- Published: January 8, 2022
- Updated: January 8, 2022
- University / College: Columbia University
- Level: College Admission
- Language: English
- Downloads: 44
The poor man, a woodcutter, is rewarded for his charity with the gift of healing. He assumes this position in his society, and at the same time, he should not use his position for material gain. When he does, the results are terrible. The morality of this story which is conveyed to the young listeners is clear. Despising the inequality among people, being on the lower end of the bar, the woodcutter, getting the upper hand does the same actions that he criticizes, which were being performed by the church and Christianity are doing. For that, he is punished, and an important message is conveyed, not only in a religious aspect, from which we should all have faith in Jesus and the Church but also that we should always be aware of the actions and beliefs that we are so quick to judge. In the end, we might not be better than the ones that we judge.
It is also important to mention that Dona Sebastiana has traduced to the world of criminality and therefore immorality, which stands on the opposite side of the spectrum when the creation of the story and legend is considered. It is assumed that ” the most fantastic rites and the strangest myths translate some human need, some aspect of life either individual or social.”( Emile Durkheim), stating that even criminals have the need for attachment to some kind of morality, even though that might be distorted by the circumstances in which the criminals operate. What is even more important is the reason why Dona Sebastiana represents the symbol of this link to morality. The simplest explanation is that, in the end, ” God helps the good and the devil helps the bad, but death treats everyone the same”( Tony M. Kail).