Re: JCO: The Falls

Hi Cyrano,

 

Let me think about this.  By no means is Ariah a "stock" villian.  However, her self-centered behavior created a series of malevolent consequences.  This is a  short list of  her psychological crimes:

 

a)  she was silent and hostile to the minister after the wedding night and no doubt drove him over the edge

 

b)  she cut off the minister's parents and denied them any knowledge of their son's last hours.

 

c)  she cut off her parents and deprived her children of a relationship with their grandparents

 

d)  she isolated herself from Dirk's law practice and  provided  absolutely no solace to him

when he took on a very important and difficult case. Dirk went through the anguish of losing his friends and his social position alone.  She did nothing to comfort him.

 

e) she stunted the development of her children.

 

f)  she disinherited her children from their father's estate and forced them to live in penury.

 

g)  she crushed her young daughter and drove her to psychosis

 

h)  she denied her children knowledge of their father's background and of his heroism

 

The crazy family of grifters in "My Heart Laid Bare" caused less damage than Ariah.  The actress sister in "A Bloodsmoor Romance"  who almost killed Mark Twain during lovemaking caused less harm than Ariah.

 

Alma in "The Tatooed Girl"  was vulnerable and damaged.  She perforned nasty and anti-semitic acts  to ingratiate herself with her asshole "boyfriend".  She was disadvantaged and unloved but she was not 1% as threathening as Ariah. Anyway,  Alma redeemed herself in the end.

 

There was no  redemption for Ariah.

 

Anna