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The apocalypse presents an interesting question when we look
at what behavior becomes acceptable in the absence of societal norms. How much
of our behavior is dictated by the laws we agree upon? When society collapses,
where do our codes of behavior come from? The
Walking Dead takes the reader and viewer into an apocalypse and challenges
us with these questions.
In issue 27 of the comics, readers are introduced to a man
known as the Governor. In the following issue the Governor violently rapes
Michonne on multiple occasions in part as retaliation for her biting off his
ear and in part to make Glenn reveal the location of their home at the prison. This
particular incident in the comics never made it to the small screen although it
was alluded to in season 3 when the Governor interrogates and threatens a
half-naked Maggie. The Governor of the comics is clearly worse than the
Governor of the show when it comes to violence against women especially when
you consider that the Governor ordered one of his soldiers, Lilly, to shoot a
fleeing Lori Grimes, killing both her and her baby, Judith.
Yet, I would argue that the Governor is not the most heinous
character in the series when it comes to the treatment of women. In my mind,
this is the leader of the Saviors, Negan. Negan is a character that people love
to hate, primarily because of his brutal introduction in the comics in beating
Glenn to death with his beloved baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire, Lucille,
named for his deceased wife. This vicious act of retaliation for the killing of
some of his group occurs in front of our survivors including a pregnant Maggie.
In the show, Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s Negan is also a character that people hate
to love. He is charming and charismatic.
It’s clear why he is the leader.
However, it’s Negan’s treatment of women that is most
problematic for me. In the comics and the show, rape is not permitted within
the Saviors. Men who commit this violent act are punished. However, when we
consider what consent is, it can be easily argued that Negan, himself, is
guilty of this crime. Negan has a harem of “wives.” This in and of itself does
not constitute rape, but when you consider how Negan obtained many of his
wives, it becomes more problematic.
Let us take the case of Sherry, one of Negan’s wives, as an
example of this issue. Sherry was previously married to Dwight. In the show,
she, her sister, and Dwight leave the Saviors in order to prevent her diabetic
sister from marrying Negan in exchange for the insulin she needs. Sherry’s sister
dies, and when Sherry and Dwight return to the Sanctuary, Sherry agrees to marry
Negan to keep him from killing Dwight. Instead, Negan scars Dwight by burning
his face with an iron. In the comics, Sherry agrees to marry Negan as a means
of protecting Dwight although Negan burns Dwight’s face with an iron when he
sees Sherry despite it being forbidden.
Now, it certainly can be argued that Sherry has a choice in
becoming Negan’s wife. She is not violently forced into being his wife.
However, I would say that she is coerced into making her choice, at least from
what we have seen on the show and even a bit in the comics. In the apocalypse
when survival is tenuous at best, Negan is positioned particularly well to
coerce women into fulfilling his fantasy of a harem. The rules no longer apply,
and he is going to make the best of it.
So which of these men are worse in regards to the treatment
of women? The Governor was definitely more physically violent. We, as viewers
and readers, can rationalize Negan’s violent actions with Lucille. In that
case, he is the antagonist because he is outside of the group with which we are
meant to empathize. Rick and his group are certainly not innocent victims
although in the comics Glenn had never taken a human life and was therefore
innocent of the crime for which they were being punished. I’ve even heard women
rationalize Negan’s treatment of his wives and the coercion that occurs to procure
them. Negan has shades of grey which makes him worse than the government. The villain who can charm you and hide his
intentions with wit is more dangerous than the one who embraces the violence.
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