How does Buffy deconstruct traditional literary notions of good and evil?
The world we live in often separates the good from the evil clearly. The Buffy series, however, deconstructs traditional literary notions of good and evil according to Braum (2000). It does this through the inconsistent portrayals of a lasting good or evil. This is evident in season 2 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer where Angelus shifts from his evil self to the opposite, due to a curse bestowed upon him by the family of a former victim; this curse being set off by just one interaction of “perfect human happiness” (Braum, 2000); this being sexual intercourse with Buffy.
The X Files too was no different in Scully’s shift from good to the evil side, due to a sexual encounter of her own. This, however, was not a pleasant pleasurable one like that of Buffy and Angel; her transition was caused by a highly unusual bee sting in the breast-like domes in a Texan desert.
As the Buffy season 2 progresses, Buffy is forced to switch back and forth too with bad and morally wrong choices she makes along the way. Regardless of the killing of her then former lover possibly being viewed as an evil act, for the greater good it seemed the right thing to do; it was her ultimate duty as the slayer.
Season 4 of Buffy sees Maggie Walsh, head of “The Initiative” aiming for a better world with Buffy as her trusted ally against evil. There is, however, a string of problems that turn her against Buffy, against the good side; attempts to kill Buffy were made but died at the hands of her creation “Project 314” before she could succeed. The same episode shows Spike, who like Angelus from earlier seasons, changes sides from an evil heartless vampire to a more tolerable humanlike state; he is seen carrying what seemed like a bag of groceries – seriously, what representation of evil goes grocery shopping?
The same thing occurs in Charmed season 4, the line between good and evil is dissolved when the middle sister Phoebe chooses the love for her demonic husband-to-be over both her sisters and the greater good in episode 19. Consequently she becomes the queen of the underworld and ends up helping to lead the demonic underworld, however, she aids her sisters at the same time in episode 20; she is forced to decide between her sisters and her newlywed husband Cole one last time. The fact that her husband is a demon but can love and marry further deconstructs traditional views of good and evil – including mine.
The same can be said about the Buffy series and in the X Files because “aliens and monsters are variously imagined as both desirable and loving toward, and terrifyingly indifferent to, human needs” (Braum, 2000). Both television shows continue to imply that good and evil is not a simple black and white issue, but in reality there are many gray areas; a character can switch between sides from episode to episode depending on a heated situation.
Despite the obvious differences of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, X Files, Charmed and others alike, there is one common suggestion I firmly agree with and can always easily reflect on and relate to; “underneath our civilized demeanours, we all have the capacity for evil” (Braum, 2000).
Braum, B. (2000) The X-files and Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The ambiguity of evil in supernatural representations. Retrieved 18 October, 2005 from: http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0412/is_2_28/ai_64688900
Interesting read bro, i like how you name dropped a few different programs (charmed, x files etc) to justify your argument. I have found the inclusion of a constant good-turning-to-evil-and-back-again allows for a heightened understanding of certain characters, and as with some of the programs, each change can be justified with the actions leading up to the event, and thus allows for some people (like me) to relate better to the characters.
ReplyDeletePlus, i have the attention span of a goldfish so it makes everything more exciting
ReplyDelete=] I'm glad you saw what I was trying to achieve. I agree with what your talking about too about the heightened understanding of the characters. In Charmed it happens quite a lot, and in Buffy too when Willow goes bad etc.
ReplyDeleteThis is a much stronger response than your last two and I agree with Tristan's comments above. It could have also been useful to bring into the discussion the underlying theme of Buffy as a metaphor for highschool/college where issues of morality /good vs bad are being tested and are therefore constantly in a state of flux.
ReplyDeleteLoving the references to shows that I actually did watch (coming from not such a fan of Sci-fi as a whole), I feel that really helped push forward your point. Angel is always the example to use with Buffy, as he goes back and forward between good and evil various times through the seasons he is involved in. Seeing the Charmed example, I'm kinda pissed I didn't remember that for my own answer! Good job :)
ReplyDelete(Alanna, Group 1)