In this story, the passions and experiences of youth, including unrequited love, are explored, along with the power of the class system and its ability to separate people in a culture. The moral lesson of May Day Eve is that love should be chosen very carefully, because love may not last, and it may even turn to bitterness. The secondary moral lesson of May Day Eve is that different classes or ages of people in a culture should learn to look beyond superficial differences and accept each other for who they are.
The first step to analyzing morality in a storyline is to explore your own feelings while you are reading the tale. Do certain actions of the characters make you feel uncomfortable or offended? If they do, that character and his or her behavior may well be tied into the moral of the story. Often, "villains" or "villainesses" in stories can be an integral part of establishing the moral lesson - through the misdeeds of the villain, and the consequences of these misdeeds, we learn more about why these acts should be avoided. In most stories, good and bad are as clear and distinct as black and white - however, in other stories, different characters may do good and bad things, and there may be a grey area where it's hard to distinguish good from bad.
If you're writing a book report about the moral lesson of May Day Eve, or studying the story in class, be sure to think about the different characters, such as Badoy, Agueda, and Anatacia. Examine the actions and feelings of these characters, and see how they tie in to the overall moral theme of the piece. You may also want to consider how the setting, language, and plotline affect the moral tone of the work.
Looking at the entire arc of the storyline is one way get a sense of character development and moral lessons throughout the tale.
- Understanding morality
The first step to analyzing morality in a storyline is to explore your own feelings while you are reading the tale. Do certain actions of the characters make you feel uncomfortable or offended? If they do, that character and his or her behavior may well be tied into the moral of the story. Often, "villains" or "villainesses" in stories can be an integral part of establishing the moral lesson - through the misdeeds of the villain, and the consequences of these misdeeds, we learn more about why these acts should be avoided. In most stories, good and bad are as clear and distinct as black and white - however, in other stories, different characters may do good and bad things, and there may be a grey area where it's hard to distinguish good from bad.
- Book reports
If you're writing a book report about the moral lesson of May Day Eve, or studying the story in class, be sure to think about the different characters, such as Badoy, Agueda, and Anatacia. Examine the actions and feelings of these characters, and see how they tie in to the overall moral theme of the piece. You may also want to consider how the setting, language, and plotline affect the moral tone of the work.
Looking at the entire arc of the storyline is one way get a sense of character development and moral lessons throughout the tale.
