The Exorcist Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

The Exorcist - Essay Example "Purposefully raw and profane, this novel still has the extraordinary ability to literally shock us into forgetting that it is 'just a story'. The Exorcist remains a truly unforgettable reading experience." - Stanley Wiater. The book tells the story of what happens when the actress finds her child behaving most peculiarly; after extensive medical examinations and visits to the psychiatrist, the mother decides that the child is possessed, and the child then begins talking in strange voices, shrieking and committing obscenities and violently abusing herself and any one who approaches her. The Exorcist explored areas and realms of fear in numerous different ways. The clash between good and evil was depicted incredibly emotionally and graphically in this novel, and the significantly obvious religious motives in the film caused incredibly controversy among most of the overall audience, while the Catholic Church in fact embraced the strength of the film's religious overtones. The perhaps most explored forms of fear which are depicted in fact take place between Regan and herself - Regan and Regan with the demon speaking from within her; such as when she speaks a language which both her mother and the priest claim, quite obviously, that she herself would never have known. At first the priest does not want to do an exorcism,... Both men come off as incredibly strong, faithful individuals, but when Priest Karras hears Regan tell him of his mother's death, he becomes incredibly frightened. He asks Regan's mother as he's leaving the house whether there was any way Regan could have known of his mother's death, to which she replied, "Not at all. Why'd you ask" "It's not important good night." Responded Karras. This shows how although Karras is obviously fearful, understanding and realizing for sure at this point that Regan is possessed, he does not want to put any further strain on the mother, and rather than telling her, he leaves and consoles in himself, understanding now what he has to do. The exorcism itself is incredibly lengthy, and unexplainably ruthless, putting Karras to most likely the greatest challenge and testament of his life. Each person in the novel is put through their own test of fears and strengths, although all end up with positive resolutions. There is certainly a significant validity to the exploration of such fears as these, and in regards to whether or not the novel 'goes too far'; basically depends on the reader's opinion. I believe that the novel does not go too far, but rather shows an occurrence in life - whether based on an actual event or not - which must be taken in great seriousness and understanding. The issue of faith, strength, and belief in a higher power are all explored heavily in this novel, and yet each exploration is truly helpful in its own way. When Karras reenters Regan's bedroom near the end of the novel, and sees Merrin's face down on her bed and realizes that he is dead, he loses control, grabbing Regan and throwing her to th e floor, shaking her and nearly strangling her in his fury. This is