I thought that an interesting parallel between Katya and Peace Shall Destroy Many was the way in which pacifism/non-resistance is addressed.
In Peace Shall Destroy Many the protagonist, Thom Wiens, struggles throughout the book with many theological questions, but seems, to me at least, to have one ideal that he sticks to fervently: pacifism. This is the oft-repeated reason for his dislike of Herb, and one of the things that Thom proudly points out as one of the differences between the two young men. But in the end, Thom gets into a brawl with two other young men for no real discernible reason other than he wants to punch Herb.
In Katya, the titular character's father is a very peaceful pacifist man. Even in the face of the death of himself and many of his friends and family, Peter sticks to his beliefs. And then they all (or most of them) die.
This paints a less than favorable or appealing picture of pacifists. Though one could say that Peter's death is similar to that of the Anabaptist Martyrs, it is hardly glorified in the same way. And Thom's betrayal of the beliefs he claimed for so long to adhere to hardly made Mennonites look convicted or admirable.
Great thoughts on how pacifism is addressed. Why do you think that the authors addressed pacifism in these ways? If you could, what would you change about how this is addressed?
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting that Thom's conviction about his beliefs is, ultimately, his downfall when he betrays them. By nature pacifism is kind of a dogmatic belief. At least the way Mennonites interpret it, pacifism is all or nothing--if you believe that there could be some circumstances where violence is justified, then you don't qualify as a pacifist. This sets up another one of those insider/outsider dynamics that I'm beginning to think Mennonites are quite fond of, and it can also make pacifism this very self-righteous belief. Then, when that ideal of extreme pacifism falls flat (as it so often does), the pacifist loses all credibility and faith in his/her convictions. Is there any way that pacifism could be a more nuanced term that encompasses a spectrum of peace-related beliefs?
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