Evil In Fiction

Respond to Card's conclusion that literature's moral value is determined by "the character of the person writing it and his skill in writing, and the character of the person reading it and his skill in reading." How does a work reflect, in some way, the character and skill of both the writer and reader?

I agree with Card on this conclusion, I believe that the moral value is determined by the reader and the writer. For example in the book Harry Potter, many readers perceptions of the moral value in this book are different. I have heard many say that the witchcraft and evil wizards is too dark for readers; when others feel that it is an uplifting book of good outweighing evil. J.K. Rowling was very skilled in the way she wrote these series because she did not drowned the book with negative things always happening. I feel that there were many good things going on at the same time. If the reader would look past the dark and realize that relationships are forming and Harry is becoming a better person from the trials he phases. The characters face challenges just as we all face challenges in our lives.

I have noticed that at times when I am down and depressed, I like reading down and depressing books so I can relate them to my life. When I am in a happier mood I like reading more uplifting books. Everybody's perception of good and bad is different, even the writers view of good and bad is different then the readers view. I have been trying to think of how skill is involved in writing and reading and the only thing I can think of is readers need to look for the deeper meaning in the book. I had a really hard time with this, when I read The Hunger Games. There were many times I almost just put the book down because it was too violent for me to read. When I tried to think of the deeper meanings of the book and what the writer was trying to convey, I was able to keep reading. I also thought any writer has to be skilled to write a book to keep everyone interested. I love reading and I enjoy how writers open up on their emotions about different things.

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