a story of unrelieved evil

I don't know that I've ever read a story of unrelieved evil, unless it was just terribly written and thoughtless (which in my mind is pretty close to evil). I've actually been trying to think of such a novel or story to bring into this discussion, but am drawing a blank. When it comes to "rape stories" and the like, I have to go with Elizabeth--why is it in there? Is it just because rape is horrible and we all want to horrify? Do big terrible things happening in stories make them worth reading? I really don't think so. But big terrible things happen all the time, and I think writers should be able to write about them without morality or whatever secular term we've agreed upon being our main concern. I don't know if it's our job to supply morality, but to provide the reader with something to allow her question her own morality, and what morality, good/evil, etc., is. I like Sam's thoughts here about subverting what we think of as morality or a "happy ending."

I guess what interests me--what I was hoping to get at in my story from a couple of weeks ago, and what I think is all over Travis' story this week--is how rape (murder, pedophilia, insert other horrific thing here) affects a person, how he or she and his/her family, friends, lovers, etc., react to it. Not just the victim, either, but the person committing whatever act. And the reader. And what circumstances brought the event about. Thomas Glave has a story which follows a group of men through the process of gang raping a woman--we get all of these guys' thoughts previous to, during, and after the act, but the story ends in the woman's point of view, with her singing. It's haunting. What's interesting about it is that the reader leaves the piece horrified, but not so much at the rape itself (which is graphic and quite horrifying in itself)--rather, we're horrified (please don't let me use this word again) at these guys thinking that raping someone is going to solve anything or change their lives in any way. There's more to it than that, but it's heartbreaking because of the futility of it. I'm not interested in reading a story "about" rape, or murder, or sick things happening to children or animals or old folks. And if that's all there is, it isn't worth it. I don't think there's much of anything redeeming in a story that glorifies pain. But I'll pretty much read anything that gives me some sort of genuine view of people in the thick of pain. That's all I've got for now, but I'm enjoying the conversation so far. I can bring the Glave story to class next time if anyone's interested.

[originally posted by Beth Couture]