Howis it that authors manage to make readers sympathize even with villains, murderers, and monsters, even though they do evil?

It's because the human evaluation of a course of action is based on our very own moral values. Throughout our lives, each of us has developed our very own definition of good and evil, which we match with the factors around us. We have learned that killing, stealing, or lying is bad, so we label a person who does such things as bad.

However, this is black and white thinking. Very few people who do something morally reprehensible see themselves as evil. Some may feel guilty but still see it as necessary. To outsiders, however, this knowledge is lacking, so it seems simply evil.

As an author, one gives the reader the opportunity to get inside the protagonist's head and understand his or her thoughts and, more importantly, their feelings. One makes the readers wonder how they themselves would act in this situation. Often, we have to realize that our own righteousness is far less inflexible than we had assumed.

Morality is a social construct

As often and as eagerly as the term morality is used as an argument, rationally speaking, morality is an emotional opinion based on the individual value system of the observer.

Another person may have a completely different morality based on different life experiences or attitudes.

Reading stories that make us question our morals and develop a tolerance for the actually immoral actions of a fictional character are an important process for our own personal development and open-mindedness.

Few people are aware that their morals are not their own. We learn them from our parents, teachers, church, or even the news. This worldview and morality are learned because it conforms to the social norm.

This norm may make sense for general coexistence, but we should also always ask ourselves whether we always agree with this opinion deep inside ourselves or whether we just fear the criticism of other people should this not be the case. If we stop assessing our own values, we eventually stop being individuals.

Response from the audience

Why do we so often feel inner anger when we consume books or movies when injustice succeeds in court, or when a bad guy doesn't get a just punishment, or when the enemy doesn't get a punch in the face even though we would love to smack him ourselves right through the TV screen?

This is because morality is situation-dependent and influenced by a multitude of circumstances. Crucial to our evaluation is the amount of information and how it is presented. That's where we as authors come in because we control the flow of information.

Responsibility as an author

As the creator of a story, I certainly want to inspire and captivate the reader, but I should be aware that I can influence the reader's way of thinking with my own words. Fiction and reality are stored by the human brain in the same way. After a few weeks, you can't remember whether a piece of information came from a reliable source or a rumor.

I personally see it as my responsibility to give people food for thought, packaged in my fictional stories.

My works are meant to make people think, but at the same time continue to deliver a lot of joy and excitement so that readers can forget the world for a while and dive into a more exciting one.



Thank you for taking the time to read this article. I hope you enjoy Omni Legends - The Commander: Guardian of Utopia. You can learn more about me and my works HERE