"Character is what you are in the dark." (Dwight Lyman Moody). What does the author of this quote mean, and what does it reveal about ourselves in general? Some people might take this quote for face value and interpret it as "people only reveal who they are in a dark surrounding". This quote, however, is more that just that. It shows one of the core values of characterization, or that people only reveal themselves in their deepest thoughts. Examples of this are seen in stories like Lather and Nothing else by Hernando Tellez, The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell, and The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe. The quote "Character is what you are in the dark" means that you only reveal who you are in your deepest thoughts, which can be applied to stories like Lather and Nothing else by Hernando Tellez, The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell, and The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe. …show more content…
However, only he knows this because he hides it in his innermost thoughts and doesn't show who he is on the outside. For example, when he talks to the Captain, he doesn't fully reveal his intentions to kill him, but rather has small talk with him. However, when he thinks to himself, it is a different story. "I could cut his throat, so, swish, swish! He would not even have time to moan, and with his eyes shut he would not even see the shine of the razor or the gleam in my eye." (pg 3) This reveals that the barber can only be seen for who he really is in his
It is difficult to decide which is the right decision to make when a situation presents itself. Normally, people carefully think over the consequences both positive and negative and we may believe that we have made the right choice although, others may not think so. The barber's choice in the short story, "Lather and Nothing Else" written by Hernando Tellez, is negotiable. He is secretly a member of the resistance that is fighting against the government. The conflict is introduced when Captain Torres, an executioner, walks into the barber’s shop to get shaved. That gives the barber an opportunity to kill him and become a hero. As the barber shaves him he contemplates every possible outcome of
There is not a contradiction between what the narrator says and his behaviours. There is not a contradiction because The barber/Narrator did not kill Torres proving his point that he is a better person than Torres and is not a killer. During the shaving, the barber states "I don't want blood on my hands, just lather that's all." which shows that the barber did not have the intent to kill Torres he just wanted to be a barber. A person can be a rebel without being a bad person. Furthermore, another example showing that the barber is not a murderer because of his comments is because everyone gets thoughts like those sometimes. If they were put in a circumstance where they had their enemy in the grasp of their hands. They are normal thoughts if
Question One: Doug has a difficult family life. His father behaves less like a parent and more like a bully, but in Marysville, Doug meets other adults who show him kindness and compassion. Name a few of the adult characters in Okay For Now who offer Doug guidance and instruction. What does Doug learn from them? Support your response with evidence from the text.
Jimmy knows too well the agonies of abandonment. First, when his mother, Cecilia, ran away with Richard to pursue a better lifestyle. Then, due to his father’s, Damacio Baca, alcoholisms and violent behavior; he also had to leave Jimmy behind. In spite of the drawbacks from abandonment to being a maximum security prisoner in Arizona State Prison, Jimmy preserver’s the darkness of prison by overcoming his illiteracy. However Cecilia and Damacio is not as fortunate as their child; Cecilia is shot by Richard after confronting him for a divorce and Damacio chokes to death after he is released from the detox center(Baca 263). Therefore the most significant event in this section of the memoir, A Place to Stand by Jimmy Santiago Baca is the death of Jimmy’s parents.
The characters tone of during the first two paragraphs of the book shows that the character is very straight forward towards the audience. He doesn’t want the audience to be unknown by what is happening. Such as in the book he says “. And, let me confess, you feel that way most of the time. You ache with the need to convince yourself that you do exist in the real world, that you're a part of all the sound and anguish, and you strike out with your fists, you curse and you swear to make them recognize you. And, alas, it's seldom successful.”(PAGE 3). This quote helps the reader learn about the the truth that the narrator is trying to tell, showing the reader that his darkest secret is the very truth
The story shows that the author/barber is too weak to kill a human being; he would feel remorse, and guilt. He is not selfish, and he is quite intelligent with his use of thoughts. The barber made his decision, with no direct consequences, they weren’t worth it. He “didn’t want blood on his hands.” The captain entered the shop for a haircut, normal or not, and that’s all he got. The local barber remains in his barber shop, even after facing his worst enemy and making difficult choices. The dilemma in this story is very large; he doesn’t know the consequences of each of the two choices. Two tough choices, both not very pleasant, he made the right choice. And the war continues unsolved. The ending is very indeterminate because you’re left asking yourself many questions about the story. You don’t know what happens to the barber or even the captain in that case. Did the captain rat out the barber and kill him? Or does he leave him be due to his innocence? Does the captain continue killing, even after saying how difficult it is? You’re wondering so many things about this story. And all questions are left
In the movie “Grease,” John Travolta portrays the character, Danny. Danny especially struggles throughout the movie trying to figure out exactly who he is. It remains very common for teenagers to struggle with identity while going through different stages of their lives. Identity is a self-definition or sense of who one is, where one is going, and how one fits into society. As much as Danny does not want to see it when he is around certain individuals he acts much different than what he does around other individuals. Furthermore, I will cover four topics on how Danny struggles with identity throughout the movie “Grease” with the following topics: how Danny views himself, how Danny’s friends view him, how Sandy views him, and lastly how Danny changes throughout the movie.
