Modern day society is not a utopia, and humans are to blame. No matter how much good there is in the world, humans always seem to find a way to dilapidate and bring society to immoral depths. War, guns, violence, and injustice define the human condition; a human's true fiber is that of personal gain and selfish substance. In Larry Watson's novel, Montana 1948, and Oliver Stone's movie, Platoon, two characters, Uncle Frank and Barnes, exemplify this truly wicked human characteristic. They both commit atrocities to their fellow human race and don't show any regret for their actions. The cruel and unrepentant nature of Uncle Frank's and Barnes's actions manifest that humans are innately evil.
In Montana 1948, Uncle Frank molesting Marie illustrates the vile nature of humans because he takes advantage of an innocent human being. Gail discovers Frank's horrible secret and confides in Wes. She tells him that his "brother has molested Indian Girls" and "does things he shouldn't. He takes liberties. Indecent liberties." (45). Frank's actions show he is a savage, remorseless human being. He selfishly takes what he wants from Marie, a naïve and pure Indian Girl that is friends and a caretaker for his extended family. His sinful heart and soul tell him it's ok to do that because he's just straight plain evil. Frank's self-interest and wrong doings against Marie epitomize the immoral quintessence that all humans have deep down inside them.
Another instance in which Uncle Frank shows that all humans are evil at the core is when he kills Marie and tries to hide his actions. David confesses that "Uncle Frank had been in [his] house the afternoon Marie had died" (122), meaning that Frank had killed Marie. She was a liability to him and he got rid of her without thinking twice. He told no one else and tried to cover it up, and wouldn't have even been found out if David had not seen the incident unfold. Frank's behavior shows that humans, when given an opportunity, will inflict harm on (and in Frank's case, even kill) others, especially for personal gain. Frank doesn't feel any regret for committing such a horrible act because he sees the world as a sculpture he can mold (and destruct) with his villainous desires. Uncle Frank's guiltless murder represents the innate viciousness within us all.
And after all his heinous actions, Frank still shows no sign of contrition for what he's done, displaying how truly wicked humans are at heart. Wesley exclaims to Gail that Frank "had no more concern for what he did if... if he had kicked a dog. No. He'd show more remorse over a dog" (150). Frank's lack of remorse shows that humans as a whole have this poisonous characteristic. His terrible yet regretless actions illustrate that he shows no compassion for the human race. This goes to show that humans, when exposed under the right light, have evil notions guiding their decisions and psychological analysis of those decisions. The fact that Wes believes Frank would show more remorse over kicking a dog than raping and killing a fellow human being clarifies how innately cruel human beings can be. Frank's behavior proves that humans are innately evil because he shows no admitted concern for his hideous actions.
In Platoon, Barnes shooting and killing the Vietnamese woman for unjustifiable reasons displays that humans are inherently vile. Barnes "interrogates the village chief about whether the villagers have been aiding the NVA, and cold-bloodedly shoots his wife dead". Killing an innocent woman in cold blood makes Barnes a stone cold murderer. And, it goes to show that humans have a cruel characteristic within them, for he wouldn't have killed her if he couldn't bear to live with himself. By believing his heinous action is ok, Barnes represents that humans are guiltless about their cruelest of crimes. His actions illustrate that humans, deep down in their core, weigh their own selfish interests higher than the welfare of others. This is one of the ideologies shared by all humans that show they are innately evil. By killing the Vietnamese woman without regret, Barnes proves that humans have evil ingrained into their true character.
Later in the movie, Barnes murders his comrade for selfish gain, further legitimizing that humans are intrinsically foul. Barnes believes Elias is the weak link that will rat on him by telling Captain Harris that Barnes illegally killed the Vietnamese woman, which would end up getting him court martialed. So, to make sure this information never gets to Captain Harris, Barnes "finds Elias alone and shoots him, then returns and tells the others that Elias was killed by the enemy". Killing a man to conceal his retched murder story exemplifies how evil Barnes really is. He deep down believes that killing Elias is ok because it will benefit himself. This covetous desire to take Elias's life is similar to that of every human's desire to act in unharmonious self interest. And self-interest can be an evil thing as it may entail afflicting harm onto others. As long as humans are personally benefitting from a situation, they are ok with committing wrong-doings. Thus, Barnes killing Elias for personal benefit illustrates that humans are innately evil because we all share this self-centered characteristic.
Towards the conclusion of this film, Barnes murders yet another of his closest comrades out of self-interest, proving yet again that humans have an evil characteristic deep in their foundation. Barnes encounters Chris during the airstrike called in by Captain Harris after the NVA destroyed the battalion's headquarters, and Barnes knows that Chris recognizes him as the murderer of Elias. So, Barnes then proceeds to "try and kill Chris, but is knocked unconscious by an airstrike". Barnes's cruel actions represent how high he holds his self-interest above the rights of others. By killing Chris in cold blood as well, he truly epitomizes the evil characteristic displayed in humanity. This murder further validates that humans will not show remorse for malicious conduct if it is in their best interest. This greedy personality trait proves that humans are inherently disharmonious and have a heinous core. By killing Chris for personal gain, and not regretting his criminal actions, Barnes shows that humans are innately evil.
By committing atrocious acts without guilt, Uncle Frank and Barnes illustrate the inherently evil characteristic of all human beings. They raped and murdered people without feeling any sense of regret because they had something to gain personally. That made it ok for them. And while humans as a whole may not commit murder or extreme acts like they did, we do share this same characteristic of self-interest, and that is what makes us truly evil at the core. Humans are willing to harm others to get what they want. This trait is what makes us malicious creatures; this is what drives our actions and makes us disharmonious as a broader society. We inflict our self-interest upon each other, as these two characters did when they killed people they knew to hide evidence against themselves. But, we can change this selfish characteristic into one of symbiosis if we learn to adapt, instead of force, our personal interests around others'. We can live in harmony if we are able to accept others for what they are and what they know, and really accept our own actions as well. By acknowledging that others have their own interests as well, us humans can learn to collaborate and build meaningful relationships. Even if we may be inherently evil and self-centered, we can become a working, mutually-beneficial unit through acceptance of others and comradery.
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