Introduction
The novel Everyman contains several characters and the main character bears the name of the novel itself. The novel presents several themes in its structure and contents, with major attention to the general conduct of humankind as exhibited by the main character, Everyman. The essay is about life and death, with a key emphasis on the inescapability of the latter, as portrayed in the afterlife of Everyman. Other themes include family and intimacy, universal suffering, existence, and its essence, and the vitality of lust.
Discussion
First, the main theme in the play is about life and death, with greater attention paid to the final moments of a suffering human being. Towards his death, Everyman gets an opportunity to review his past life, seeing a record of his good and bad deeds. All people must die at some point, and the novel describes the kind of passage they must encounter, reflecting the fruits of their deeds, both good and evil.
At this moment of death, Everyman experienced intense hallucinations, presenting the narrative as highly emotional. Everyman is aware of death at an early age and acknowledges that he must eventually die. He encounters the body of a sailor washed to the shore during the holiday. His childish happiness is suppressed by the decaying smell of the body (Hulse et al. 981-1003At the time of Everyman’s burial, Nancy discloses, as she reads his eulogy, that his grandfather founded the cemetery and was buried there.
The second theme is on existence and meaning where the novel poses existential questions about family. There is a great deal of envy among brothers for experiencing more attention from their parents, making them more powerful and confident. This poses questions on the ideal existence of family life due to the nature of Everyman’s upbringing. The conditions dictating Everyman’s early life affect his family after he is married to Phoebe.
He is quickly trapped by his emotions and ends up engaging in infidelity. It also leaves unanswered questions about what he gained by leading the kind of life he chose. Everyman’s slogan is on facing situations as they occur, a belief that is disclosed by Nancy. Everyman endures a painful life, comprised of hardships and surgeries, but chooses to fight on (Hulse et al. 981-1003). Such experiences trigger feelings of mercy, pity, and sympathy among the readers. During one of his surgeries, specifically the first one, Everyman is exposed to extreme fears and discomfort but he manages to control himself. Although he is the one in pain, he encourages his daughter Nancy to face the difficulties of life courageously and not resist.
Lust is presented as a form of vitality: touching on life and sexuality. Everyman has a sexual affair with his nurse, Maureen. This happens even though he is married to the love of his life. The sexual affair between the two exhibits lust as a vitality. However, it is also revealed that Maureen sleeps with her clients, a move that is contrary to the medical code of ethics. Although she commits the act as a gift of hope, making her patients recover more quickly, it presents the patients’ lust to get better sooner than necessary. As Everyman draws close to Merete, his mistress, who also becomes his third wife, he loses his desire and ability to stabilize his wife and family. This happens despite his age and deteriorating health condition. While the end of the novel is ironically dynamic, Everyman’s friendship with Millicent towards the end of her life is presented as the most intimate. The novel affirms that family life is the foundation of intimacy, but one can easily connect and bond with strangers.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the novel Everyman focuses on telling about the hardships of life. It poses questions in its themes on the importance of life passage. The main character takes the name of the novel and leads a very complicated life. The themes in the novel include the inescapability of death, the essence of existence, universal suffrage, as well as the vitality of lust as evident in the life of Everyman and Maureen.
Works Cited
Hulse, Kath, Margaret Reynolds, and Chris Martin. “The Everyman archetype: discursive reframing of private landlords in the financialization of rental housing.” Housing Studies 35.6 (2020): 981-1003.