Collateral Damage

Chapter Nineteen

Our last English assignment before Thanksgiving break was to write an essay about whether Othello was a truly a tragic figure or a villain.

This might sound a bit odd, since the one true villain in the play is Iago. He was the one that framed Desdemona for adultery and tricked Othello into murdering her, all because he wasn't picked for the job he wanted. The guy was a complete sociopath.

Yet the majority of girls in our class didn't feel sorry for Othello at all. They thought Othello was just as bad as Iago. After all, it didn't really take much to drive him off the deep end, did it? He was only married to Desdemona for a few days, and he already he began doubting her. He barely gave her the benefit of the doubt. Just a few lies from Iago, and all that passionate love quickly changed into violent hatred.

"He calls her a whore, he hits her, and he finally kills her!" Emma Prahler said angrily during our class discussion. "Guys don't do that to someone they love."

Ms. Bergman nodded thoughtfully. "You have a point. Othello was a very volatile character. In fact, from a modern perspective, he has many traits of a domestic abuser."

I don't know why, but that compelled me to raise my hand.

"Yes, Ms. Sawyer?" she asked.

"I don't think it's fair to blame it all on him," I pointed out, pretending not to notice everyone's eyes on me. "Iago was the one that set everything in motion. He played Othello."

Emma glared at me. "Iago didn't force him to kill her," she retorted in a snotty voice. "That was his choice."

"Actually..." I went on, slightly nettled but undeterred, "Iago did drive him to it. He riled him up on purpose, then planted thoughts of murder in his head."

"Well, he probably would have killed her anyway," she said. "That's how abusers work. They're all sweet and loving in the beginning, but when anything sets them off, they explode."

Who died and made you an expert? The words were bouncing on the tip of my tongue. But I swallowed them back. I could tell from Emma's challenging glare that she was dying to provoke me. I didn't want to give them another show. The last thing I needed was more fuel for Caitlyn Wright's fire. Thank God nobody knew about the parking lot incident, or Her Holiness would never let me hear the end of it.

"I'm not excusing what Othello did," I said, trying to keep the defensiveness from my voice. "But he wasn't evil. He did love Desdemona."

Wrong, wrong, wrong thing to say.

A few girls glared at me. I could tell what they were thinking because the scandalized looks in the eyes were the same ones they gave me when Matt was accused of rape. How typical: Wendy "Stand By-Her-Man" Sawyer, making excuse for violent guys, even fictional ones.

"I think Wendy has a point," a voice said quietly.

Everyone tore their eyes from me to gawk at the speaker, sitting two seats behind me. It was John.

It was the first time he had ever spoken in class. Not even Ms. Bergman could hide her surprise. "Mr...Riley?" she asked tentatively, as if she had to remind herself what is name was. "Would you like to explain?"

John hesitated, glancing at me. Then he flipped to a page in his copy of the play and cleared his throat. "Othello is supposed to be a flawed character. He owns up to his faults in the end: 'Speak of me as I am...of one that loved not wisely but too well.' He wasn't evil, he was just a guy that let his own passions and insecurities get the best of them. He's no different than Romeo in Romeo and Juliet. Both of them were impulsive when it came to love, and their rash decisions wind up hurting the people they loved the most. And while he does blame Iago for everything, he still takes responsibility for his own crime. His remorse and grief over Desdemona is so intense that the suicide is the only way to reclaim what's left of his honor. I think that shows he did love her, even if he didn't love her wisely."