The Failure of Society

"Everyman" portrays generalisations of traits that still exist in the modern world. A successful allegory about the failures of morality, the character Everyman is an obnoxious whiny character who is so bigheaded he can't see past his own misfortune. Whether the anonymous author was trying to accomplish a character this obnoxious isn't wholly relevant, regardless of his intentions he did.

To strip down what each character was saying could potentially equate to a teenage boy being drafted to war. A whiny man who feels the world is out to get him and is setting him up to fail. Of course the safest way to fail is to do it with friends, because really, if someone else fails too its not your fault right?

Wrong.

This play could find success today among crowds of people who need reassurance that they aren't the only ones who feel the world spites them. However, it would be horribly ridiculed by several religious groups. To open up a play that will have several references to Jesus Christ, Mary, and other Saints with a portrayal of God as weak and whiny is not the strongest plan. Right on page one God is quoted explaining all the wondrous deeds he performed. From "heal[ing] their feet" to "shedding of [his own] blood" (1) God felt as if he succeeded and it was his angels and the people that were unkind and blind.

Everyman was a character that could have portrayed the grouping together of the general population, unfortunately, complaints are heard louder than compliments. A fair 98% of what Everyman says is a complaint or excuse. From a cramped toe (11) to his 'friends' forsaking him, Everyman is challenged with his insolent personality affecting his relations with others.

"Everyman" reminded me of a poorly written Inferno with less inspiring character development. The protagonist of a story can be as hated as Dante and Everyman or as loved as Harry Potter but it is not often that we see a hero as weak as Everyman.

True heroes stay strong in the darkest of times. What is Everyman's excuse? Better yet, what is societies excuse?