The Intersection of Pride and Wrath Anonymous 11th Grade

Despite the notion of a utopian society, absolute perfection ceases to exist simultaneously with the human race. Mistakes have inevitably plagued humans since the commencement of civilization, but it is the accountability for these failures, not the failures themselves, which serve to characterize the human species. Archaic works such as Antigone by the classical playwright, Sophocles, testify to the timeless nature of human malevolence. In Antigone, a sage named Teiresias observed that a virtuous man seeks to reform and repent once he becomes conscious of his moral shortcomings. Only a prideful individual who refuses to admit his faults resides at the epitome of evil. As one of the deadly sins, pride encourages individuals to pursue personal gain, even if it means the annihilation of themselves and their loved ones. Certain literary characters such as Arthur Dimmesdale and Roger Chillingworth from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter and Lord Macbeth from William Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth, provide validation of the wrath that pride harbors.

Arthur Dimmesdale, the cherished reverend and saintly man of Puritan Boston, took immense pride in his public image, which ultimately led to his deterioration. Because he could not...