The Questionable Morality

The Questionable Morality

I think it's no secret by this point that I like to poke fun at what I call the "morality police" critics of my writing; the ones who think that my characters ought to typify what they personally deem as "good" and "correct" behavior and ideologies. Those critics are SOL. But I did receive a comment on my Maggie post - "thank goodness morality has no place in your writing" - that left me wanting to clarify some points about fiction in general, and my writing in particular. 

Firstly, I'm glad said reader wholeheartedly agrees with my approach! But I would like to say that I don't believe morality "has no place." Rather, I strive not to put my morality off onto fictional characters who are nothing like me, and who are not fictional representations of the way I interact with the world. Because my books are about the characters in them - they are not about me, they are not about my readers, and they are not about pushing a particular moral viewpoint off onto others. I would argue that all of my characters, even the truly dark ones, have their own morality codes. It's cliché, but "a man's got to have a code," you know? But those characters' codes don't necessarily align with my own, or those of my readers. 

I've talked at length before about my belief that fiction should serve as a window rather than a mirror, so I won't go into it again here. Suffice to say I don't feel like it's my place to present a character to the audience, and then use my narrative voice to try to convince anyone that this character is "right," and therefore morally superior to anyone else in the book. Or superior to anyone sitting at home who just wanted to read an exciting book and escape for a little while. 

I've been reading Mary Renault, and I love the way her historical fiction presents us with the reality of the age without judging it by modern-day standards. Anne Rice did the same thing with her Vampire Chronicles: here is the age, here are the people living  in it, here are their flaws, their faults, and the internal reasoning for their actions. Both authors ask you to love and enjoy the stories of their characters, but - and this is important - they never ask you the reader to excuse, justify, or approve of anything they've done. 

Enjoying a book about a problematic character does not mean you approve of the problematic behavior. 

It does not mean you forgive whatever vile things he or she has done. 

A perfect example of this is the love fans (including me) have for Loki in the MCU. I've had it said to me that, "I can't like him. Why do you like him? He's a bad guy! He did bad things!" I think, in general, Loki fans are not apologists who try to rationalize his morality, trivialize the horrible things he's done, or make excuses. We know he's killed people. We know he's let emotion get the best of him. (We want he and Thor to just have a brotherly hug that doesn't involve stabbing!) Rather, he is a character for which we have empathy, who is fascinating, who is, despite some tough odds, endearing and sympathetic. And we know that loving his character doesn't mean that we approve of his (sometimes) villainous behavior. 

Because...

Enjoying a problematic character does not mean you approve of the problematic behavior. 

I also believe that the redemption journey of a problematic character can be one of the most inspiring to read and watch; that seeing a character's shifting moral foundations is truly epic to behold. I personally enjoy writing the backstories for those characters; peeling back the layers and explaining the whys of them to the audience. It's an exercise in psychology, one that I think, ultimately, can help us better understand the world around us, and the people around us. 

Long story short: authors like to play in fictional toy chests. For me, the challenge of making a problematic character loveable (and boy do I have my hands full with Vlad in Dragon Slayer) is one of the most rewarding and thrilling. I'll probably never stop getting those pesky one-star reviews from people who think that my books are some kind of expression of the fact that I personally endorse murder, abuse, or think that people like Mercy have the moral high ground. Those critics may not like or agree with my characters, but that doesn't make them any less realistic. And if you're like me, and you enjoy your problematic characters, don't let others shame you and ruin the enjoyment for you. They're seriously not worth your time.