Juliens Journey
Warning: There are a few spelling errors.'It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.' 'What is essential is invisible to the eye,' the little prince repeated, so that he would be sure to remember. -- Antoine de Saint-Exupery, The Little Prince The ending of Stendhal's, The Red the Black, is obscure. Julien Sorel is sentenced to death by guillotine for the crime of attempting to murder Mme. de Renal, his former mistress. During his trial, Julien has the sympathy of the town and powerful figures of influence behind him; he could quite easily change the verdict of trial by simply claiming his act was a crime of passion. Yet Julien stubbornly insists, from the moment of the offense until the day of his death, that his crime was utterly premeditated and he deserves nothing short of death. The details of the crime are nebulous. Throughout his life, Julien devoted all his energy to perfecting his outward behavior in order to transcend humble, peasant, beginnings and achieve fame, wealth, and social status. On the very brink of achieving his goal (he had acquired estates, a title, the rank of lieutenant of the Hussars,) a letter from Mme. de Re
Julien is stern in his conviction that his attempted murder must be punished with death even while people who are a greater harm to society are free. Julien is not a tragic character; Mme. She is not lost to him; he knows, somehow, that she forgives him and still loves him. Julien embraces hypocrisy, but it is not clear that he understands what hypocrisy is. He comes to defined conclusions that satisfy him: Religion and society are hopelessly corrupted, hypocrisy is everywhere and virtue is nowhere, being a member of society he is not at fault for falling victim to it in his ignorance. Frequently, Julien's outbursts are passed off as fits of enthusiasm, his thoughts quickly turning back to attainment of wealth and influence. Once, solely for amusement, Julien appoints a fool to an office. If Julien knows himself, he knows that once out of the shadow of death it will be even harder to correct his habits. Here, in the middle of a hopelessly petty society, Julien invokes the basic structure of true justice and the eternal, important, truths that law is built on. men from the salons never get up in the morning with this agonizing thought: 'How am I going to get my dinner?' And they boast of their honesty!(518) They're so proud, these weak characters who are kept above temptation by their financial situation!(506)Julien is right. (292) Later, Julien is asked to participate in a conspiracy that will benefit the aristocracy and the church.
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Acceptance Essays
