Sir Gawain
Gawain and Binary Opposition As a contemporary American reader, it is all right to assume that the first scene in which the particular character is involved drastically shapes our opinion of characters in a particular novel or poem. Immediately we jump to conclusions about what is right and what is wrong, who is the good guy and who is the bad guy. In fact, once we get an initial impression from a character, it is unlikely that this opinion will change as we continue to read on, unless of course some drastic events take place. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is an excellent example of a poem where first impressions may not be the most important to the reader. As the opening scene unfolds, we are introduced to a Green Knight who seems extremely high on himself and Gawain who seems full of confidence and is ready to take on any challenge. However, the events that take place later in the poem will most definitely have an impact on the way we view each character individually. We are automatically forced to take sides, one of the characters is bad and one of them is good. It is absurd for someone to think that this not be the case when two people confront each other in such a dramatic opening scene. By looking at the incidents that hap
By looking at Gawain's actions, and comparing them to the hunters who went out each day, there is a definite similarity. Gawain also exhibits some characteristics that can be compared to Beowulf. Meanwhile, he is trying to lie to cover up the affair that he is secretly having with the Green Knight's wife. He is immediately attracted to a woman he sees and thinks about the idea of possibly pursuing her in a sexual manner. The reader becomes aware that the Green Knight is the person behind all of the things that are occurring, so what is the reader left to think about him? Obviously the opinion will have a great degree of variance. Unknown to Gawain at the time, he was actually attracted to the Green Knight's wife, but of course he was oblivious to him since he did not even know if he was in the right castle or not. No longer are their previous dispositions correct and their ideas that were once so firmly planted in their minds is not totally reversed. Charles Bressler, in his book entitled Literary Criticism, defines binary opposition by saying that "for each center, there exists an opposing center (God/humankind, for example)" (125). In this aspect, the author seems to be saying that knights are not God-like figures and they have a lot of work to do as a person. As the reader turns the pages and begins to divulge himself in Part Two, it becomes clear that these assumptions may have been a little off in terms of what group to put the two main characters into. If you fail to do this, your perception may change to the exact opposite of what you want. When Gawain embarks on his voyage to find the castle of the Green Knight, he has no idea that the tide is going to turn and his worst qualities are going to become exposed at the hands of the Green Knight, the man who he had beheaded just a couple of months ago. This is synonymous with the plan Gawain was trying to use, pushing the contact with the lady to the very edge. The second message from the author is that once you become something (a knight), you must strive to keep becoming better as a person and do not think you are immune to the dangers that exist in the outside world. "She gave him the belt, and besought him for her sake to conceal it well, lest the noble lord should know" (240).
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Acceptance Essays
