Comparing God in Daisy Miller, Huck Finn, and Country of the Pointed Firs :: comparison compare contrast essays

Eliminating God in Daisy Miller, Huckleberry Finn, and The Country of the Pointed Firs      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The evils of the Civil War and the rise of empiricism caused many to doubt in an omniscient, all-powerful God.   Under empiricism, any statements about metaphysical entities (e.g. God, Unicorns, Love, and Beauty) would be meaningless terms because they cannot be proven by the scientific method. But with a loss of faith in God, what becomes of morality?  Ã‚   This essay will examine how Emily Dickinson, Sarah Orne Jewett, Henry James and Mark Twain wrote literature in this age coupled with war, inhumanity and despair in God.   This essay will show that: (1) Dickinson destroys any reliance on the Bible and a possibility of knowing God, but argues that one should instead praise Nature, which is tangible; (2) Jewett eliminates the omniscient narrator (or God-like figure) in The Country of the Poited Firs , and instead makes readers see life as valuable only   through human experiences and reveals the comfort of Nature; (3) Henry James eliminates God i n Daisy Miller by removing the omniscient narrator and instead causing readers to play god, by being the judge of Daisy and Winterbourne; (4) Mark Twain uses Huckleberry Finn to question any reliance on God, by poking fun of prayer and church revivals, and instead encouraging one to seek morality in one's conscience.        Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Emily Dickinson learned versification through studying her church hymnal.   But rather than praise a God that has "hid his rare life" (338), she turned to praise Nature which was tangible and empirical.   Dickinson seemed to believe in a God: "I know that He exists" but the belief was greatly hindered by the existence of evil (primarily the atrocities brought on by the Civil War) wherein she penned that His right hand "is amputated now/ And God cannot be found" (1551).   This statement may not be as severe as Nietzche's "God is Dead," but one can probably imagine that Dickinson penned these words in tears. Because she believed that God could not be found, she attacked the Bible's ability to convey notions of God:   "The Bible is an antique Volume--/ Written by faded Men" (1545).   Dickinson found more companionship in her trusty dictionary (which helped define words) than a Bible (which was to define life).   To Dickinson, Nature was s upreme; Nature was tangible; Nature was real.   Dickinson needed empirical evidence and Nature provided it for her:   "'Nature' is what we see/ . Comparing God in Daisy Miller, Huck Finn, and Country of the Pointed Firs :: comparison compare contrast essays Eliminating God in Daisy Miller, Huckleberry Finn, and The Country of the Pointed Firs      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The evils of the Civil War and the rise of empiricism caused many to doubt in an omniscient, all-powerful God.   Under empiricism, any statements about metaphysical entities (e.g. God, Unicorns, Love, and Beauty) would be meaningless terms because they cannot be proven by the scientific method. But with a loss of faith in God, what becomes of morality?  Ã‚   This essay will examine how Emily Dickinson, Sarah Orne Jewett, Henry James and Mark Twain wrote literature in this age coupled with war, inhumanity and despair in God.   This essay will show that: (1) Dickinson destroys any reliance on the Bible and a possibility of knowing God, but argues that one should instead praise Nature, which is tangible; (2) Jewett eliminates the omniscient narrator (or God-like figure) in The Country of the Poited Firs , and instead makes readers see life as valuable only   through human experiences and reveals the comfort of Nature; (3) Henry James eliminates God i n Daisy Miller by removing the omniscient narrator and instead causing readers to play god, by being the judge of Daisy and Winterbourne; (4) Mark Twain uses Huckleberry Finn to question any reliance on God, by poking fun of prayer and church revivals, and instead encouraging one to seek morality in one's conscience.        Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Emily Dickinson learned versification through studying her church hymnal.   But rather than praise a God that has "hid his rare life" (338), she turned to praise Nature which was tangible and empirical.   Dickinson seemed to believe in a God: "I know that He exists" but the belief was greatly hindered by the existence of evil (primarily the atrocities brought on by the Civil War) wherein she penned that His right hand "is amputated now/ And God cannot be found" (1551).   This statement may not be as severe as Nietzche's "God is Dead," but one can probably imagine that Dickinson penned these words in tears. Because she believed that God could not be found, she attacked the Bible's ability to convey notions of God:   "The Bible is an antique Volume--/ Written by faded Men" (1545).   Dickinson found more companionship in her trusty dictionary (which helped define words) than a Bible (which was to define life).   To Dickinson, Nature was s upreme; Nature was tangible; Nature was real.   Dickinson needed empirical evidence and Nature provided it for her:   "'Nature' is what we see/ .