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Sir Gawain Character Analysis

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Do the flaws of a character remain a part of that person forever? In many aspects of literature, the characters battle an internal war in which they must recognize their flaws and become a better person. In contrast, many works of literature, such as Sir Gawain and the Green Knight show characters who are never able to accomplish this, leading many to believe that it is impossible to become a better person. People and characters are capable of redeeming themselves of their flaws, despite the fact that some do not undergo this redemption of character. For example, Simon Armitage proves this through the varying perspectives of the characters in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. More specifically, Armitage uses the contradicting perspectives and …show more content…

For example, in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the man accompanying Sir Gawain shows perfect knowledge of his own limits and faults. “‘... You seem to be saying you’re hell-bent on heaping harm on yourself and losing your life, so I’ll delay you no longer’” (Armitage 163). To phrase it differently, this man recognizes the headstrong pride in Sir Gawain and attempts to stray Gawain from his path. However, since Gawain refuses, this man returns to the castle unscathed due to his rational thinking and his ability to recognize and, ultimately, fix his fault. Similarly, this ability to recognize and stray from fault is a characteristic in many stories, both factual and fictional. For example, in the book Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, when Louie Zamperini admits that he has a drinking problem, his drinking begins to go away. “Louie felt indignant rage flaring in him, a struck match. I am a good man, he thought. I am a good man. Even as he had thought this, he felt the lie in it” (Hillenbrand 380). In other words, Louie tries to ignore his alcoholism, but he knows that it is a flaw he must fix. Eventually, Louie overcomes his alcoholism and becomes religious, redeeming himself of his mistakes where many people could not. To sum it all up, many people recognize their flaws and attempt to fix these

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The quote " Character is what you are in the dark" by Dwight Lyman Moody means that we show who we truly are when we face dramatic events. Sometimes, there are events that makes us discover a little bit more about ourselves, perhaps our full potential, our stands on certain topics, etc. The majority of people have certain characteristics that they don't show to everyone, things that they prefer to keep secret. I think this quote is very accurate because we often have to face difficulties to demonstrate who we really are and discover our true potential. Our character is a reflection of the moral and mental qualities that make us distinctive to everybody else.

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When talking about Grendel, he pretty much goes through a few stages as a little kid and to how he is at the moment. As a kid, Grendel was mostly innocent when he pondered and wandered around his own world that was also an unknown for him, such as the universe. In his “prime”, he discovers a lake of fire snakes, that is full of danger and just treacherous. When he crosses this lake, it shows that he is going into adulthood, pretty much. Also how the encounters has been making impacts on Grendel and changing his personality.

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Sometimes those flaws can be their downfall. For many, a major downfall is the inability to let go. In “Helen on Eighty-Sixth Street,” the character's flaw was her inability to let go of her hatred for Helen. In “The Cask of Amontillado,” the character’s flaw was his inability to let go of an insult. In “The Scarlet Ibis,” the character’s flaw was his inability to let go of the idea of a normal brother.”

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Fault and redemption. What do these two words really do in our lives? Do they give us another chance or are they just concepts that we want to follow? In the world we live in, one fault can often make or break something in our lives, but when granted with redemption, we don’t always take it as seriously as needed and soon our fault becomes someone else’s pride. Sir Gawain’s faults can be a constant reminder of the mistakes we all make as humans along with the quote, “It is clear then that there can be no redemption without fault, just as one is unable to return from exile without first being sent into one.

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Soon Louie became so traumatized by the events of War World II, he became an alcoholic. Once Louie’s friends and family realized how bad his drinking habit was they begged him to stop, but their words were not convincing enough. Then one day Louie turned to God and stopped drinking. Hillenbrand wrote “ When they entered the apartment, Louie went straight to his cache of liquor. It was the time of night when they usually took hold of him, but for the first time in years, Louie had no desire to drink”(383).

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Gawain’s values as a knight are in conflict, because he needs to be polite to the Lady, but he is also loyal to the Lord. Gawain ultimately fails

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During the Medieval times chivalry was one of the most important characteristics a knight could display. Chivalry was viewed as a moral obligation that involved bravery, honor, respect, and gallantry. Knights were expected to uphold this code or face social consequences for any infractions, with punishments ranging from humiliation to termination of their knighthood. “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” presents the struggles knights faced with honoring the chivalrous code at all times. Sir Gawain, while imperfect, exhibits qualities expected of knights and embodies the internal struggle between honoring the chivalrous code and giving into selfish desires.

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All in all, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight gave many fine examples of classic literature and the beauty of it. However, Gawain tried to redeem himself, but failed miserably. Redemption is achieved by falling and getting back up. Gawain tripped over his own feet, then blamed the girl who didn’t do anything. Gawain cannot teach anyone anything about redemption.

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