NOT LIKE OTHER GIRLS
The Glorification of Stereotype in the writing of Moses Levi
By Anna Held
Privately Published in “Ophelia”,
Yale Society Quorum for Humanist Studies, Jan. 1972
The shortcomings of classic literature in terms of sexism and racism strikes closely to home in every age and genre, especially in the classic noir and neo noir genres. Typically, women are portrayed as beautiful villainesses, duped love interests, ditzy arm candy, vapid love interests, damsels in distress, or, as is so common in predominantly male oriented literature, disposable targets for brutalization, violence, rape, or murder.
Critics have often pointed out that male authors do not treat female characters or characters of color as fully "human", or at least as "human" as their (usually) male protagonists, who tend themselves to be stereotypical, hyper masculine, fashionably "cool”, and generally unencumbered by serious emotional depth. It has been stated, by better critics than myself, that such story telling is merely a reflection of the era it was written in, that the norms of the social environment and political views of the time, tend towards racism and sexism as products of patriarchy and colonialist attitudes of superiority.
Moses Levi, an author whom has recently become the focus of media attention due to the successful reception of a new Hollywood movie based on one of his crime stories, has also leaned heavily upon so many cliches typical of the noir genre, though strangely, his work has avoided so many of the sexist and racist stereotypes one might expect.
Levi's characters are refreshingly well written, with female and minority characters as fully developed, distinct and memorable, representing all elements of character development with a personal and, one might say, indulgent depth of identity. Background characters are not often approached with any sense of emotional detail, secondary characters often being hollow representations, merely used to explain and guide the protagonist. Their own personal motivations, conflicts, needs, trauma, turmoil, and appetites seem as important to the plotlines Levi has devised, whose perceptions and realities as those of the primary character. Elements which would have otherwise been provided as "static" or "stock" characterizations are instead flawed and unique, growing and shifting on their own parallel arcs.
That is not to say that he has not crafted stories which entertain a primarily "adolescent" audience, thrilled by violence, sex, and fashion, but it is Levi's almost "egalitarian" sense of character development that makes him shine above so many other projects cut from a similar cloth. His portrayals are colloquial, intimate, and expressive, while still embracing the prejudice and injustice common to the world they exist within. It almost seems that Levi avoids anything which dwells upon politics and religion, and his characters do not lack any attempt to explore sex, sexuality, relationship dynamics, political opinions, or the daily vulnerabilities of his non-Caucasian characters. They are fully fleshed out with desires of their own, narrated with purpose, their own desires, demands, and interests, even if only for the brief moment that they exist. Their agency requires centricity of narrative, and as much as they yearn for change, it is not a change that is represented by the cultural expression of the day. This is not, in my opinion, out of context, but coherent with the specific intensity of the moment. And the author does not succumb to traditional stereotypes which denigrate or condescend to societal expectations.
When comment was requested from the author, the famously reticent Mr. Levi uncharacteristically replied by a handwritten note on his publisher's letterhead, that:
"One must write what one knows. As an author, I hope to breathe life into every aspect of a story. I cannot hope to comprehend the outcomes of a series of events, without attempting to comprehend its causes and influences. I am seeking meaning. I become terribly absorbed in the "selves" of the people whose reasoning and purposes I am attempting to describe for my audiences. This comes naturally to me, as I explore the events of my own youth, and how real people have shaped and influenced my world. We all tend to be absorbed in our own false narrative. We impose assumptions. We all have these interpretations based on our emotional biases. I cannot stress enough that none of it is real. I am interested in exploring the ways that we believe that this fiction is reality, and ultimately, the ways that this fiction affects everything -- our thoughts, beliefs, activities, communication, relationships, etc. One cannot do that without first immersing oneself in the mind of another, no matter how horrifying. I am as real as my fiction. Disagreeable so. My reality, thus, is as broken as I am."
Does this explanation absolve Mr. Levi from accusations of overt sexism and racism? Literary criticism typically assumes that narrative reveals sentiment as evidence of either purposeful or unintended prejudice, apathy, or opinion -- a sign of the times, a consequence of the historical era – and Levi tends to ignore the human condition of the day, but gives time to each personality in terms of their moment to moment action, comedy, horror, romance, or otherwise relevant intention. One could always argue malicious intent, even where the author unceremoniously undresses the wounds of society as an obvious symbol, aggressively sowing vitriol instead of ignoring the lived realities of those whose voices are, as yet, whispers, rather than a cumulative roar. I believe that Levi's direct use of sexism and racism as literary devise is intentionally meant to draw attention to scandalous western ideologies, that it is an obvious affront to the normative blindness of western culture, and a slap in the face to the empty epithets of institutionalized injustice. Levi is not apathetic to his audience, nor is he disinclusive. Its about subtlety of emotional life, not historitive routine. Nothing is a thoughtless echo.
On the other hand, History may prove me wrong. Levi's articulations may expose a merely belligerent and distasteful sentiment which spits in the eye of social progress, but I, for the moment, am hopeful that it is not.