What is one central idea of by the waters of babylon

"By the Waters of Babylon" is a story built around several major and intersecting transformations. The first change readers can explore is the transformation associated with John's journey to the Place of the Gods, which is modern-day Manhattan, New York. This is a gradual change, happening over a long period. John's ritual quest, a coming of age from boyhood to manhood, marks the transformation. John's ability to gain knowledge and, most importantly, survive on this journey proves that he has entered adulthood and can move on to the next stage of his life, becoming a priest.

John's vision during the night he spends in The Place of the Gods depicts the second significant change. In the vision, he witnesses a typical day in the gods' lives. Suddenly, fire and a mist destroy the city in the Great Burning. The destruction is swift, and the gods had no time to prepare. A bustling city instantly becomes a charnel house. Here, Benét warns the reader that the errors of human ways can change the course of the lives of a society instantly and without warning.

The third change that Benét addresses is in how John views the people who used to live in the Dead Places. Before visiting the Place of the Gods, John thought of the people who once inhabited them as spirits, demons, and gods. Now, after seeing the place and learning more, he realizes what he thought were gods were really just men. This new knowledge generates a final change. Now the tribe will move away from avoiding the Dead Places and instead visit them to learn about the lost world. Through this learning they will know how to rebuild civilization. In all examples, Benét sends the message that humans evoke change, for better or for worse.

Knowledge

Stephen Vincent Benét explores the theme of knowledge as an avenue for enlightenment and discovery. With knowledge, humans can move forward and rebuild what was lost. John's forbidden journey east to the Place of the Gods is a quest for knowledge. His curiosity leads him there, and with every encounter, he gains new knowledge. For example, upon setting foot on the shore of the Place of the Gods, he meets with the new knowledge that the ground is not hot to the touch. He sees that grasses grow through the cracks in the broken god-roads, and he concludes that the Place of the Gods is not as dangerous as his tribe was led to believe. As he explores the Place of the Gods further, he is enlightened by visions and encounters that help him understand that his purpose, as well as man's, is to rebuild civilization. Benét also explores how knowledge dissolves fear. When John first arrives in the Place of the Gods, he has great fear. He explores towers, has his vision, and encounters the dead god, and each of the experiences fills him with new knowledge. He leaves the city fearless and with new understanding.

Benét's theme of knowledge is also cautionary. He brings up the problems that having too much knowledge can create. The priests are the keepers of knowledge in the Hill People's tribe. They interpret the signs of the natural world, and they have, or at least the narrator has, access to secret knowledge through visions. In addition, they may have retained knowledge no longer useful. The ground may have once been too hot to touch, but it has cooled. The people seemed masterful or godlike, but, in death, their humanity seems obvious. In this sense, knowledge can be partial and imperfect when it comes with a particular perspective or bias. At the end of the story, the priests commit to studying and recovering the knowledge of the gods. They also take responsibility for sharing this knowledge with their people at a controlled and rational pace. This sets them apart from the gods, who accumulated knowledge too quickly and applied it without judgment.

Death and Destruction

"By the Waters of Babylon" deals with witnessing mass death and coming to terms with it. The massive obliteration of the Spanish village of Guernica inspired Stephen Vincent Benét's story, and the work is one of several period stories that seem to anticipate the massive bombings of World War II and the threat of nuclear war. The people of John's tribe call cities destroyed by the Great Burning "Dead Places," and the priests find that the deaths caused by catastrophic event linger in the pavement. The narrator's pivotal vision climaxes with that Great Burning, in which the inhabitants of Manhattan die. Managing death is also important in another way: early in the story, the narrator confirms the truth of his vision by killing a panther who is about to kill a young deer.

Thus, death has natural and manmade causes. Death can get out of hand, and death can be more devastating than intended or comprehendible. Benét was familiar with the tactics of World War I, which introduced new methods of mass killing—mustard gas, air strikes, bombings, and civilian death. The juxtaposition to natural death and the cycle of life (the weeds returning; the panther hunting) provides a contrast between acceptable, humane, or natural death and unacceptable, inhumane, or manufactured death. Humans interrupt the natural cycle over and over again—even to John's day when he stops the panther from killing the deer. Still, man makes the mistake of trying to master death.

Theme: There are a plethora themes in this story, perhaps the utmost observable and distinguishable theme is the price for knowledge. Throughout the exposition of the story, the reader witnesses Johns’ tribe clueless about metals. In the story, it states “...he who touches the metal must be a priest or the son of a priest...He gave me the metal to hold—I took it and did not die…”. This portrays how concealed they are about knowledge, they presume he who touches metal ought to be a priest, if not, consequently, you die. Moreover, John doesn’t comprehend how self-explanatory utensils work. In the story, this occurs, “...In the washing-place, a thing said ‘Hot’ but it was not hot to the touch—another thing said ‘Cold’ but it was not cold. This must have been a strong magic, but the magic was gone, I do not understand—they had ways—I wish that I knew...”. This displays how John is oblivious to how a sink works, furthermore, it’s even frustrating for him being in the dark about how the gods function or live. In conclusion, knowledge comes at a price, but it could also lead to our demise. Plot:…show more content…
Consequently, the civilization is not as ingenious and advanced as we were precedent. The story's main character referred to as John, (son of a priest) was on an expedition to become a “man” (also a priest). The rules that were fundamental are simply as follows: never go east and cross the river. The reason being is that the gods, (as referred to in the story, they were just humans with knowledge) lived there. John was patiently lingering for a sign to unravel where he should go so he can commence his journey. All the signs directed him

In order to continue enjoying our site, we ask that you confirm your identity as a human. Thank you very much for your cooperation.