My Journal #2

Corruption is it redeemable?

Have you had any experiences with a person who has become morally or politically corrupt? Do people need to be persuaded like Shakespeare's Macbeth or does it happen on its own?  At first I almost ignored the prompt as something I had no experience with. BUT on further thought I had a lot to say. Please read below:

  I can't say I've had this experience personally, but I've seen it in real life and seen it played out in books and on the screen. Its one thing that makes for a very good story line. The 7 "deadly" sins has since it was first enacted has been the subject of many a story, told first by the traveling minstrels and later in the written word.

What is it about sin that has everyone so interested?  Corruption isn't what's interesting. If all we saw was Al Capone driving around shooting people or cattle rustlers stealing cattle, or kidnappers throwing people in a van and driving off, we'd lose interest real fast.  Its human nature to have an equalizer. The Great Equalizer, demands a restitution for wrongs. These are choices made by people. Whether it's a lie, stealing, killing, embezzlement or just not doing something when you should, it's a choice.  There are consequences to choices made.

We think of the word "consequence" as a negative. Yet the dictionary just defines the word as: a result or effect of an action or condition , neither good or bad. 

Without some kind of interference one would expect the "sinner" to continue on their way. Its the result of what drives them to be morally or politically corrupt.  Once the path is chosen, why would they change without some outside influence to do so.  If one likes to stop and get a coffee every morning, why would they stop? No Money? late for work? see someone they don't want to talk to? These are all external interference that cause the person to rethink their habit or ritual.

So what is it that makes us tune in or open the cover when we read about corruption? We want to know if they were caught and how it happened. Who discovered the dastardly deed? Who blew the whistle? Who went undercover and got the goods on the corruption? That's what we want to know. What was the process of equalizing the evil with the consequences?

We saw the movie 21 (I think it was called) about these M.I.T. students who beat the system and robbed from the rich casino owners.  Who did we root for?  Think about this. It was the thief stealing from a thief.  In the end the Vegas Casino owners, beat up the main teacher and one or two of the students as a warning not to come doing it again. The cheaters do not want to be cheated.  What do you think about that?

We love reading about Robin Hood who robbed from the rich and gave to the poor. Did it make him in better in reality? They were both thieves.  What is it about corruption that makes it good sometimes and not others?  The act of corruption is still wrong, yet many justify it with the motive of the person committing it. 

That's why we have ANTI-HEROS!!! YES!! there it is. We have a corrupt situation and yet we are drawn to sympathize with the person because why? There is a redeem-ability in them.  We want to see the good not the bad.. For instance I am writing a character based on a concept we are all familiar with; a Mafia lord.

We see them in movies but they were real life people. These men were married ( I was married to the Mafia-movie) with families and children who attended school, went on trips, had parties in their homes and sometimes no one knew the father was a Mafia crime lord or drug dealer or  hit man. 

My character is one of the above. When my FMC meets him he is concerned about his sick wife. He needs a nanny for his children. FMC is hired but finds out his is an abusive Mine owner and prejudice against the Chinese that work for him.  The reader doesn't find this out until the FMC does and then will worry what happens as she is part Chinese. Why has he chosen her for his Nanny?
The reader will have already come to see him as a "father" figure to her and his children and a loving concerned husband. What will happen when they see the real man? 

This is what constitutes an ANTI-HERO. They make great characters in a story. Try writing about one.




Tina Weaver