Antigone

Guilt. Does anyone really know what guilt is? It's like anger, but you can't express guilt. Yet it is one of the most powerful emotions a human can have. Guilt is demonstrated in many stories including "The Lie", "Two Kinds", and Antigone. Guilt can make people act differently and/or cause them to judge whether it be other people or themselves. Guilt is a powerful emotion because it makes people act differently than they normally act.

Guilt can over power people's emotions and makes them act differently. In this case it's the mother that is acting differently. She would normally blame Waverly for the shame that she has caused the family, but instead she is silent, almost shocked. The scene takes place inside the house right after Waverly has played at the recital and messed up big time. "Ð'... No accusations. No blame. And in a way, I felt disappointed. I had been waiting for her to start shoutingÐ'..." ("Two Kinds" pg. 204). She is probably acting this way because she knows that it could in part be her fault for what happened. She could also be acting this way because she knows that she pushed Waverly to do something that she didn't like instead of letting Waverly find something that she likes and at which she excels. The guilt that the mother feels has caused her act of silence. Without the guilt she would have criticized her for her inferior performance.

In this story the boy Eli acts out instead of keeping quite. Eli has lied about not being accepted to Whitehill, a private school where his ancestors have gone for at least 30 years. Eli and his parents are in a hotel restaurant when Dr. Warren, the headmaster of the school and the only one that knows about Eli not being accepted, walks in. "It was then that Eli got up abruptly, fled the dining roomÐ'...He brushed past Doctor Warren rudely, though he knew him wellÐ'..." ("The Lie" pg. 10). Because Eli feels guilty from not being accepted to Whitehill he rudely gets up from the table at which he and his parents are sitting and rushes out the door. The guilt has gotten to him when Dr. Warren walks in; he knows that Dr. Warren will tell his parents about not being accepted. He is also scared about their reaction to Eli's deception. Guilt shows its self in different ways depending on the person that is guilty, for some it appears as though its not even there, but in others it surfaces in strange ways.

Guilt from breaking a social value can make people judge themselves and others harshly. Waverly, in her old apartment remembers