For the most part, Dwight Lyman Moody once said "Character is what you are in the dark.”.In this quote Moody describes how a person can be mostly themselves when no one is watching.Likewise, this quotations is false because often characters show their true self no matter who is watching.In particular, in the short story "A Dangerous Game," Richard Connell uses Rainsfords skills, actions, and his dedication as a haunter to reveal that no matter who is watching he manages to show his true self and overcomes his main conflict General Zaroff.
As I was about to walk in the barber shop, I suddenly remembered what my Lieutenant had to say to me, “don’t go in the shop, he’ll kill you, he’s a rebel”. While these interpretations have a chance of being valid, I continue to believe that killing isn’t an easy task due to the repercussions that come along with it. When I entered the barber shop, I could see an individual who was tall and was carrying a muscular build. At this point of time, the barber had not yet noticed me, so I took a few steps and made sure I was visible in his peripheral vision. Eventually, I was noticed and a few seconds later, conversation was initiated on how my beard is four days late a shave. After several minutes of discussion, I was indeed ready for my face to become hairless. He sat me down in his
The book “Ugly” by Robert Hoge it is a inspiring, true story about, Robert, a boy who grew up in Brisbane, Australia, with a tumor the size of a tennis ball on his face and two deformed legs. Robert had four other brothers and sisters, who were all older. The story is the journey of Robert Hoge and his life with artificial legs and deformed face, and all the challenges he faced along the way.
For this part of the essay i'll be explaining one possible definition, or true meaning behind the quote " Character is what you are in the dark." Now Dwight Lyman Moody could have used this literary term to expand a greater meaning or interpretation to show people that in the light of everything your true self or character will be left in the dark, maybe because your shy or because of how our society these days are judgmental and if someone to show there true self they would be embarrassed or afraid. If i were to read this quote in a book about
The outcome of this struggle reveals that his character is centered around integrity. The barber contemplates murdering Captain Torres while he is most vulnerable, “[Torres] leaned back and closed his eyes.” (pg.14A) This awoken the conflicting thoughts of how the barber’s reputation would be viewed, “ Murderer or hero?” (pg.15C) A continuation of his thoughts concluded that he did not want to be viewed as a murderer; “I don’t want blood on my hands.” (pg.15C) The barber valued honor, and as Captain Torres came to him for a shave he would do just that, “Just lather, that’s all.” (pg.15C) Another aspect that weighed heavily onto the barber as he was shaving Captain Torres where his values as a revolutionary. His strong values as a revolutionary strongly contradicted his values of honor and integrity. This posed a unique dilemma as the barber was forced to choose between avenging the executions of his fellow revolutionaries, and valuing respectability in his profession. His ultimate decision of letting Captain Torres leave peacefully further revealed his character as he chose integrity over what his fellow revolutionaries would have deemed right, “it was going to be very difficult to explain that I had him right in my hands and let him go peacefully.” (pg.14C) The barber's choice to not kill Captain Torres clearly
TRANSITION WORD*In the story “Just Lather that’s All” the antagonist’s name is Captain Torres who executes rebels who go against him and his crew. In the Captain’s perspective, he perceives the rebels as bad people and in the barber’s point of view he believes the Captain is the bad guy. Captain Torrez walks inside a barbershop and puts his gun into his holster and hangs his weapon up by the door, at the front of the shop. Captain Torrez and the barber both recognize each other and realize their enemies. The Captain and the barber don’t act upon anything and continue on with their dilemma. The barber doesn’t deny service to the Captain. Therefore, Captain Torrez sits in the barber’s chair and at this point he becomes a customer. There is a reversal of power and the barber becomes in control of the situation and has a razor blade in his hand. The razor blade becomes a symbol of destiny because the barber can alter his fate. He can use the blade to kill his enemy and take revenge by turning his
this quote is that one’s behavior (such as actions or speech) can show the soul of a person: who they really are. There is a strong connection between this quote and The Odyssey by Homer, specifically with Penelope. In Books 1, 4, 18, 19, and 21, Penelope grieves about Odysseus and Telemachus’ leaving in search of him, greets and treats her guest with hospitality, and deceives the suitors many times to prevent her marriage to one of them, characterizing her as caring, loyal, and a little evil. By showing these different sides of Penelope, Homer is telling his readers that women are not only the caring and motherly figures, but they are also intelligent and mixtures of various characteristics.
What is character? Character is something that is hard to explain. It is who we are, the way we act, and the kind of person we truly are and want to be. Character is what you are in the dark. But if character is the kind of person you are when no one is looking, then why does it matter? Character matters because even when we think no one is looking, they are. People are always watching us and the way we behave and many will look to us in admiration and inspiration, so it is our job to constantly be a role model of good character. A couple of ways that we can show our character are through gratitude and respect, but we can also look up to others, such as Benjamin Franklin, as role models for good character.