Short Fiction · Theme
Hypocrisy and Moral Decay
How Short Fiction develops Hypocrisy and Moral Decay.
The stories expose societal hypocrisy, such as the clergyman who tolerates smutty stories in 'The Clown,' the respectable men telling crude jokes, and the 'frightfully hideous old women' condemning art in 'Vox Populi,' while the characters themselves are morally compromised.
Where it surfaces
- The Chimney-Sweeper's Wife
Mrs. Wetzmann's self-righteous wrath and pride mask her own envy and lust, and she later remarries without any sign of guilt.
- IV
The whispered gossip about Frederick's tattoo reveals social cruelty and hidden judgments.
- V
The man's lies and broken promises, and the woman's silent acceptance of his deceit, highlight moral decay in relationships.
- The Drizzle
God's plan to make humans wickeder to destroy themselves reflects a cynical view of divine justice.
- The Wages of Sin
The narrator's deliberate deception of the young girl about the poem's authorship, and his subsequent guilt, highlight the theme of moral decay and hypocrisy.
- Communion
The clergyman and other respectable men engage in bawdy storytelling, yet the clergyman pauses only to confirm the boy's religious standing before allowing the tale to continue, exposing a double standard.
- Vox Populi
The old women and the dogs represent the hypocritical moral outrage of society against artistic expression that defies convention.
- III
The narrator, a minister, is placed in a compromising situation that exposes the gap between his spiritual authority and his vulnerable humanity, while the tailor's secret delight in the scandal highlights the hypocrisy within the community.
- IV
The tailor's public indulgence toward his son-in-law causes scandal among his fellow believers, revealing the hypocrisy within the religious community.