Comments on: Part book review, part musings on writing

By: Marie Brennan

Marie Brennan — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 18:14:57 +0000

Chris — I hadn’t thought of that, but it’s an interesting parallel. Except that the Operative, unlike the Irish boys, doesn’t seem to carry the added perspective that, by doing the horrible things he does, he saves those he loves from having to do them.

By: chrisweuve

chrisweuve — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 16:11:48 +0000

Marie: Your description of the irish boys could easily have been part of the dialog presented by The Operative in the movie _Serenity_:

Mal: Why? Do you even know why they sent you?

The Operative: It’s not my place to ask. I believe in something greater than myself. A better world. A world without sin.

Mal: So me and mine gotta lay down and die… so you can live in your better world?

The Operative: I’m not going to live there. There’s no place for me there… any more than there is for you. Malcolm… I’m a monster.What I do is evil. I have no illusions about it, but it must be done.

By: Kate Elliott

Kate Elliott — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 00:51:01 +0000

Di: I think you’re bringing up a really important point about how unrealistic that particular trope can be, and how damaging to how people approach life. Do you think more writers are exploring ambiguity these days?

Marie: that’s really fascinating — and I agree with you that viewed from the inside it is a tragedy.

By: Diana Pharaoh Francis

Diana Pharaoh Francis — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 23:47:21 +0000

Marie: that’s fascinating about the Irish boys. I didn’t know that at all. What a tricky conundrum and really pulls at different loyalties. Worth thinking about . . .

By: Diana Pharaoh Francis

Diana Pharaoh Francis — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 23:43:58 +0000

Karen:

I think it’s an interesting point. With whistleblowers, they often uncover something and then report it. I think there are probably a lot of people who would decide not to do it if they knew how awful the results would be personally and for their families. So those who come forward are brave, although perhaps naive.

By: Marie Brennan

Marie Brennan — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 17:01:00 +0000

The one that fascinates me is the notion that once you’ve crossed a line, you can’t go back. You get this in Huck Finn, when Huck decides to steal Jim back even though he’s convinced that’s a sin; he says to himself, “All right then, I’ll go to hell,” and then goes on about how he’ll do all these other awful things, too, because once he’s done that he might as well do anything.

One of my professors talked about something similar, regarding the work he had done in Northern Ireland and the young men he’d seen there. They believed that “love thy neighbour” ultimately extended not just to their village or their country, but the British and indeed all of humanity, so that by fighting to defend their home they were violating that commandment from God and choosing to damn themselves. They knew that the world they were fighting for was not for them, that they had put themselves outside society. And having done so . . . well, they might as well do whatever it took to defend their homes, because one sin more or less wouldn’t make a difference for them.

Viewed from the outside, it’s a judgmental attitude, that no one can be redeemed from evil. Viewed from inside, it’s a profound tragedy.

By: Karen Wester Newton

Karen Wester Newton — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 12:18:33 +0000

Interesting. I like idea that outsiders can see whistle blowing as heroic, but to the whistle blower it’s “just doing their job.”

I also take your point about those who don’t blow the whistle because they can’t face the music even though they’re the ones who put the quarters in the jukebox. I think that’s what separates the players in any crisis. When faced with bad news, some folks will go to great lengths to put off facing the inevitable consequences. That all-too-human quality is what sows the seeds for a lot of tragedies. The crisis might vary—sometimes it’s financial, sometimes it’s a bad medical diagnosis or the breakup of a relationship—but the underlying inability to face up to bad news is the same.

Maybe they just never quite finished growing up.