A thought experiment in novella form, Tranquility Bight poses a simple question: What would it take for a good person to commit an unforgivable act of evil? For a model community of upstanding citizens, the answer is shocking in its brutal mundanity.
Follow one resident as he navigates a series of events likely to alter his attitude toward others and his understanding of human nature. Will reason triumph, or is a deliberate act of irrational self-sabotage the only means of maintaining his human agency?
In this thought-provoking work, Bahr Burr explores existentialist themes addressing one man's seemingly irrational choice to deliberately pursue a course of action contrary to his own best interests. Is man merely a piano key played by powers beyond his control? Is he still responsible for his own actions?
While allowing readers to draw their own conclusions, Burr crafts a narrative forcing contemplation of one's own moral agency and the tragically simple means by which evil can take control.
Does reason account for all human actions? Can man's behavior be predicted according to his own best interests?
One thing is certain: If man is a piano key, the note he strikes is sometimes out of tune.
A thought experiment in novella form, Tranquility Bight poses a simple question: What would it take for a good person to commit an unforgivable act of evil? For a model community of upstanding citizens, the answer is shocking in its brutal mundanity.
Follow one resident as he navigates a series of events likely to alter his attitude toward others and his understanding of human nature. Will reason triumph, or is a deliberate act of irrational self-sabotage the only means of maintaining his human agency?
In this thought-provoking work, Bahr Burr explores existentialist themes addressing one man's seemingly irrational choice to deliberately pursue a course of action contrary to his own best interests. Is man merely a piano key played by powers beyond his control? Is he still responsible for his own actions?
While allowing readers to draw their own conclusions, Burr crafts a narrative forcing contemplation of one's own moral agency and the tragically simple means by which evil can take control.
Does reason account for all human actions? Can man's behavior be predicted according to his own best interests?
One thing is certain: If man is a piano key, the note he strikes is sometimes out of tune.
You would have done the same thing. That’s what I should’ve told him. That’s what I did tell him, but he wouldn’t listen. None of them did. Acted like they couldn’t understand, wouldn’t have done the same thing themselves. Think I’m different somehow. Especially evil or something. Keep telling yourselves that. Keep thinking you’re somehow better than me or incapable of similar actions. That only bad people do that sort of thing. Now I’m one of the bad people. And they won’t understand . . . he won’t understand either . . . probably never will.
But I’m getting ahead of myself. Thoughts been wandering a lot lately . . . mentioned it during her last visit. Could’ve been nicer about it, but I guess she’s pretty stressed at the moment. Only natural. Kids are confused, she said. Don’t understand why Daddy’s gone. Why he doesn’t come home. Still haven’t been able to see them. Says it’s not allowed, but I think she’s lying. Can’t bear them seeing their father like this. I understand, but it still pisses me off. Just seeing them once would be nice.
There, I did it again. Off on another tangent. Hard to focus right now with everyone around. Thought I’d get some privacy at this stage. Guess not. Can’t be much longer. Everyone knows I did it . . . I told them. So now it’s just the consequences. And I wait.
All the people, too . . . getting on my nerves. Wish friends and family wouldn’t show up. Said it was to support me in my time of need. I don’t need their damn support, especially if it means making me out as some sort of crazy person. Insanity defense? Sure. Whatever makes you feel better. But I’m not. And I meant to do it. And I knew it made no sense. But that’s why I did it. Because making sense means nothing if you’re just a pawn. And I’m not anyone’s pawn. Make my own decisions. They’d do the same.
And that’s what everyone needs to realize. I didn’t make it clear enough. What did I say? I can’t even remember at this point. Probably better that way. I’m sure I’ll remember the end. The climax. The pronouncement of doom. Hope I can keep a straight face. He looks so ridiculous in that robe with that fat face of his bulging out behind those glasses. Like a cartoon character. He’ll pronounce judgment, and I’ll tell him to shove it. No. But I will tell him something. Something to wipe that condescending smirk off his face. What should I tell him?
You would have done the same thing!
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 FRIDAY
The sign looked old, the man thought. Too old, given the type of neighborhood it represented. This was, after all, a pristine upper-middle-class community. Not ostentatiously wealthy but refined and modestly elegant. Not opulent so as to merit accusations of extravagance but exclusive enough to show that residents like himself were doing quite well in life.
But that sign spoiled everything. Anyone could derive an unfavorable impression of the neighborhood from its shabby appearance. The expensive houses, set back from the road and largely hidden from view, would be presumed equally shabby. The sign looked dingy. A few older residents thought it rustic and claimed that its simple, rugged appearance gave the community a charmingly down-to-earth aspect. Real sturdy sign, that! Solid oak. Won’t be blown down anytime soon. The man didn’t care. The entrance to a respectable neighborhood was not the place for some well-intentioned retiree to display his amateur woodworking prowess for the whole world to observe and critique. Six years had passed, and the old geezer was long gone along with the other residents of the old township. He’d been the last to go, hanging on for a year after all the other old homes had been razed and replaced during the restoration. Now he was gone too, but his damn sign wasn’t.
And then there was the name. TRANQUILITY BIGHT, the sign read. Not a bad name but somehow not quite right. Tranquility, at least, made sense, given the peaceful and serene nature of the community. But bight had something to do with the ocean, and the neighborhood was most certainly not by the ocean—or any body of water, for that matter. An hour’s drive would change matters, but here one encountered mainly rolling hills and splendid greenery. The man now regretted voting in favor of the name along with everyone else. Now, at long last, the sign would trouble him no longer.
Last week’s community mailer announced the pending installation of a new, modern sign to be installed shortly. The neighborhood governing panel, simply called the Board by most residents, had even stated the feature would include a tagline befitting their glorious community. From the man’s perspective, it was about damn time.
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While not an entirely new concept, the idea here is a compelling one - it is a look at what happens when expectations of a society break down and how quickly things devolve into chaos and violence.
The storytelling style is engaging and easy to follow and the brevity of the piece works well given the subject matter. It was very Kafka-esque in the way characters manipulated each other and their emotions and the way absurdity quickly overcame common sense.
I liked the fact that the protagonist was never identified beyond "the man" as it generated an everyman feeling that nicely highlighted the point about any/every man's capacity for evil deeds. But I did find the shift in focus from the man to named individuals at the meetings and then back to the man to be a little disjointed, and his shift from a man who let things happen to him to one who drove the events of the narrative felt unexpected and sudden, without any real sense of why that shift occurred. I assume it was the building tension, although that wasn't really spelled out or even alluded to so much as jumped to in the narrative.
I get that this is a shorter piece, so there would not really be time for an extended buildup, but the pacing felt uneven to me. The presentation of the problem and emphasis on the minutiae of the meetings as focal point felt like they were building slowly toward the inevitable conclusion but then with turn-on-a-dime rapidity we found ourselves in the ultimate confrontation with the man taking lead after being dragged along throughout the previous 3/4 of the story... It felt a little uneven as far as overall pacing, leaving the ending feeling rushed and not as detailed as I would have expected given this was the ultimate purpose of the story that was alluded to from the very opening lines.
Still the book offers an insightful snapshot of the darker side of human nature, and was a quick and engaging read.