Is it Boring to be Good? Wallace Stegner’s Crossing to Safety “Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” Leo Tolstoy wrote this famous first line and Anna Karenina’s miserable downward spiral exemplifies it, but is this oft-quoted statement really true? The underlying premise of the assertion – that happy, good people are somehow less “unique” than unhappy, sinful people – is troubling on several levels. The idea seems to be that unhappy people are somehow more interesting, and that evil and its consequences, with all the attendant drama, makes a better story than goodness. Well, does it? Certainly sin, infidelity, murder and mayhem are at the heart of most narrative fiction. As Jane Smiley noted, “One of the particular vocations of the novel from the beginning has been the portrayal of brutes, criminals and psychopaths.” (13 Ways of Looking at a Novel, 115) And with the passage of time, it seems that the graphic depiction of evil has become the main focus of modern fiction. Sadly, this is usually coupled with a negative, cynical view of the nature of man that can leave a reader feeling hopeless. Novelist Saul Bellow spoke of how the bitterness inherent in the novels and poems of the last century has infected the tone of modern literature: “There are modern novelists who take [this bitter life view] for granted as fully proven and implicit in the human condition and who complain as steadily as they write, viewing modern life with a bitterness to which they themselves have not established clear title.” Every Happy Family is Happy in Its Own Way Can interesting fiction be created out of the stuff of normal, even happy lives? Wallace Stegner proved that it can. His lovely, lyrical Crossing to Safety succeeds in capturing the subtle evolution of a friendship between four good people – two married couples – as they interact over four decades. Though not without faults, all four characters are people of integrity and honor. They are true to their spouses, their commitments and their families. Stegner’s narrator describes them almost apologetically: “All of us, I suppose, could be at least grateful that our lives have not turned out harmful or destructive. We might even look enviable to the less lucky…. We made plenty of mistakes, but we never tripped anybody to gain an advantage, or took illegal shortcuts when no judge was around. We have all jogged and panted it out the whole way.” (Crossing to Safety, 13.) Later in the novel, the narrator confronts the issue of goodness as a fit subject for a novel: “How do you make a book that anyone will read out of lives as quiet as these? Where are the things that novelists seize upon and readers expect? Where is the high life, the conspicuous waste, the violence, the kinky sex, the death wish? Where are the suburban infidelities, the promiscuities, the convulsive divorces, the alcohol, the drugs, the lost weekends? Where are the hatreds, the political ambitions, the lust for power? Where are speed, noise, ugliness, everything that makes us who we are and makes us recognize ourselves in fiction?” (241) Stegner in fact worried that no one would read this novel, largely autobiographical and written late in a long, productive life. He said: “There was nothing dramatic in those lives… so that I was taking risks, as I was quite aware. The contemporary novel deals commonly in sensation…. and I had the muleheaded notion that it ought to be possible to make books out of something less than loud sensation.” (Richard Etulain, Conversations with Wallace Stegner, quoted in Art and Spirituality, BYU Studies, 2008, p.18) Stegner underestimated his audience, made up largely of people like himself, whose daily lives were filled with a different drama than one usually finds in novels. Readers responded to the honesty and goodness of the characters, and the book was a success. The narrator in the novel comments that “fiction requires drama, and drama demands the reversal of expectation.” Life provides such reversals on an ongoing basis, even when we make good choices instead of bad ones. Even without the “speed, noise, [and] ugliness,” there is enough drama in most lives to fill several novels.
Why Talk About Evil at All? If goodness is what we are seeking, then why talk about evil at all? On the other end of the spectrum from those who equate intelligence with negativity, cynicism and a preoccupation with perversion, are those who feel that any discussion of the darker realities of life represents a sin in itself. Under this guise literature that deals in an honest way with sexuality, infidelity or any number of human failings is usually objectionable to someone. When I reviewed Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina, I received a letter from a reader that thought it was wrong to write a book about a sinful, adulterous woman. This point of view has led to the banning of many of the world’s great books. Yet Jesus’s atoning sacrifice was centered in understanding and experiencing the pain and sorrow of others, and we need to understand the difference between good and bad not only to avoid the evil in our own lives, but to offer Christlike compassion to others. Under what circumstances should we tolerate the treatment of evil in literature? This is an important question, not easily answered. We are commanded to seek after things that are “lovely, virtuous and of good report and praiseworthy.” Yet Jesus also warned that to successfully navigate the choppy waters of mortality we would need to be “wise as serpents yet harmless as doves.” Literature can offer us a way to develop a moral intelligence. The Bible sets the pattern, as life stories are presented and the results of choices can be observed from a safe distance, as it were. If we object to literature that depicts evil in any form, we would have to abandon most of the great classics, including the Bible! It is by experiencing evil and its consequences through fiction that we can gain wisdom without suffering pain ourselves. Philosopher Adam Morton explains: “Evil acts arise from a specific failure of the way we choose our actions, in which the barriers against atrocity are overcome or eroded. Of course, there are many ways in which this can happen, and some of them are important enough to deserve being studied in their own right. In particular, understanding the various systematic forms of self-deception, by which we persuade ourselves that our harmful acts are really OK, would be of enormous value.” (On Evil, p. 946) Brigham Young made a similar assertion as he encouraged the study of great literature: “We are in a great school, and we should be diligent to learn, and continue to store up the knowledge of heaven and of earth, and read good books, although I cannot say that I would recommend the reading of all books, for it is not all books which are good. Read good books, and extract from them wisdom and understanding as much as you possibly can, aided by the Spirit of God. (Journal of Discourses 12:124) What We Read Shapes Who We Are We know that we are the sum and total of what we take into