Good and Evil: The Darkened Mirror

As promised, a continuation of the Symbolic Dichotomies series I started earlier this year.

"Good and Evil" is a huge and highly controversial topic, so instead of trying to discuss every aspect of this dichotomy, we're going to look at how Good and Evil appear most often in stories: in the form of characters.

"What Makes Us Different?"

Some of my favorite fiction tropes are variations on "we're not so different, you and I," where the hero and villain:

• Want the same thing but have drastically different ways of getting it
• Were childhood friends who grew apart and took different paths in life
• Have the same character traits and flaws, manifesting in different ways
• Share the same belief system or values, but apply them differently
• Possess the same abilities/training/knowledge but use them for different purposes
• (any version of this where the villain was the hero's mentor or vice versa is also very good)

These storylines leave the hero (and the reader) asking, "What makes them different?" or often "Where did it go wrong?" Questions such as these are what make the "we're not so different" trope so powerful--they force the reader to spot differences between two characters. In these differences lies the author's message on what makes someone good or evil.

I could talk all day about how much I love this trope, but for our purposes, let's turn our attention to how writers can create two characters who are essentially the same, but one is good and the other evil.

Psychology and Characters

There are a lot of psychological resources out there that are geared towards writers (KM Weiland's articles on shadows and archetypes, for example), but to keep things simple, I'm going to point to two (very good) resources for writers that go hand in hand: The Positive Trait Thesaurus and The Negative Trait Thesaurus, both by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi. These books are well-organized, layman-friendly, and chockfull of psychological tidbits that will improve your characters and help you flesh out the hero-villain dynamic, among myriad other uses.

Let's say I already know a little bit about what I want my hero to be like. Let's say her three primary good traits are friendly, persuasive, and confident--she's an extravert. If I look these up in The Positive Trait Thesaurus, I can look under the "Negative Aspects" heading and find what happens when this trait goes sour--for example, if a friendly character is too obliging, their own needs might go unmet, which is a good villain backstory. Persuasive characters can also be manipulative. Confident characters can become arrogant and look down on others.

Not only does this method of finding the dark side of good traits help me invent flaws for my hero to struggle with, but it also helps me figure out what a mirror-image villain might look like: Unsatisfied, manipulative, and arrogant.

But let's say one of my friends has the opposite problem: She knows who her villain is, but she doesn't have a hero suitable to fight him. Perhaps this villain is possessive, temperamental, and extravagant--a real drama queen. (Or king, in this case.) The Negative Trait Thesaurus also lists positive aspects of the flaws. The hero might be fiercely protective of his friends, emotionally sensitive, and generous--still dramatic and flamboyant, but in a healthier way.

Not all Good and Evil dynamics in stories are structured this way--for example, many heroes are designed to be the opposite of the villain--but the "we're not so different" trope is so effective in sending a message about Good and Evil because it's nuanced. Instead of suggesting that some traits are good and others bad, it highlights that the traits themselves can be used for Good or Evil. Some common themes you might see conveyed with this "darkened mirror" method might be:

• Use your talents to love others, not to serve yourself
• Learn self-control rather than leaning into every impulse
• The powerful should serve others with their abilities, not subjugate them

Your hero with certain traits behaves one way. Your villain with the same traits turned upside-down behaves another way. This is a powerful way to show readers your concept of Good and Evil.

One Caution...

One last thing to bear in mind when writing a "Good and Evil" theme: Good and Evil are not subjective, though they can manifest in many different circumstances. Traits may be coins with two sides, but Good and Evil are disparate. There is no such thing as "morally gray."

Some behaviors are innately evil, such as murder, sexual perversion, and child abuse. Some behaviors are innately good: speaking the truth to those who need it, showing Jesus' love to those who least deserve it, and protecting the innocent from those who would harm them.

Sometimes Good becomes unpopular or even culturally unacceptable. That doesn't make it Evil. Sometimes Evil becomes common or even socially required. That doesn't make it Good. Isaiah 5:20 states it clearly: "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!" There are consequences for subverting the Truth. Writers have been given a great gift of eloquence, and we must use it responsibly.

Sometimes we're faced with a moral dilemma, in life or in our writing: Is it okay to lie to save a life? Is it okay to avenge a loved one's death? These situations don't disprove the existence of objective Good and Evil. Instead, they give us questions to thoughtfully consider in light of God's Word.

Should writers then be afraid of dealing with themes as important and difficult as Good and Evil? Of course not! The truth still needs to be spoken, even when it's difficult. If you feel called to write about Good and Evil, pray that the Holy Spirit will guide you. The task may be too difficult for us, but with God, all things are possible.

Other Posts in This Series:

Order and Chaos: Neutral Opposites

Justice and Mercy: Two Kinds of Resurrection