The authors use qualities of motives and characteristics similar to the antagonists of their novels to connect the situation to the reader through the common traits witnessed in human nature. In the novels Goose Girl by Shannon Hale, Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen, and the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller, each author attributes the qualities of jealousy, manipulation, and questionable sanity to the antagonists of their composition. Through this portrayal of conventional arguments, the authors are able to convey that when people are driven by the greed for power, they will always be defeated by those who are driven by honorable means. In Goose Girl and Water for Elephants, Selia and August's motivations stem from their envy of the main characters and desire for power, which ultimately leads to their demise. Selia, Princess Ani's lady-in-waiting, kills members of the royal guard and attempts to kill the princess to assume her identity. Envy and resentment consume Selia, which drives her to conspire against the kingdom and ignore the lives of others, almost causing a war to hide her true identity. August's actions in Water For Elephants are fueled by his jealousy of the developing relationship between Marlena and Jacob. August, driven by the desire to create the best circus and control Marlena, abuses her and the animals, even killing crew members he couldn't pay. Selia and August do not contain a moral conscience or value the lives of others. Both characters are depicted as ruthless and cruel human beings with charm and charm. This fixation on power and envy leads to the deaths of Selia and August at the end of the novels through gruesome measures. The author, through the triumph of th...... middle of paper ......ruen shows the reader that no matter if the antagonist has a marginal excuse, the antagonist still cannot prosper with dishonorable intentions .Hale, Gruen, and Miller depict the antagonists of their compositions with qualities of jealousy, manipulation, and questionable sanity in order to convey messages applicable to reality in the reader's life. The authors are able to convey to the readers that through despicable intentions a person can never achieve success or growth. The common phrase that "cheaters never prosper" is shown through the triumph of the virtuous characters and the downfall of the antagonists' plot. Works Cited1. Gruen, Sara. Water for elephants. Chapel Hill, North Carolina: Algonquin, 2006. Print.2. Hale, Shannon. The goose girl. New York: Bloomsbury, 2003. Print.3. Miller, Arthur. The Crucible. New York: Penguin, 1976. Print.