Why The Seven Deadly Sins In Patrick Dewitt's The Bastard

A sin is an immoral act against divine law, and those committing it become open to major vulnerabilities. In Patrick Dewitt’s short story, “The Bastard, a con man travelling from town to town in search of wealth, exploits an entire town of people, leaving them empty handed and poor. All the characters presented had committed sins, both knowingly and unknowingly. The act of committing the sins had thus left them susceptible. As a result, Dewitt presents the reality of the sinful nature in each person. The seven deadly sins are a a grouping and classification of vices within Christian teachings, the author communicates the sinful nature of farmer Wilson, his daughter Molly and the Bastard through the masterful incorporation several of these sins. The first sin introduced is gluttony, meaning

When the main character, “Bastard”, visits the house of a farmer named Wilson in hopes of seducing his daughter, the Bastard intentionally taps his satchel bringing forth the clink of a bottle. Wilson feels astonished to hear the sound of the bottle and the Bastard makes note of it, as he thinks, “he wants a drink so badly his pores are yawning open” (deWitt 63). In this scene glimpses of the farmer’s gluttonous personality are being revealed, which he is unconscious of. Being divorced the farmer no longer has care for his health and has turned to the drink, leading him down the road to gluttony. Throughout the story, the Bastard is prideful through the use of his diction. When the Bastard is questioning a store owner for Wilsons daughter's whereabouts, he sees the store owner is a “gelatinous mass of blubber and grease-slick fresh” implying he is overweight which the bastard despised (deWitt 65). In Proverbs 13:10, it states “Where there is strife, there is pride, but wisdom is found in those who take advice”, the strife is in the Bastards distaste for the overweight man implying he is prideful. The entire town shows up to Molly’s wedding