were done while she had been living in continual humiliation, made a momentous impact on Puritan society.
Moreover, there is a change in the community's perception of Hester. The pejorative outlook that society had once held towards Hester is now that of utmost veneration and reverence. Hester's A is no longer a symbol of her sin, but rather a sign of comfort and help. Due to the fact that Hester aids those that are poor and ill, she is now regarded as a hallowed being, and... the capital A might have been thought to mean Admirable (Ryskamp 19). The power of Hester Prynne, aided by her strength and perseverance, allowed her to holistically alter the society around her.
Similarly, in My nokia, the life of nokia Shimerda impels Jim Burden to live his life to his full potential. ntonia's family was faced with a myriad of problems within the first year of their arrival in America. At times they had little or no food, ntonia's father killed himself, and the family had high expectations of the land that were ultimately not met. Due to this, nokia was forced to act as the father figure in the Shimerda household. Additionally, as a result of constant farming and other labor, nokia had to sacrifice many aspects of life, including education. All of her struggles had a major impact on Jim Burden, for she influence[d] [Jim]hundreds of times when [he didnt] realize it.
Furthermore, Jim views ntonia's struggles, and understands that he must never take anything for granted. Since nokia sacrificed her education, Jim does not take his for granted and works as hard as he can to reach his potential. His work pays off; he becomes valedictorian of his high school and eventually attends Harvard to study law. Jim undoubtedly reached Harvard and a career in law as a result of ntonia's struggles and sacrifices. The novel then concludes, a conclusion wherein Jim reflects on his past experiences with nokia and realizes how much she essentially means to him; he ultimately recognizes the significance of nokia and understands the imperativeness of the impact that she had on him. Frequently in literature women are depicted as powerful individuals that alter either the characters or total society that surrounds them.
In Macbeth Lady Macbeth coerces Macbeth into murder, in The Scarlet Letter the life of Hester Prynne alters her entire Puritan society, and in My nokia the life of nokia Shimerda motivates Jim Burden to live to his potential. Works Cited Bloom, Harold. Macbeth. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1987. Brook, Stopford A. Macbeth, On Ten Plays of Shakespeare.
Bloom 26. Dominic, Catherine C. Shakespeare's Characters for Students. Gale Research, 1997.
Freud, Sigmund. Some Character-Types Met With in Psycho-Analytic Work. Bloom 31. Johnston, Ian. An Intro to Shakespeare's Macbeth. 31 August 2005. Malaspina- University College. 14 November 2005. < web > Ryskamp, Charles.
The New England Sources of The Scarlet Letter. Twentieth Century Interpretations of The Scarlet Letter. Ed. John C. Gerber. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc. , 1968.
Stewart, Randall. The Woman with Exotic Richness, Hawthorne's Female Characters. Readings on Nathaniel Hawthorne. Ed. Bruno Leone.
San Diego, CA: Green haven Press, 1996. Thrasher, Thomas. Understanding Macbeth. Lucent Books, 2002. University of Wisconsin-Madison. 14 November 2005. < web >. Willa Cathers My nokia.
New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1987.
Free research essays on topics related to: macbeth lady macbeth, hester prynne, jim burden, nathaniel hawthorne, york chelsea house publishers
Research essay sample on Macbeth Lady Macbeth York Chelsea House Publishers
