The Theme of Guilt: Enduring Love, Quiet American

When he was little his mom died, and his dad remarried to a woman named Thula. Thula did not like joe and she kicked him out when he was only ten years old. “She declared that she would not live under the same roof as joe, that Harry must choose between him and her. She said Joe would have to move out if she were to stay in a godforsaken place. Joe was only ten years old” (Brown 86,87). I never could understand how someone could kick a child out of the house and force them to live on their own when they are ten years old. As Joe grew up the more he needed his family, but his family was not there for him, at least not his biological family. When Joe made the rowing team that's the day that he got a new family, even if he did not know it at the time. So was Joyce, a beautiful girl who loved joe and they were going to get married and start a family of their own. “When joe stopped playing they talked about what it would be like when they were married and had a hoe and maybe kids” (Brown 102). Making the rowing team and meeting and falling in love with Joyce might have been the best thing that has ever happened to Joe. As soon as everything start going good for Joe, Thula gets an infection and dies. Not that it was a good thing that she died, it was very sad, but it brought Joe and his dad back together again. Harry wanted Joe to move back home with him and the kids. “I’m going to build a house where we can all live

Joe grows as a character throughout the book, his life began at a very young age when his mother Nellie died of throat cancer, this left Joe growing up without having a good mother figure in his life. Not only that, but Joe was also really sick at a young age by contracting scarlet fever. So he would be staying at his aunt Alma’s home, where he was raised as a young child. Later on when he turned five years old, he went to go back to living with Harry and his newly wedded wife Thula. “Harry Rantz packed his family into his Franklin touring car and headed northeast, to the mining camp where he had been working as a master mechanic for the past year.” (Brown 71). The longer Thula and Joe lived together, the bond between them

Thesis: Betrayal leads to feeling of guilt which forces the person in search of redemption either directly or through indirect actions and gestures.

So he stands up for himself, which shows he is strong. Joe-Boy is a bad friend, he was teasing Vinny about the dead boy in the text it says “ Are you going to let your mom control your life or what”? And” you going to jump down and touch the dead boy’s face beneath the rock”. That shows that he is getting out of Vinny’s comfort zone, which makes him a mean friend.

My personal experience with guilt was the time when I cheated off a math quiz in elementary school. Eyes glaring across the table of the smartest girl in class, I started scribbling answers on the test. Catching her glance made me look away and not make it too noticeable. Realizing my deed and its effects encouraged me to look away from her test and pour out my own knowledge and effort. This relates to Gary Soto’s experience of stealing the pie while I nearly cheated on a math test. In contrast, my consciousness made me realize my evil ponderings and to control my nerves on not knowing the material.

Unacknowledged Shame Theory is seen in a perspective that shame can cause a destructive emotion and can promote crime instead of preventing it if it is not managed positively. By using apology in return for forgiveness symbolises that reparation can commence (Braithwaite, 2004).

Baumeister et al. (1994) describes guilt as an individual's unpleasant emotional state associated with possible objections to his or her actions, inaction, circumstances, or intentions. Baumeister et al. (1994) thought that Guilt could be understood in a relationship contexts as

From a young age, Joe was not treated properly and this damaged his view on trust and his capablity to think that people cared about him. This is demonstrated through his own father leaving him. However, Joyce makes him rethink this. When Joyce met Joe she knew that she wanted to get to know him. When she did she “slowly resolved that someday she would find a way to compensate for the way the world had treated Joe Rantz.” (66) She was the first person to put in effort to make sure that Joe had somebody that he could depend on. Joyce is consistently supporting Joe, even when they can’t see each other. The reason why Joe learns to trust again is because Joyce is dedicated to making sure that he knows that he has someone supporting him. As this recurred they fell in love. When they would see each other Joe picked four-leaf clovers for Joyce. One day when Joe was picking four-leaf clovers he said he had found one, went back to Joyce and “He held out a closed fist, and as she reached out to receive the clover. But as he slowly unfolded his hand, she saw that it held not a clover but a golden ring with a small but perfect diamond.” This is the first sign in the book as real trust from Joe after he got abandoned. This is significant as well because the person who broke his trust, his dad, had a wife whom he just married because he was lonely and she did not treat Joe well. Marriage solidified his decision to trust in Joyce and to separate his life from what his father had done.

As opposed to communicating his outrage he tries to avoid panicking. This is either an indication of incredible resilience or utter shortcoming. There, on the other hand, is a moment when Joe demonstrates that his pride has been harmed, to be specific when he leaves the coin under his wife's cushion in the wake of laying down with her. This is a sudden turn in an identity that is apparently unequipped for harming someone else. Anyhow who can accuse the poor man for he has seen his entire world go into disrepair after the treachery of his loved one. The integrity of his character is completely shown in his pardoning toward the end of the story.

With the lack of jurisdiction enforcement and Basil’s pitiful attempt on finding justice, Joe is forced to find vengeance himself. Furthermore, Joe is appalled that little action has taken place. Erdrich says, “I've had enough fear for my whole life. You will not add to my fear. You will not add to my sorrows. You will not be a part of this” (89). This exemplifies the loneliness and fear that Geraldine has after the rape. Although, Geraldine is telling joe not to pursue Lark, this only fuels his emotion to seek vengeance. “I'll do it. There is nothing to stop me. I know who he is and i’m going after him” (89). Joe’s passion is immense. Although Joe does not know the true identity of the rapist, he still is determined to avenge his

“Guilt” means that a person feels regret after doing harmful to other people or himself. This can be found through the feelings and behaviours of a person. In the novel of Fifth Business by Robertson Davies, the theme of guilt is demonstrated through a number of events happened in this story with many characters. First of all, the incident of snowball leads to a great guilt to Dunstan.

A sequence of events leads up to Joe becoming almost completely isolated from the outside world. During his time in the isolated continent, Joe becomes addicted to narcotics; he escapes his pain and anguish by succumbing to detached and paralyzed state of mind. Throughout his journey in this secluded continent, he is faced with his hatred of the Germans and his desire to enact vengeance upon them for all that he has lost. When he meets a German geologist exploring the frozen tundra, he inadvertently kills him. Joe experiences ironic feelings of remorse after so many years spent obsessing over the destruction of the Germans. There was no gratification or fulfillment, for Joe, in the German man’s death. Joe felt repulsed and an abhorrence in himself for his

The principal cause of Joe’s reconnection is the company and conversation he and Violet share with Felice, Dorcas’s best friend. By continuing to visit Joe, Felice expresses

. . When we got to the stairwell - I was just going to leave but, a Announcer came, and exploded.” Daniel curls his lips in between his teeth, watching Lucinda. “Todd broke his neck with the impact but. . Luce lived, somehow.” Daniel's violet eyes were filled with wonder, curiosity as to how she had lived at all that

Joe resolved to kill Joanna in order to escape her. “He believed with calm paradox that he was the