Otherways- Fiction Fanatics

It isn't possible to cover the entire subject of evil, not in a novel, and certainly not in a blog post, but I would like to take a look at what literary people consider to be "evil" and how that works, especially in science fiction and fantasy. There really isn't room here to cover all of that, either, but the concept is troubling me, so we'll touch on it as best we can.

Of course, classically evil is associated with the devil, fallen angels, and dark gods of the underworld. They act in opposition to whatever the heroes and benevolent gods want to do. It's a good, serviceable premise, but it kind of begs the question "Why?". What do these evil characters get out of being evil? In some novel series, the evil Gods are essentially powerful humans, much like the Greeks and Romans saw their deities, and the evil they do is usually a direct result of very human desires, like revenge. Others settle on groups we all love to hate, and use them as the "evil" the heroes must combat. Nazis, the undead, undead Nazis, diseased zombies, diseased zombie Nazis,,,you get the idea. They're bad just because they're bad, and killing them is what any healthy, breathing non-Nazi should do.

These stories are a lot of fun, don't get me wrong, but I have to admit I really love a story where the evil is completely believable. One of the best examples of this is Asimov's colloection of short stories I, Robot. His three laws of robotics, meant to make robots completely safe, create the logical basis for a robot revolution. In order to protect us from ourselves, they need to control us, which we quite naturally percieve as an evil. As much as we would not want the world to change in this way, and we rejoice that the humans triumph, you still have to admit that the evil here has a point.

Perhaps I am odd, but I like evil that has a point. I can understand that it has been driven mad, or that being governed completely by logic may make it take extreme and undesireable positions, but I have trouble with people just being evil. Not that I wouldn't also want to exterminate the diseased zombie Nazis, I would, but it's because they're a danger, not because they are inherently evil.

The thing we forget sometimes, is that love is a verb. It is what you do for another person that is love. Hate, being the opposite of love, is also a verb.  Good is associated with love. Putting the other person first, self sacrifice, care, protection, and a host of similar actions are all love, and therefore good. Evil is the opposite. Selfishness, callousness, disregard, aggression...I could go on, because it seems there are a dozen words to describe evil actions for every one that decribes a good one.

In my opinion, some of the best stories are where you want the good guy to win, you really, really do, but you grieve for the "bad guy" as well. His story, though often neglected, is just as important as the hero's. Why is he like this? If his pain has twisted him, then show me how, because I want to feel for him, too.

Cheers,

Michelle