Blood, Guts, and Gore: Why Stop Reading?

As you lazily flip through your summer reading book on the beach or on your couch after just waking up at noon, you stumble across a passage. “The man in the hole was now a mangled mess of blood and shredded rags. His head slumped forward; chin on chest… when it was all over, when the bloodied corpses had been unceremoniously tossed into the backs of red pickup trucks-separate ones-a few men with shovels hurriedly filled the holes. One of them made a passing attempt at covering up the large bloodstains by kicking dirt over them. A few minutes later, the teams took the field. Second half was under way (Hosseini).”

This brutal and violent act makes us cringe. It makes us uncomfortable that such a brutal and violent act can be dismissed and brushed off so quickly and a soccer game is able to continue so soon after. This brutal and violent act makes us sick, but for some strange reason, you want to keep reading. You want to read that next page, that next chapter. It hurts you to think about what is actually being described, but you continue page, after page, after page. Then you recommend it as a good book to one of your friends. Why? Why do we enjoy seeing violence in books, in movies, and in the news?

As a culture, we are completely enthralled with the incorporation of violence in our entertainment. Our society posts brutality everywhere from movies, to television, to music, to books. It is an inescapable form of entertainment in today’s world, but why are we so amused by the idea of violence? I believe the violence hits the core of our most primal urge to fight or flight. The sudden fear of death or unwanted injury provides us with a sudden urge to feel and stay alive.

As the adrenaline rushes through our bodies, our hearts begin to beat faster and our muscles are left locked and unable to move (Watson). It is an intense rush saved for an intense situation, for example, any situation where death is a possibility. But by watching from a far or by watching through some fictional form, such as a book or a video game, people are able to obtain the artificial rush without any imminent danger.

Another reason I believe people are instinctually drawn to violence as a form of entertainment is that it provides people with a feeling of power. Humans are always seeking a feeling of superiority. Books and television in particular allow the user to feel every emotion the person in danger is feeling by detailed description, but yet at the same time, they are no where near the scene of the violence.

By observing violence, the viewer is able to place him or herself above the action by witnessing the act, yet not actually taking part in it. Even if the act is in a fictional sense, a feeling of power is bestowed upon the user because they are able to experience the situation without facing the danger that is being thrown upon the victim.

Violence in entertainment attracts people because it also creates a sort of fantasy world for people to experience different situations. People are able to witness things that in the course of normal life, most will never see or do. Forms of entertainment such as video games immerse players deep into a virtual world, specifically first person shooter games.

Edward Schneider of the Department of Telecommunications at Indiana University says that first person shoot games provide, “greater identification, sense of presence, and physiological arousal (Schneider).” The violence in entertainment is placed so graphically and close to the users fingertips, it is almost as if they are the ones releasing the slingshot or throwing that last stone (Hosseini).

Khaled Hosseini uses violence in a completely different way. Hosseini graphically describes the first climactic event of Hassan being viciously raped by Assef by saying, “Assef knelt behind Hassan put his hands on Hassan hips and lifted his bare buttocks. He kept one hand on Hassan’s back and undid his own belt buckle with his free hand. He unzipped his jeans. Dropped his underwear. He positioned himself behind Hassan. Hassan didn’t struggle. Didn’t even whimper. He moved his head slightly and I caught a glimpse of his face. Saw the resignation. It was a look I had seen before. It was the look of the lamb (Hosseini).”

If that passage makes you uncomfortable, I believe Khaled Hosseini achieved what he set out to do. By having such a vile act committed to Hassan and then comparing him to a lamb, he uses violence in a completely different way. He commits such a terrible act in such a short time span you don’t have time to realize what you are reading. By writing that paragraph, he made you want to never read a passage like that again, but you want to keep reading the book search for Hassan’s redemption. By using violence, Khaled Hosseini plays off another primal instinct we all possess, revenge.

Violence, while prevalent in almost form of entertainment, is always portrayed under a negative light. But can violence in entertainment ever be used for a greater good? We, as the general American population, were completely ignorant to the situation in Afghanistan. Personally, before reading this book, the extent of my knowledge of Afghanistan was limited.

By depicting graphic scenes violence Khaled Hosseini was able to heighten the intensity of the climatic sections directly making the book a good read. By no means though am I saying that this is not what is actually going on in Afghanistan, but Hosseini instead of just saying Hassan was raped, Hosseini make you feel sick and want to put the book down.

Because of this detailed visual set forth, the general public latched on to it and rocketed it up to the top of the New York Times Bestseller list. With all these people reading this book, Khaled Hosseini had successful educated millions of people across America to the plight and situation in Afghanistan.

Was it right for Khaled Hosseini to play off people’s fascination of violence to get his message across to millions of people or was it wrong to feed to graphic nature of society today? As humans, we are like flies to a light at night when it comes to violence. We crawl to see the blood, guts, and gore, but is it really so wrong? A bag of popcorn, a comfortable chair, and a decapitation. Your morning paper, a cup of coffee, and a building explodes. What is so wrong with that?