IF THE ELDER BROTHER was forced to make a choice to choose between sparing his pregant wife or brothers' wife and he chose his wife over the brothers' wife how would the devastated brother react ? to add context the brpther whose wife dies discovered and if he descends villainy yet how can we give proper reasons if her detah was last step
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HOW TO HANDLE BETRAYAL
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pmmg
Myth Weaver
How can we know how anyone would react? Is the brother a typically emotional dude, with emotional thinking? Or is he more objectively minded?
Given the bad circumstance, there was no 'right' answer for the brother forced to choose. He made a choice, and that is kind of that. While it comes with understandable consequences, guilt, shame, an angry brother... There really was no right way out. One could feel angry about his decision but also rationalize that there was no other way. Or...one could make it a lifelong feud. So... who the characters are is up to you.
I can't make sense of the last sentence. I think it is asking, if the grieving brother descends into villainy, how we justify to him that the death of his wife was the last thing anyone wanted to do?
Well, you can justify it just by that, and pointing out that the blame really belongs to the one putting the choosing brother in that position in the first place.
Given the bad circumstance, there was no 'right' answer for the brother forced to choose. He made a choice, and that is kind of that. While it comes with understandable consequences, guilt, shame, an angry brother... There really was no right way out. One could feel angry about his decision but also rationalize that there was no other way. Or...one could make it a lifelong feud. So... who the characters are is up to you.
I can't make sense of the last sentence. I think it is asking, if the grieving brother descends into villainy, how we justify to him that the death of his wife was the last thing anyone wanted to do?
Well, you can justify it just by that, and pointing out that the blame really belongs to the one putting the choosing brother in that position in the first place.
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xena
Inkling
I could see him being heavily devastated but as pmmg, it really does depend fully on his character. Is he the type to crash out and decide to mess things up for his brother and wife, is he understanding, closed off, doesn't express himself much? What's his relationship with his wife too??
Mad Swede
Auror
First, I think I'd ask you why you think the elder brother has betrayed the younger brother? The elder brother making the choice has chosen to stay with his pregnant wife. Why is that a betrayal of his younger brother?
The whole set-up rings alarm bells in my mind. Implicit in this is that someone's wife and their child to be is less important than that someone's brother. It's almost sexist, and I'd argue that it's misogynistic. As a reader I wouldn't have any sympathy for the younger brother.
The whole set-up rings alarm bells in my mind. Implicit in this is that someone's wife and their child to be is less important than that someone's brother. It's almost sexist, and I'd argue that it's misogynistic. As a reader I wouldn't have any sympathy for the younger brother.
pmmg
Myth Weaver
I dont think you read the opening post right.
Mad Swede
Auror
I did read the first post, several times. That was why I asked why the OP thought it was a betrayal, and then explained why I didn't like the set-up.
Astralai
Dreamer
I agree with xena and pmmg I don't know enough about the brothers as characters, their relationship with one another, with their wives, to make a judgement.
All of those factors will determine how they react and express their feelings of grief, guilt, anger. etc.
It's perfectly understandable for the older brother to save his wife and unborn child especially if he suddenly came across the two women in danger and acted on pure instinct. But that wouldn't make it any easier on the younger one. Given the traumatic nature of his loss the younger brother going off the rails is entirely plausible. Do you know what happens to them further down the line?
All of those factors will determine how they react and express their feelings of grief, guilt, anger. etc.
It's perfectly understandable for the older brother to save his wife and unborn child especially if he suddenly came across the two women in danger and acted on pure instinct. But that wouldn't make it any easier on the younger one. Given the traumatic nature of his loss the younger brother going off the rails is entirely plausible. Do you know what happens to them further down the line?
pmmg
Myth Weaver
You seem to have missed that the choice was between two women, and not a pregnant wife and his brother. Where is the misogyny in that? There was no choice made because of some weird desire to value the woman less. It was a choice between two women, one had to die. I don't know the circumstances, but on its face, misogyny is a way too big a word for this. The brother is upset because the one with the choice chose his own wife over the wife of his brother. Maybe a little favoritism, but... It was just a no-win situation. I am not going that road with you.
Mad Swede
Auror
I haven't missed that at all. But the younger brother is interpreting that choice as a betrayal, and one interpretation of that is that the younger brother expects the elder brother to value the younger brother and his needs above the elder brother's wife. That can be interpreted as implicit sexism and misogyny, especially without more context about the younger brother and his values and beliefs.
pmmg
Myth Weaver
Um...I think that's a stretch. I'll just stay away from the four syllable words with this.
RoccO
Sage
I think the brother has more lofty ideals keeping his family alive, if there is any villainy at play. It is possible the wives are kin or estranged. The two brothers are likely to side with the elder brother in some biblical tirade. The first thing the elder brother is halt his descent into villainy, consider the younger brothers advice on the two wives, and figure if they are in cahoots or not.
Astralai
Dreamer
I don't read it that way. Assuming the younger brother loved his wife, he would be devastated at losing her. While he might rationally understand his brother’s decision, grief, particularly complex grief following an unexpected loss in traumatic circumstances, can halt the grieving process at the stage of blame and anger. Some people develop self destructive behaviours and turning to a life of crime after traumatic loss can be seen in that light. So I have sympathy for everyone involved.
Mad Swede
Auror
I saw a situation rather like this when I was serving with the UN. I won't mention where this was. Neither I nor my colleagues could work out why a choice like that was seen as a betrayal, until one of the elders in the area explained it to us. In between all the fine words, what it boiled down to was that in the local culture women were seen as less important than men, and so the appropriate choice was one which met the needs of a man. The elder concerned also said that other women were available to replace a woman who died... So when a man chose the needs of his wife over the needs of a man, he was betraying just about everything seen as important in that culture.
Hence my first question about why this example is seen as a betrayal. And hence also my comments about sexism and misogyny.
