was the convict evil man solely responsible for his difficult life or was he a product of a cruel society that made him the way he was? this question is from the chapter bishop candlesticks
Answers
In the context of ‘The Bishop’s Candlestick’, we come face to face with the circumstances that compelled the convict into a beast when he narrates to the Bishop his past life. As the play unfolds in front of us, the audience comes to know the convict in his past was a normal promising man who had a wife. Owing to bad economy of his country, he had to steal a loaf of bread for his ill wife. The cruel society had no sympathy and pity for him! Instead of sympathizing with him, the police arrested him and tried him in a court. Even the cruel judge did not hesitate passing such a harsh sentence against him. He was treated like a beast for such a minor and pardonable offence. He was beaten, fed on filth, and tortured. His wife died in his absence that turned him into a criminal.
The cruelty of the society did not stop only here! They tortured him for ten long years! The prison authorities persecuted him mercilessly. His fault was very minor in comparison to the inhuman and heartless punishment he was given. They chained him up like a wild animal; they lashed him like a hound. He was fed on filth, he was covered, with vermin, he slept on boards, and when he complained, and then they lashed him again. For ten years they persecuted him in this manner. They took away his name, they took away his soul, and they gave him a devil in its place.
The same convict was again turned into a good human being by the kindness and generosity of the Bishop. Undoubtedly, the cruel society played a role in making him a convict. Though, he himself was also responsible a little.