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Robert Louis Stevenson’s 1885 tale “Markheim”

Aim By Brianna Cartwright  To summarize the purpose of the tale “Markheim”, the aim is the constant competition between the “evil” and “good” traits of individuals. For instance, according to Markheim on enotes,“ Markheim witnesses in the mirror a horrifying self-awareness and self-accusation, a “damned reminder of years, and sins and follies.” When the pawnbroker turns away, Markheim stabs him in the back with a dagger, killing him”(1). With this quote, it shows the “evil” perspective of human nature taking course in the conscience of the character, Markheim. The mirror shows Markheim’s flaws committed as a corrupt human being; the imperfections of Markheim make up the wicked person that has been set out to be. This character’s personality consists of vile traits, but is recognized during the middle of the tale after the pawnbroker is stabbed with a dagger and the “good” part of Markheim’s self is revealed. The clone or preferable version of the character, Markheim guides the “evil” self to the conclusion of there being “good” and “evil” in an individual. After gaining this new knowledge, Markheim makes a respectable decision to not steal the money set out to be stolen and instead told the pawnbroker’s servant of the dishonorable actions of murder. For example,“Markheim confesses to the maid: “You had better go to the police. … I have killed your master.” And as he does so, “the features of the visitor began to undergo a wonderful and lovely change: they brightened and softened with a tender triumph, and, even as they brightened, faded and dislimned,” and the double vanishes”(Markheim 1). As said by the quote, by making a honorable decision the other version of Markheim “began to undergo a wonderful and lovely change” to show the effects of being a magnificent person. In conclusion, the author’s purpose of the short story “Markheim” was to elaborate the ongoing conflict of “good” against “evil” in society today by showing the battle between two consciences.

Works Cited "Markheim." Enotes.com. Enotes.com, n.d. Web. 25 July 2014. Stevenson, Robert L. "Markheim by Robert Louis Stevenson." Short Stories: Markheim by Robert Louis Stevenson. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 July 2014.

Audience By: Karlie Wood Robert Louis Stevenson assumed that the audience of the short story, “Markheim”, would be more mature, having a wider range of vocabulary and understanding than less sophisticated readers typically would. According to enotes, “Markheim witnesses in the mirror a horrifying self-awareness and self-accusation, a “damned reminder of years, and sins and follies.” When the pawnbroker turns away Markheim stabs him in the back with a dagger, killing him” (1). The possibility of any first grader, or even some middle schoolers, being able to comprehend what was happening in the text is very slim because of the intensity of the writing. They would not be able to look at the writing and witness “a horrifying self-awareness and self-accusation”. Stevenson’s writing is complex and someone who does not have the proper knowledge will not understand half of what is going on, let alone the purpose or theme. What Stevenson is trying to portray is that everyone has a good and a bad side, but eventually the good will triumph over the bad. Someone who is not at the proper reading level could definitely not conclude this, making Stevenson’s assumption about his audience a weakness. Markedbyteachers.com says,“ Due to ambiguous language, and unreliable narrator, and confusing sentence structure though, the reader is unsure if Markheim's suspicions are warranted” (1). It can be agreed that “Markheim” is confusing and can be a disadvantage to Stevenson because only a small group of people will understand the point. So, choosing a more intellectual group to direct “Markheim” towards only created a limited audience for Stevenson.

Works Cited "Markheim." Enotes.com. Enotes.com, n.d. Web. 25 July 2014. "Markheim- Robert Louis Stevenson." Markheim- Robert Louis Stevenson. Marked By Teachers, n.d. Web. 25 July 2014.

Historical By: Brianna Cartwright The historical context of the short story, Markheim will not be read for generations to come for the simple reason of morality. As quoted in Markheim on enotes,“ ” Why, look here—look in it—look at yourself! Do you like to see it? No! nor I—nor any man.” Markheim witnesses in the mirror a horrifying self-awareness and self-accusation, a “damned reminder of years, and sins and follies.” When the pawnbroker turns away Markheim stabs him in the back with a dagger, killing him”(1). With this quote, the history behind the idea of “good” against “evil” will not be remembered in this sense. Not many readers will remember the value of “good” against “evil” from the perspective of this tale, but rather through other stories or resources. For instance, movies and even television shows such as Frozen or even the popular television show today The Vampire Diaries. Both of the plots of the films contain some moral of “good” beats “evil” and how the characters triumph in being the respectable person. Additionally, being an ancient tale, there should be more popularity among the story and the moral if it was worth teaching generations of readers in the future. Overall, the historical context of the short story relates to the common lesson of “good” over “evil”,but is not historic enough to be considered important to teach the next generations of people due to the other resources available to gain this virtue.

Works Cited "Markheim." Enotes.com. Enotes.com, n.d. Web. 25 July 2014. Stevenson, Robert L. "Markheim by Robert Louis Stevenson." Short Stories: Markheim by Robert Louis Stevenson. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 July 2014.

Cultural By: Megan Dugan The Cultural events in the short story “Markheim” by Robert Louis Stevenson affects our modern culture in a variety of ways. Stevenson reveals Markheim’s character as being almost two sided. In the story, Markheim claims he is looking for a present to buy for his lady, but in reality, he is really looking to murder the store clerk so he can steal his money and all of his belongings. Later throughout the story however, Markheim realizes that what what he did was wrong. In the last few lines he says, “ the features of the visitor began to undergo a wonderful and lovely change: they brightened and softened with a tender triumph, and, even as they brightened, faded and dislimned,” and the double vanishes” (Markheim 1). This quote describes the exact point of the entire story: Good will always triumph over evil. This still rings true in society and culture today. When a person does something that they know is wrong, they will recognize it. Once they do, a person will do what they can to make it right. The theme of good always triumphs over evil reflects in the television shows and movies society watches as well. In Disney movies, the evil character always loses in the end. The short story “Markheim” is a perfect example of what this culture represents. If a person sticks to what they know is right, they will be rewarded in the end. Robert Louis Stevenson’s short story “Markheim” connects to culture because it is the golden rule that society lives by every day. Works Cited "Markheim." Enotes.com. Enotes.com, n.d. Web. 25 July 2014. Stevenson, Robert L. "Markheim by Robert Louis Stevenson." Short Stories: Markheim by Robert Louis Stevenson. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 July 2014.

Works Cited "Markheim." Enotes.com. Enotes.com, n.d. Web. 25 July 2014. "Markheim- Robert Louis Stevenson." Markheim- Robert Louis Stevenson. Marked By Teachers, n.d. Web. 25 July 2014. Stevenson, Robert L. "Markheim by Robert Louis Stevenson." Short Stories: Markheim by Robert Louis Stevenson. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 July 2014.