In my mind almost every character in the play violates my code of ethics, but this is because
I can not assume that everyone shares the same code of ethics. The one character the play that I would consider to be the most at fault is Evelyn. She found Adam who lacks confidence, and continuously tries to influence him to break his ethics. She knew exactly what she was doing, yet seemed to show no remorse. she led him to believe they were in love while along the way he was changing himself for her just so she could break his heart.
Adam is also to blame, because he is way to easily influenced. He should not allow someone like that to change him, and he should have seen her bad intentions from the beginning. He also cheated on Eve,and while she is a far worse character he simply never has the confidence or courage to say no to anything . He is so vulnerable to evil and I believe that is his greatest fault.
Great blog post, you bring up some great arguments on which character is the first at breaking morals. You also bring up that people have different morals, do you feel that majority of people would agree that Eve was the worst? and that the small percentage of people that follow different morals would say Adam is the worst?
ReplyDeleteRemember, Patrick. Use the 4 paragraph form (see my original question--it tells you how to break it down).
ReplyDeleteBut more importantly, we're manipulated every day. The TV manipulates us all the time. Peers manipulate us all the time ("peer pressure"). I shiny object can distract us. Are those things evil? Isn't Eve just a shiny object to Adam? In exchange for pleasure, he does whatever she says. He doesn't bother to get to know her--if he'd actually asked real questions and asked to meet her parents, etc., the game would have been up.
The irony in all of this is Eve didn't try to get Adam to do drugs or rob a bank or quit school. She altered him to fit society's idea of beauty. The "damage" she did wasn't damage at all, unless you count the hurt feelings. But all relationships involve hurt feelings at some point.
But it is troubling that Eve could be so detached from hurting Adam so badly because she wanted to make great art and was uncompromising in trying to make it (not interested in the "Ethic of Caring").
Any way, I hope we can agree Labute's play is great art--it is uncomfortable, makes us think, and brings to light something that beneath the surface. I think the strong female character is an added bonus. I suspect if Eve was a guy and Adam was a girl, we'd take less issue with the manipulation that went on.