Justice in Storytelling

We have a deep sense of fairness. It's in our genes. Even monkeys, if they see that another monkey is getting paid in grapes while they are getting paid in cucumber bits, will go on strike.

Obviously, the search for justice is almost always involved in legal dramas. Police dramas can be more complicated, especially if there's a level of corruption. (Though even something as straightforward as The Fugitive has the memorable exchange, "I didn't kill my wife." "I don't care.") Playing fair as usually a big component of sports dramas. Tragedies often turn on a lack of fairness because of unjust systems (especially with social dramas). A major part of romances is the so-called "grand gesture."

A grand gesture has a specific structure. First, it needs to come from the character who goes through the most change (usually, the man in a romance). Second, it has to involve a level of admission of a flaw and a real sacrifice. Third, grand gestures and romances often take place in a public setting.

If all of those elements are present in a grand gesture, it's usually satisfying. Justice is served. We don't have to accept cucumber bits.

There are interesting correlations between the grand gesture and the Catholic form of confession. A "good confession" requires reflection, sorrow, admission of culpability, penance (which is usually prescribed prayer, but may include reparations for a sin like theft), and forgiveness.

I think romance readers often provide most of the reflection on a flaw than the character making the grand gesture does. Much of this is set up by the author, of course. The sorrow is evident in the price being paid — the character losing the love of his/her life, seemingly forever.

The admission is usually an explicit part of the grand gesture, along with an apology. Unless and less there is a symbolic element (which may be the character, say, wearing a costume that implies admission and apology), the culpability and regret are expressed explicitly. When/where the sacrifice is may vary in a grand gesture. Sometimes it's seen in letting go of a reward that's within the characters grasp. Other times, it's the run through the airport or battling guards to reach the character’s true love. And, in romances, there will be enough forgiveness to allow a happy ending.

There may be something else as well – humiliation. In Jerry Maguire, Jerry's statement is presented in front of a group of women whose main purpose seems to be discussing the foibles of men. Jerry is the only man there, and the crowd is decidedly unsympathetic to begin with. He needs to face their anger and disdain, and it's undoubtedly a humiliating experience. (But, hey, it's Tom Cruise.)

In romance, there's usually healing as well, with a better path evident (and often shown a scene or two later). We tend to hope for healing in justice, but it's not always part of the deal. Few police procedurals carried the story through to a reintegration of the criminal into the larger society. Punishment is enough.

But back to humiliation. It's a kind of punishment that is so often part of stories that the phrase "creative humiliation of the villain" has become a maxim in advice to storytellers. This is especially true in stories where there's a big difference in power. Bring down someone who is in authority (and using it unfairly) or who is not living up to an exalted reputation, and punishment or healing may not be enough. We want something equivalent to a perp walk, preferably including manacles.

To me, this goes too far in some stories. The more the villain's humanity is taken away, the more simplistic the story becomes. Often, true justice can be undercut when a character is dehumanized.

Revenge fantasies not only indulge in this brutalization of the character, they require it. Whatever the villain has done, that he/she is unforgivable. Everything must be taken away from him/her. The death must be gruesome. The bad guy must be unmourned. There is no necessity for healing, and justice is beside the point.

We all want justice. Some want revenge. So it's good to know who your audience is as you work toward a satisfying ending. Personally, I lean toward stories that have justice and healing, and I assess my drafts by looking at the elements above that can satisfy the urge for justice without undercutting the humanity of villains. With that said, many big, popular successes sacrifice justice in the name of getting even and ending with a bang.