Greed In Godfather Death

Throughout life, everyone faces the frightening thoughts of how and when one will die. The possibility of death can be next week, tomorrow, or maybe even today. The story, “Godfather Death,” by Jacob and Willhelm Grimm told the story of a poor man with twelve children who worked day and night to support his family. When his thirteenth child came into the world, the father was unable to support him and decided to find a godfather to take care of this child. He chose Death because he treated everyone equally unlike God who gave to the rich, but allowed the poor to suffer, and the Devil who lead humans astray. When his godson came of age, Death gave him a powerful herb to help those who are sick. Those who are allowed to be saved will have Death standing at their heads, but those who belonged to Death and would die will have him standing at their feet. This powerful gift made the godson very rich and famous, but it was not enough. The godson’s greed for money, fame, and love created his own grave and showed that people will do anything, even cheat death, to have what they want in life. Fame, money, and fortune seem like the most important aspects of life. Many people will do whatever it takes to gain any type of power, even it means hurting others. In the story, “Godfather Death,” the godson went against Death’s will and saved the king. “He therefore took hold of the sick man and laid him the other way around, so that Death was now standing at his head. Then he gave the king some of the herb, and he recovered and became healthy again” (Grimm 13). The godson cheated death for his own personal gain. As discussed in class, the physician was a greedy man who wanted more out of life. Only the best physicians work on kings and queens, and since the godson saved the life of the king, others would pay even more money to have themselves be saved as well. He knew that saving the king would lead to bigger and better things for him. The decision to cheat Death was his first pursuit at achieving more fame and fortune. In this attempt to save the king, the physician’s true craving for fame and fortune was revealed. Throughout the Bible, greed is seen in many stories of the Old and New Testament. Proverbs 28:20 claims that those who are faithful will prosper in life, but those who are looking for riches will be punished. This verse related to the godson because he was already a very wealthy man due to his other famous treatments, but he wanted more in life. Fame and fortune were not enough for this wealthy physician, he also wanted love. Of course, everyone is entitled to love, but not for one’s personal gain. After the king was healed, his daughter soon fell ill. The king promised that whoever could save his daughter would become her husband and inherit the royal crown. Many believe the physician helped the king due to his unending days and nights of crying, but the godson went against Death another time to fulfill his life and marry the princess, which would inevitably lead to more wealth. Thus cheating Death, once again, the godson knew the princess would die, but saved her …show more content…
Greed is a common sin that must be avoided. As discussed in class, one will do any and everything to ensure they get exactly what they want out of life. The physician showed his need for fame, money, and love throughout the story by cheating Death, and even asked to end the life of someone else to save his own. Death only required one thing from his godson, which was to allow him to have some of the ill patients as his own. The godson did not follow this one request, which taught readers that when commitments are broken, consequences will be enforced. This seven deadly sin can lead to many consequences, as shown by the death of the godson. The godson’s greed for money, fame, and love ultimately stood in the way of the rest of his