The common belief of the human race is that all people are inherently good. In the short stories “The Cask of Amontillado”, “The Veldt”, and “Good Country People” this belief is questioned. These stories prove that there is a switch to every light, as people are overcome by strong feelings and turned to the dark side. Taking the leg off of an amputee in “Good Country
People”, murdering a colleague in “The Cask of Amontillado”, and killing their own parents in
“The Veldt” are examples of exactly that. The dark side of human nature in these instances is fueled by hunger for power, anger, and the need to retaliate.
One of the feelings that reveals the dark side in human nature is hunger for power.
Manley Pointer is a great example of this. After he took Hulga’s leg right off of her, he got his
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This proves his hunger for power so well because there is no other reason to take off her leg except to have power over her. He is not going to use it, he is not going to sell it, the one and only reason why he would steal her leg is to have complete control over her. Another example of power-hunger taking over someone’s emotions is in “The Veldt”, when George decides to shut off the nursery, the enchanting room his kids love so much. The devastated children feel completely powerless as their love was taken away from them, as they proceeded to “[scream] and [prance] and
[throw] things. They yelled and sobbed and swore and jumped on the furniture”(Bradbury 8).
With their love taken from them and no way to get it back, the children feel utterly powerless.
This feeling of complete powerlessness is ultimately what encouraged them to take matters into their own hands.
Another strong emotion that can cause people to act evilly is anger, and a very