Good & Bent

Fisher - Good & Bent

Good, a play written by C.P. Taylor features an antihero named James Halder. He is a literary professor at Germany who has difficulties in life like any other man. These take a back seat after he joins the Nazi party. At first he can be considered the victim as he is forced into book burning and euthanasia of Jews by the SS party. At first he is the victim, however, after deciding to stay with the Nazi party, he assumes the role of the victimizer. He does this because despite his views on the Nazi's politics and proceedings and Hitler, he stays with the party due to the safety factor and is essentially is responsible for the death of millions of Jews. Instead of taking a stand for what he thought was right, he let it all happen in front of his eyes.

Bent, a play written by Martin Sherman, is about the persecution of the gays and Jews by the Nazi's during World War II. After World War I, Germany was considered a "safehaven" for gays in Europe. This all changed when the Nazi party came to power. Bent follows the story of a gay man named Max, who lives in Germany with his boyfriend Rudy. At first, Max can be seen as a victim, despite his cruelty bringing a German solider home with him to his place with Rudy. When the SS soldiers break into their home and kill the German solider, Max and Rudy are forced to flee. Now Max takes on a different role, he victimizes Rudy on the train by denying his sexuality and not helping him while he is being beaten, Max even helps beat Rudy, who dies on the train. Later, in concentration camp, he denies his love for Horst despite their true feelings toward each other. After Horst is shot by the guards, Max puts on a jacket with a pink triangle (signifying that he is in fact gay) and commits suicide by grabbing the electric fence, a victim of himself.

 In Night there is no blurring of the victim and the victimizer. Elie Wiesel is the victim from the beginning of the story, along with the rest of his people. The victimizers are the Nazi's who subjugate and kill the Chosen People. Elie can be seen as a victimizer when referring to his feelings toward his dad, yet despite his feelings they support each other and Elie helps his father struggle until the very end. However, when his father is on his death bed he cries out for Elie, who never responds. Elie went to sleep that night only to wake up and find his father gone.

 So we see that sometimes the lines between the victim and the victimizer can be blurred. Sometimes (in Good & Bent) it is difficult to tell one from the other. Other times it is very simple to point out who is the victim in each situation. In reference to Good & Bent, one should be true to oneself and stand for what is right despite any circumstances.