Introduction
There is a thirst for renewal in people and for starting life from scratch without past mistakes, sins, and villainies that haunt the soul and do not allow it to be happy. However, many people do not know the means to do this. For example, Tom Stoll from the film “History of Violence” is trying to escape from the sinful past, and the book’s heroine, Toni Morrison Sula, cannot figure out what she is doing wrong. The fact that the characters do not reflect on their sins prevents them from correcting their lives. The evildoers cannot carry on leading a pure life that pleases God until they have atoned for past transgressions and turned from them.
Good & Evil in “History of Violence”
The first demonstration that sins can be redeemed only by repentance is the main character of the film “History of Violence,” Tom Stoll. He tried to bury his side by not paying off the mafia and not paying off past debts. Therefore, his American dream was interrupted by past mistakes. At first glance, Tom is an exemplary family man who lives the peaceful life of an exemplary American (Cronenberg, 2005). He owns a diner in a lovely town whose residents love and respect him. However, Tom’s past sins committed during his association with the Irish mafia left their mark on him.
At the film’s beginning, there is a scene in which Tom’s little daughter wakes up screaming at night because she has a nightmare. The girl dreamed of monsters hiding in the shadows (Cronenberg, 2005). The father and brother reassure the girl, saying the monsters will not overtake her because they fear the light. However, she is overtaken by fear, just as her father is overtaken by retribution for past deeds. The dark side of Tom wakes up at the right moment – he needs to protect himself, his property, and other people.
However, it is from this scene in the cafe that Tom passes the point of no return, and violence, taboo in the town and in Tom’s family itself, comes out (Cronenberg, 2005). Because Tom did not honestly end his ties with the mafia, his loved ones also suffer (Faulkner, 1985). Stoll’s son, who tries to solve all issues in peace, brutally beats his abusers to the point of blood. It ends in a bloody shootout, in which Tom and his family become participants.
If Tom had initially entered into negotiations with former colleagues instead of burying his dark side, he could have kept his family safe. Reflecting on his evil doings would have helped him avoid problems in the future (Faulkner, 1985). When Tom stops hiding and closes all issues with the mafia, reconciliation with the family occurs only then (Cronenberg, 2005). Therefore, the film History of Violence teaches that you can move on to a brighter future by completely resolving your past sins.
Good & Evil in “Sula” by Toni Morrison
“Sula” by Toni Morrison is a short book about social injustice and the extensibility of good and evil. Fellow citizens present Sulu as the embodiment of evil. They think she is like that because she put her grandmother in a nursing home. Moreover, Nel accuses Sulu of stealing her husband from her best friend (Morrison, 2004). From the point of view of the accusers, Sula is an absolute evil, a woman who has sinned a lot.
However, when the reader gets acquainted with Sula’s excuses, he understands why she did this and wonders if she is an evildoer. For example, for white whites, handing over a relative to a nursing home is a common practice, although colored people take care of older people until they need special care. Sula also objects that she did not steal her husband from her best friend but slept with him (Morrison, 2004). Sula grew up in a house without a man, and she had no idea about a traditional family, so she did not see what she had done so terribly (Faulkner, 1985). She does not understand that she has sinned and will not get better until she understands the essence of her sins.
Conclusion
Therefore, there are two possible paths for each evildoer. They can live as they must, according to the customs of passions and sinful habits that have not been eradicated. Or they can try to find and purify in themselves the best, beautiful kind that the Lord himself has put into the soul of every person. At the same time, when choosing the first path, life will not improve, and a person like Sula will be doomed to suffer. Through repentance and atonement, such as those that happened to Tom Stoll, a person cleanses him of unnecessary, sinful layers. Only after working through old sins and repenting them can the evildoer continue to live a righteous life pleasing to God.
References
Cronenberg, D. (Director). (2005). A history of violence[Film]. New Line Cinema.
Faulkner, W. (1985). Sanctuary. Vintage International.
Morrison, T. (2004). Sula. Rowohlt Taschenbuch Verla.