our bodies and minds through the years. Wide, careful reading expands our minds and spirits so that we begin to see the world through a clearer lens. The actions of others are more understandable, we grow more compassionate, and finally begin to “see ourselves as others see us.” It is harder to be narrow, cruel, prejudiced and hateful when we experience the truths of other lives through great literature. Adam Morton explains the difficulty of overcoming our narrow perspectives: “We find it extremely hard to make two leaps of imagination: to see the motivation of someone who has done something appalling, and to see how someone could be appalled by something we have done with a clear conscience.” (On Evil, p. 196) One reason that a study of the classics is worth pursuing is that these books have been proven over time to offer more than a gratuitous depiction of wickedness. These books offer a life view that will enrich our own. They offer understanding without condoning that which is wrong. They offer wisdom without cynicism, and increase our wonder in the face of goodness and beauty. They sometimes show us the worst in human nature, yet inspire us that the best is within us and can be obtained. A Deeper Understanding of Our Daily Lives Nothing is more common and every day than friendship. We turn to our friends for help, companionship, and fun. We turn to them in times of need. We neglect them, yet they remain. Friendship, what the Greeks called philia, is the one of the four loves least talked about, yet perhaps the most common, and a greater understanding of its role in our lives is the gift this novel offers us. Crossing to Safety will resonate with those who have been married a long time and have shared these growing years with lifelong friends. The book brings new perspectives into those relationships, so important yet so rarely dealt with in fiction. Friendship is built on shared interests, common bonds, and it is a less binding tie than marriage or parenthood. Yet friendship can only be maintained on the same principles that govern successful family life (to paraphrase the scripture), on “gentleness, meekness, and love unfeigned.” Enjoy Crossing to Safety and celebrate the enduring friendships that give richness to your life. Crossing to Safety is the summer selection for the Best Books Club. If you’d like to join our internet gathering and receive occasional emails with comments from other readers and additional book suggestions, email me at bestbooksclub@ meridianmagazine.com.
Best Books Club Readers Comment on Favorite Mysteries In the spring article I offered a list of twenty great mysteries, and asked for additional suggestions. Our readers love mysteries and responded enthusiastically! I got a gentle reprimand for including The Maltese Falcon on my list of twenty great mysteries, from a reader who felt that the protagonist was too foul-mouthed for her taste. Two readers recommended the Amelia Peabody series by Elizabeth Peters. (I thought I put that on the list!) I love it too. I received two recommendations for a series by Judith Tey, who is not familiar to me, so I’m excited to take a look at her work. Finally, a recommendation for Laurie R. King’s series featuring Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes sent me to The Beekeeper’s Apprentice, and I’m hooked. It has given me many delightful hours of reading. Here is a sampling of comments and suggestions: On Ellis Peters’ Bro. Cadfael Mysteries: Derek Jacobi [in the PBS series] was the perfect Brother Cadfael. Suited the role to a “t”. I could not imagine anyone else doing so well.
On Wilkie Collins’s The Moonstone: This is my favorite funny quote from Moonstone: I enjoyed your column about mysteries. I, too, really enjoyed the Moonstone. Another classic mystery I recommend is Lady Audley’s Secret. Loves Agatha Christie: May I say how much I enjoyed your article on mystery books? I have always enjoyed a good mystery, and Wilkie Collins has been one of my favourite authors for many years. The Moonstone has to be one of my favourite books of all time, with Lady in White coming a very close second. I have often thought that I would have liked of all things to be able accompany Wilkie Collins and Charles Dickens on their Grand Tour of Europe. It must have been lots of fun, they both had the dry wit and subtle sense of humour that I share. I hated the Sherlock Holmes tales, though…well, maybe ‘hated’ is too strong a word. But I found these novels to be profoundly boring, mainly because I usually worked out who the culprit was before I was very far in, which tended to destroy the ‘mystery’ element. One novelist whose works I have read over and over since I was introduced to her as a twelve-year-old by a close family friend, is Agatha Christie. I have read all her books, so many times, and keep coming back for more – wonderful stuff! Thank you once again for the article – a timely reminder of a life-long love. I would be very grateful if you could send me details of the Best Books Club, as I have often thought of starting a Book Club in my own Ward, and perhaps this would be a good place to begin. Warm regards A New “Cozy” Series: I just saw your article (on Meridian) and am an avid reader; I read most of the Agatha Christie books in my late teens/early 20s and loved them. Lately, I have checked out some of the movies made for my daughter and myself to watch. She is a mystery fan (11 yrs. old) also. Anyway, just wanted to thank you for your list at the end and to tell you about a brand new mystery novel, the first of a “culinary mystery series” which contain not only recipes, but the foods have some small connection to the crime and the way it is solved. It’s called LEMON TART by Josi S. Kilpack and it was a featured book on the month with the Time Out For Women book clubs. We had been reading some wonderful doctrinal and self-help type books and so we were all feeling eager for an ‘easy read’ and something entertaining. This book is both; I also love baking, so this appealed to me. The book is written quite simply and I thought I could guess ‘whodunit’ pretty early on, but there was a few twists that I was happy to go down and be surprised in the end. Lemon Tart is not a ‘thriller’ type of mystery, but as you mentioned, more of a ‘cozy mystery’ which still kept me very involved in the reading once the climax was in view. Within the pages are recipes for about 5-6 delectable delights that we will make and serve when our book club next meets, which will be a unique and enjoyable addition to our monthly meeting. Thanks! Loves P.D. James: Thank you for your recent column about mystery stories. Mary Higgins Clark Fan: I have always enjoyed Mary Higgins Clark mysteries. They are short, grab you right away, and although I wouldn’t classify them as great literature, they are clean and satifying. Chapters are short, usually being about 3 to 4 pages, so it is easy to find a stopping point if you only have a few minutes. Please add me to your book list. No Comments | Post or read comments FEATURES |
April 15, 2026
April 15, 2026
