Accursed, abused and abhorred. The figure of Vice that has adorned literature for centuries has spawned ill favored reactions from readers, across the ages. The unmitigated malice and irrepressible vengeance that characterizes the ‘Satanic genius’ or the anti-hero has been seen for its sheer ingenuity to overpower all good.
Literature flummoxes us with its depiction of moral categories by showing them as fluid and not a rigid system of ‘good’ and ‘evil’.
While depiction of good lends itself to doubts, evil seems enthralling and attractive, to the extent of sometimes winning our sympathies.
Despite their philosophical deviance, ‘evil’ characters have spurred the imagination of writers and readers alike for generations.
One may wonder why this darkness attracts our psyche and the sneers seem more attractive than pitiful sighs? Why do the evil monologues seem to induce a sense of wonder and awe, along with waryness?
From Shakespeare and Dickens to the contemporary Bret Easton Ellis, writers have romanced with the infernal side of man.
Iago, one of literature’s greatest villains, has been labeled with negative epitaphs ranging from being a “moral pyromaniac” to “onto-theologian on evil”.
Yet, it is interesting to note that Iago still remains one of the most engaging characters of the bard; Shaespeare.
Through clever manipulation of the spoken word and the impeccable use of his victims’ cognitive power, Iago dodges all blame and inflicts Othello, who ends up earning the readers ire.
However, Coleridge’s formulation- “the motive-hunting of motiveless malignity” seems to be the best explanation – behind the sneers and the jabs, Iago’s mind is seething with white noise.
The most memorable characters in fiction are often those whose evil isn’t comprehensible. That is, they aren’t driven purely by greed or mania for power. It is this incomprehensible nature of these characters that transcends the understanding of the author and readers alike and makes them acquire a dangerous life force of their own. For instance, Stavrogin in Dostoevsky’s The Possessed is a charming, intelligent and handsome man who nonetheless frightens even his own mother with his riveting and inexplicable deeds.
King Lear’s Edmund , another Mephistophelian figure of Shakespeare, who baffles readers with the depth of his malcontent. Reeling under the torment of injustices meted out to him because of his illegitimate birth (which in no way justifies his subsequent actions), he frames his own brother; plays the love rat with Goneril and Regan and finally orders the execution of Lear and Cordelia. The audience is initially made to feel sympathetic towards him, until his true character is revealed.
There exists, of course the question of the existence of pure Evil. Writers like Kafka see evil as a function of a system rather than that of an individual. Hannah Arendt has written about the “banality of evil” and the possibility of our contributing to it through bureaucratic detachment or through the lack of action by good men. Some of these notions are difficult for a writer to depict. Perhaps this is the reason why there arises a need to look at these characters with a different eye. Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities produces a formidable femme fatale in the character of Madame Defarge for whom, revenge lies in the annihilation of the French aristocracy. As the book says, “… imbued from her childhood with a brooding sense of wrong, and an inveterate hatred of a class, opportunity had developed her into a tigress. She was absolutely without pity. If she had ever had the virtue in her, it had quite gone out of her.”
However, Lucie, with her golden curls, perfect home and air of innocence is a “good woman”. These binaries don’t give Madame Defarge (who’s intent on finding political justice for the wrongs done to her family) much room to work in.
Perhaps Shylock may also be seen as representing the angst of a marginalized class in the dominant Christian society. Perhaps, the apparent anti-Semitic politics of The Merchant of Venice paints the Jewish moneylender in negative terms. These terms seem to be a construction of the European majority, which denounces the entire Jewish race as lasviscious, greedy and crafty, thereby completely nullifying the voice of the subaltern.
It is not the immortal fantastical creatures like vampires and zombies that make the greatest impression, but those that are human. For instance, in the novel The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Dr Jekyll doesn’t start out as a monster. He is instead forced, almost against his will, to become the sociopath Mr. Hyde and commit crimes he would shudder at. However the author takes an interesting route. Dr Jekyll decides he likes being Mr. Hyde. He enjoys indulging his worst nature. Perhaps he has, at a subconscious level, wanted to commit those crimes and now, as Mr. Hyde, he finds that he can. But, in trying to isolate the evil in his character, he is consumed instead which may be seen as tragic. Thus, Stevenson adds another dimension to this ‘evil’ character.
Milton unconsciously, is seen depicting Satan as a hero in Paradise Lost. With some of the most beautiful similes and lines in the epic poem, Milton makes him more attractive than God or Adam. He is shown as representing ambition, determination, nobility and honor- all qualities worth emulating.
Therefore villains, despite their sinister side, have something to recommend them . Although there is nothing Captain Hook likes better than plunging his hook into people, he also has a gentle side. He plays the flute and the harpsichord (how is not the point), loves Wordsworth and Coleridge, and is a stickler for form.
Patrick Bateman from American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis is the smiling face on Wall Street who enjoys fine dining, the Genesis, the band called the Talking Heads, rape, murder and dismemberment. Ellis’ success is perhaps because none of Bateman’s interests appear to bore this murderous fact-finding martian, who is revolting and humorous in equal measure.
Lastly, one cannot forget to mention the figures of Lord Voldemort and Sauron when talking of an evil, seemingly beyond human reach. These figures represent a powerful and all encompassing menace that strives for absolute power. The “unsleeping eye” of Sauron and the “horcruxes” of Voldemort embody their diabolic essence.
One may conclude that there are and will be some very enchanting evil figures representing all that is wrong with our society in literature. Perhaps the attractiveness is a sub-conscious reminder of the “evil” or simply that the good is too conventional, too powerful and brings out the rebel in us.
One shudders at their acts and yet is in awe simultaneously because latent in us is the awareness in the Joker’s words, “We’re not so different you and I.”
~ Amrita Singh
