evil in literature
The wicked character or the wicked in the character? In the production and reception of a narrative, there is often a manichaistic distinction of characters into bad and good characters: the good detective versus the bad criminal, the honest policeman against the corrupted politician, the innocent girl, victim of a dissolute debaucher, etc. This distinction covers a psychological need of the reader, the illusion that the bad is finally punished, and the good rewarded. The wicked characters may prevail temporarily, but their final destruction is more than certain.