The Five-Forty-Eight
John Cheever was an award winning American writer of the 20th century.
Cheever ‘s short narrative entitled “ The Five-Forty-Eight ” portrays a battle of good vs. immorality. In Cheever ‘s short narrative, he examines the subjects of wickedness, misrepresentation, and salvation, as the reader sees the narrative of a immature adult female ( good ) seeking retaliation for the evil done to her. Sin is connected with immorality in many ways throughout the narrative. Deception is obvious throughout the different characters of this narrative. Although some characters do non play a big function in the narrative, they all act together to make the bigger image. Redemption is normally the last measure in a narrative that contains some kind of immorality. It epitomizes the chief point of the narrative, which is the conquest of good versus immorality. In “ The Five-Forty-Eight ” , Cheever suggests that there are ever effects to evil actions.
The Webster ‘s dictionary defines evil as “ that which is morally incorrect. ” Sin is frequently connected to evil, as Cheever explores in this narrative. Although wickedness is something evident in this narrative, it is something that is besides present everyplace. Blake has some distinguishable morality issues. He is self-involved, manipulative, and shoal and has isolated himself from his friends and household. Blake sacrifices his relationships to give into his sexual desires, which is our first indicant of his evil run. He sleeps with Mrs. Dent, his secretary, and returns to fire her. His wickedness is evident in that he does non believe twice approximately allowing her spell. The lone ground he does this is to do himself more comfy. He cares about no 1 but himself. He is so improbably shallow and self-absorbed that he married his married woman for her beauty entirely ; he has no attractive force to her in her old age. He does non even feign to love his married woman. This is stated clearly when he says “ the physical appeals that had been her lone attractive force were gone ” . ( Cheever ) Sin is something present in every facet of life.
Misrepresentation is something that affects about every character in the narrative. If it were non present, so wickedness would hold no foundation. It is all connected. In one of the flashbacks of the narrative, Blake remembers his many injudiciousnesss with easiness. Every one of these minutes where he so easy cheated mean his wickedness, uniting it with misrepresentation. Blake ‘s married woman is somewhat deceived into believing that anything she says to her hubby will halt him from handling her so ill. When he tells her he will non speak to her for two hebdomads, she calls and begs him to reconsider. He is in no manner phased by her blatant supplications. Miss Dent is deceived into believing that Blake might really care about her. Deception AIDSs Blake in his conquerings of the old adult females he has cheated with, every bit good as with Miss Dent. Blake deceives even himself into believing that Miss Dent does non hold a job. He convinces himself that she is merely a diffident adult female with some insecurities. This shows his true bosom. He would instead avoid the obvious so as to acquire his manner in the terminal.
As in many of Cheever ‘s narratives, picturing the battle of good over evil, one character saves the twenty-four hours. Miss Dent is a device in Cheever ‘s narrative which refuses “ to admit the conclusiveness of immorality ” . She sets out to alter Blake and do him human, alternatively of immorality. Her mission is completed every bit shortly as Blake “ stretched out on the land crying ” . All she wanted was for him to experience the hurting and sorrow which he had inflicted on her through his immoral actions. Mrs. Dent walked away before she killed him, which once more shows how echt she was in her effort to suppress immorality, and non kill. She was successful in suppressing immorality. The good prevailed. Cheever personified good and evil in “ The Five-Forty-Eight ” to promote us to understand the relationship. Cheever ‘s preoccupation with wickedness and misrepresentation is played out in the narrative. Blake shows his salvation by first experiencing a sense of sorrow. Without sorrow, salvation is non possible, because the character must really experience some kind of unhappiness over what is happening.
Cheever ‘s narrative is a authoritative narrative of good versus immorality. Sin is connected to evil, and hence must be eradicated in some manner. Deception is connected to the immorality in the narrative “ The Five-Forty-Eight ” . Without misrepresentation being involved in the narrative, wickedness would hold no topographic point. All the immorality is someway connected. Sin is portrayed through the immorality of Blake ‘s character and his actions. Misrepresentation is shown throughout the whole narrative because every character maintains a delusory character. The narrative is ended with salvation slightly portrayed through Blake ‘s character. He regrets what he has done, although he knows he can non make anything about it all now. Regret is truly all he can make. It is every bit far as he can travel for the minute. Miss Dent got what she wanted. She now has a peace whereas before all she had was uneasiness and unhappiness. Cheever really clearly proves that all evil actions have effects. With Blake, his effect did non travel every bit far as decease, but unhappily, that is non ever the instance.
- Bloom, Harold. “ GEORGE W. HUNT ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN VILLAINY AND FORGETFULNESS. ” John Cheever. By George W. Hunt. Philadelphia: Chelsea House, 2003. 59-60. Galileo. Web.
- Cheever, John. “ The Five-Forty-Eight. ” 317-25. Print
