Dual Roles

Dual Roles

In many stories, it is often noticed that the writers use an allegorical figure to demonstrate abstract qualities as actual people. In these stories the allegorical figure holds a name that will tell you what his character is supposed to be representing. The allegorical figure is a cunning and unique way of taking a characteristic or an object and making it come alive to the readers. This can put an advantage upon your story when trying to get across a certain point, but most often a morality issue. Everyman is a play in which the writer went to great lengths to use allegorical figures to get across a lesson that concerns itself with the salvation of all men’s souls (Vignery p 111).

Good Deeds is an allegorical figure in Everyman. Good Deeds is represented not only as a person, but also as an abstraction. This dual role is clearly stated from the first time that Good Deeds speaks, until the time that Everyman and himself descend into the grave together. Good Deeds is portrayed excellently as a person. He is a person in the sense that he speaks out to Everyman and tells him how to redeem himself to be saved. He is a also a person in the sense that Everyman is asking Deeds for counsel like normal people ask for counsel in times of grief and great need. The “human” in Good Deeds comes out when he tells Everyman to call upon other allegorical figures to go with him on his long journey to the grave. The humanness appears again when Good Deeds is a true friend to Everyman. Good deeds shows the friendship quality when he refuses to leave Everyman, and promises to stick with him until the Day of Judgment. Good Deeds is just like a good friend who refuses to go home when a friend gets into trouble, and offers to help talk to the parents. He is also that true friend in the aspect that he offered and actually does speak to God for Everyman, just as a true friend would do (Everyman lines 309-455).

Good Deeds plays a second, or dual, role as an abstraction in the play also. An abstraction is a concept or an idea; in this case, the abstraction is more of an object. Good Deeds are special tasks that a person completes throughout their lifetime and will count as a point in their favor on the Day of Judgment. A good deed can be helping find a cure for cancer, giving a poor person money or shelter, finding someone a job, helping a teacher, or even baking cookies for a lonely neighbor. Good deeds, the abstraction, is shown when Everyman