Behind The Text’ Part 28_ The Moral Compass
ID vs SUPEREGO
Should an author consider morality when constructing any work of fiction? No, I’m not answering that one – on the grounds of ignorance, if nothing else. I’m only dealing with ‘moral issues’ within the 'Jonas Forbes Saga'.
I remember my
surprise when Smashwords asked me to tick the ‘Adult Content Box’ for one of my
books. I’d never considered my works as ‘bad / challenging’ as much as several
books I know freely available in the UK. I remembered how the moral
thermostat can vary in different cultures and complied. Then I promptly added that
classification to all my books as I didn’t want to experience any rejection by a
morally-critical eye. Reject my works on account of plot, characterisation,
style or subject matter, but please not on the grounds of morality.
Jonas Forbes
is amoral – a womaniser, a killer, often a deceiver and (almost) 100% ruthless.
I’m not proud of him. He just jumped into life that way over thirty years ago and
I haven’t seen fit to change him. Of course, he loses out on a lot as a
consequence – a dozen years of not living with the ‘almost perfect’ Vanessa for
starters. Often he suffers through going the wrong way, unconsciously perhaps
losing support, affection, admiration and the plaudits of the crowd. But then I'm
trying to make him human – at least, enough to gloss over the nastier bits.
Frequently, he does the ‘good thing’ without
knowing why – e.g. distorting the
truth about Shaidan to preserve a woman’s dream (Book 15). It’s not all just
rescuing fair damsels from dragons (e.g. his preservation of the Amazonian sister of
Luther Wallenstein in Book 16).
What about the
more minor characters – some are just wicked (Kimotho
Gathegi & Kurt Langer in Book 1) or plain good (Hermann Brugsch & Nathifa in Book 3). Some are torn different
ways (Lord Brimstone & Boris Danilovsky in Book
10). Some live in a tightly controlled country, others in chaos (like a
disintegrating Biafra in Book 15). Some face the temptations of affluence and others the
millstone of poverty. Some comfort: some torment. Some help: some betray.
Wherever you have humans, you have standards and wherever
you have standards (or mores) you have both acceptance or rejection of
them and so a Morality System. Do I
believe that? No, but my beliefs about Morality remain strictly PERSONAL.
Bob Hyslop
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