Sir Gawain And The Green Knight Literary Analysis

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While society evolves the universal ideals that one attempts for do not. Humans are social creatures, and as such it is unsurprising that many of the universal ideals relate in some way to interactions and relationships formed with others. The texts “What Men Live by,” written by Leo Tolstoy, “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight,” and finally “The Drop Box,” by Madison Peace are writings that show a universal ideal for which all people strive. In “What Men Live by,” Simon is the main character, a poor shoemaker that takes pity on a cold, hungry, and nude man;and, by doing so a series of events unfold that change Simon’s life for the better. The short story “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight,” is a tale describing the actions of Gawain, a knight of…show more content…
On Simon’s way home he spots a man out in the cold wearing nothing; and, even though he does not have much he offers his hospitality. A selfless act like this took place because of the compassion that Simon felt towards someone in a less fortunate situation than himself. Similarly, Michael was an angel of God and sent to take the soul of a dying woman who had just given birth to twins, and Michael failed in this task. He could sense the love between the woman and the babies and felt unable to separate them due to the fact that the girls would be all alone and they would have no one to care or love them. After the death of the twin girls’ mother a stranger made room in her house and her heart for the two girls. The woman did not need to take the twins in but after feeding them at her breast and spending time around them she came to love them. For these reasons love is shown as a universal ideal within the…show more content…
The challenge proposed by the Green Knight to Arthur is in the end completed by Gawain who accepts to the already agreed upon terms. This can be viewed as an act of love, because he spoke up and took the place of his uncle in a life threatening contest. The second act to take place that shows the ideal of love is Gawain’s love of the court. He does not want to disappoint or shame them by showing cowardliness because their opinion of him matters to Gawain. Finally, the last act that shows the ideal of love is when the Green Knight goes to deliver the fatal blow to Gawain as part of their agreement, and he flinches. The Green Knight pardons him for this show of cowardliness because of the simple fact that Gawain loved his life and was not yet prepared to die. As a result Gawain displays the ability to love not just others but himself, an important lesson that all must

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