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Man’s relationship with society

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Man’s relationship with society

Introduction

Society, as commonly known by many individuals, is that culture is the customs,

regulations, ground rules, and way of life for the man. Community is what governs the man into

what they follow and what they believe is wrong and right. Only one individual does not make a

community by many individuals with the same beliefs and way of life. The relationship between

culture and man is very close. This is evident as the society serves man and not that the man

helps the community. If one goes against the rules of society, they are punished accordingly.

Culture defines a man. That is because a man was biologically and psychologically equipped to

live and operate in groups. This thesis shall address the relationship between man and society

through the main character of the story “The lady of the House of Love.” The story is an
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excellent example of defining the relationship of man to society. Not necessarily true, but the

message is clear and delivered.

The relationship of man within society talks about how man or individuals cope in one

community. The relationship of man within a community has many angles and approaches

because a man in society does not coexist peacefully alone. They also have misunderstandings,

hate, jealousy, love, care, etc. All these do make up a whole society. For example, in the story of

“The lady of the House of Love,” Countess is trapped and is feared. She is very beautiful and

hates to kill people but yet she is feared and hated despite her love for humanity. It shows despite

being radical and caring, people will both hate you and love you. Vampires and monsters play a

role in our society. Despite them being fictitious and gothic, they are part of our society. Man’s

relationship within society is not as clear as black and white (Bausch et al., N.A).

In the story of the lady of the house of love, Countess is a vampire. She is confined and

trapped in her own home with demons as her companions. That is because she cannot be

involved with ordinary humans as she would kill them. Vampires need blood to survive. For this

reason, Countess is feared and hated. She is viewed as a human killing machine; hence, she is

hated. Society dictates killing as a form of crime that should be punished.

Nonetheless, Countess is powerful and cannot be killed or punished, which forces the

humans to abandon the town of Countess for their safety. For humans, Countess should not be

allowed to belong to their society, which makes her the villain, and the humans become the

victims. For one to belong to a community or a particular group, one has to abandon some of

their specific rituals or characteristics to belong to the whole. For Countess, she cannot belong to

the whole with her unique abilities, which she cannot abandon as it is her way of survival. In the

current society, being unique is both good and bad. If you have uniquely qualified attributes for a
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specific job, for example, the general population will see you as a god or some genius. But in the

corporate world or society, you are seen as a threat or an expensive burden. Some companies will

hire the average guy to underpay them, but for the uniquely qualified guy, they are not employed

as they are seen to be paid more salary than the rest. Such a situation makes the coexistence of

man to be based on one’s character and abilities or attributes. That is for a reason she chose to

live with demons in her house. She cannot kill a beast (Belgrave et al., 104-106)

Man’s relationship within the society is not a primal collectivity as Countess is way

beautiful. Her beauty is unnatural and out of this world. She only transforms and becomes a beast

when hunting. Despite all her beauty, she is still hated and feared. She is a victim of her beauty

and power. In the healthy society, anything or anyone beautiful is loved and cared for. But for

her case, she is feared and hated. With all the love she still shows to the humans, by caging

herself so as not to kill them, she is always feared. It brings out the concept of humanity in

society. Be it a vampire, a monster, or even the man, it shows despite all the differences, love

and care are shown to members of the society. Countess keeps a bird trapped in a cage in her

house so that she can feel loved and wanted. She does this because it is a man’s or a monster’s

ability to be desired and loved by others. In the book, the author continues, “And could love free

me from the shadows? Can a caged bird sing only the song it knows or can it learn a new song?”

All creatures need love and care in their life to feel a sense of belonging[ CITATION Ang19 \l 1033 ].

There is an introduction of an Englishman who visits the abandoned town of Countess.

He arrives and looks for a welcoming eating café. He also washes his feet by the fountain and

not forgetting the fact that he is a virgin. All these attributes point out a hero in the story.

Washing his feet by the basin reflects the biblical reference of Jesus washing His disciples’ feet,

and this makes Jesus the savior of humanity. It makes the Englishman a hero because he saves
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Countess. Such a scenario points out another concept of humanity and love. Despite the

differences, man needs love and care to survive this cruel world. Englishman creates a difference

between good and evil. Countess is evil and harmful, whereas the Englishman is pure and

friendly. He leaves the town unharmed. All this shows love and care is evident, and it is possible

to give despite all the hatred present.

Humanity is a vital element in the core survival of the coexistence between man and man.

Without humanity, most of the rules that govern a society would be null and void. Crimes like

murder, torture, and rape would be accepted and be a daily routine. The Countess, has her, “…

voice is curiously disembodied ‘like a doll’ ‘ventriloquist’s doll’ great, ingenious piece of

clockwork” Many people would suffer, mostly the weak. The society will leave with the survival

of the fittest rule only. Man’s relationship within a society plays a huge role in who people

become in the future. For example, who would be Napoleon Bonaparte without the French

Revolution? Such a situation shows that man is dependent on society, and without it, they will

struggle and suffer and fail to be someone in life (Sorokin et al., N.A)

The power of a curse defines Countess. Yes, she is powerful and very beautiful, but

without the love and care and a sense of belonging to society makes her an outcast and a nobody.

She survives in the survival of the fittest side and not the society of man. On the other hand, the

Englishman is a hero and is loved by many as he is a golden boy. But there is the other side of

Countess where she is a caring and loving lady who wants the best for everyone till she cages

herself to protect the rest. The Countess is in dire need of belonging as she uses a tarot card

which used to predict the future. She is so lonely, and her life is like a horror movie played on

repeat and loops the same scene all the time. If this is not tiresome and boring, then nothing is.

Such a view will make someone go mad or be depressed.

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A society gives an individual the platform to build and define themselves. The support,

love, and care are assigned to each other give man a reason to wake up and go back to sleep. If

there is a problem, they come together and provide support where possible. Such an environment

is essential for the man to thrive and survive. The environment consists of friends, enemies,

relatives, loved ones, and all other correlated entities. Countess wears her dead mother’s bridal

gown as a uniform. She misses her mother, who loved her despite anything, and if she were

around, she would not be lonely and unloved. All these events show society is both cruel and

loving.

Conclusion

A society can afford both favors you or make your life miserable; it all depends on how

you conduct yourself and carry out your activities. If one cherishes love and affection, society is

right for you as one would live a good life and be accepted with open arms. It is evident that

there is some level of inhumanity in the coexistence of man with another. Countess is very lonely

in her story. She is very beautiful and powerful, but yet she is feared and hated. The town of

countess saw the monster side of her and hated her for it, yet she was a very loving and caring

lady. A society is not all that roses, but it stings just as its stem. It all depends on how one will be

judged, and if they love you and accept you, then all is well. The concept of abandoning the

unique attributes is applicable here because if the society does not allow those attributes, then

one is doomed.
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Works Cited

Bausch, Richard, Ed. The Norton anthology of short fiction. WW Norton & Company, 2015.

Belgrave, Faye Z., and Stephen E. Davenport. "Book Review: Lady’s Man: Conversations for

Young Black Men about Relationships and Manhood." (2017): 104-106.

Sorokin, Pitirim A., and Irving Louis Horowitz. Man and society in calamity. Routledge, 2017.

https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/13513823-vampirella