So someone pointed out that people think Harris is not a feminist.
So I came back for another meta.Ā
I think there's a slight amount of confusion between what characters think and what writers think of themes addressed in the novel of Red Dragon, notably misogyny and thinking Harris is more so than Fuller.Ā
Yes, there are a lot of Ā lines and parts in portraying the world of law enforcement in the late 1970s as misogynistic and homophobic because it was. Harris is an old school liberal of the make of Bernie Sanders, he might not be comfortable, he might be triggering, but he is not a misogynist. The narration that Harris does not expresses his personal thoughts, neutral narration, nor omnipotent narrator in Red Dragon.Ā
Rather, the book uses third-person subjective narration; we see Will Graham who witnesses the misogynistic world and is disgusted and disturbed by its violence but he's a broken man who feels indebted to the victims whom Harris portrays vividly as people with lives who are ruined. Will takes the death of these women personally as a man can. We see Reba and Jackās subjective narration, too.
And when the narration settles upon Francis Dolarhyde, we see he is a homophobic and misogynistic man who is also sympathetic but not forgiven or excused by anyone in the novel for what he did. The depth coming from Francis Dolarhyde was not common in crime drama in 1981. He is fascinating, a far more complex monster with a psychological depth that Dr. Lecter did not have when Red Dragon was written, in fact Dolarhyde's depth blew the protagonist out of the water and Harris never picked up again.
Due to the stronger focus of the relationship between Will and Hannibal in the show, rather than Will and his demons, Francis' presence becomes fantastic and shallow. We see less of his violent disgust and treatment towards women in the TV series, but Francis still kills and rapes women and their families for NO REASON AT ALL besides heās unique and itās art. The Byonic vibe given to Hannibal and all other serial killers in this series are given to a man who is anything but in the novels. By refusing to show what Dolarhyde has done, Fuller also takes the humanity and the sympathy away from the female victims and their families that the novels grant and gives it to Dolarhyde. The audience only begins to hate him when itās threatened what he does to women will be done to Hannibal. Fear for Reba is forgotten.Ā
This is in direct contrast of Harris' work with women who are given rich and full lives, contrasting the petty misogyny of the law enforcement and the worst case scenario of Dolarhyde.
Of course, one has to know the context of the story to realize it. Let's use Beverly as an example:
Though she doesn't get much 'screen' time in the book, there are implications about Beverly Katz. She's a key player in 1979 in the BSU and knew Will Graham fairly well prior to his retirement in 1975. Ā From 1924 to 1972, J. Edgar Hoover did not allow women to become active agents for Bureau of Investigation and later the FBI. It was in late 1972 when the first two women were allowed to join the FBI Academy (the women serving in 1922 were appointed, both were in their late 50s as Special Investigators) to become active field agents. So, between early 1973 to 1975, Beverly 'Motherfucking' Katz became one of the FIRST FEMALE ACTIVE FBI AGENTS in the novel's setting. Not only was she one of the first, she was respected by Crawford and worked in a high demand unit within the FBI. And? She was MARRIED or in a LONG TERM RELATIONSHIP with a supportive husband/partner. Beverly 'Motherfucking' Katz had a meaningful life outside of the FBI and took the comfortable choice of job and family. Unfortunately we never hear more from her after Red Dragon, but this is due to her skills aren't needed in the Buffalo Bill case due to lack of fiber analyzing and not because she died.Ā
In compared to television? Beverly is also highly respected and considered in charge of the field team before her death. She is still respected and supported Will Graham and Crawford all but DEPENDED on her for sanity. Though we don't know her relationship status, we are informed of her close family ties and her hobbies through the conversations in early S1 and we see her courage and bravery in S2. Sounds good, right? But unlike Harris!Katz, Fuller!Katz is killed and after Will's attempt of Fedex murdering Hannibal and Chilton getting shot in the face, she is never brought up again. Not by Will. Not by Hannibal. Not by Zeller or Price.
And shall I bring up the subject of Molly?
Within the novel's setting, Molly was a woman who married her high school sweetheart and still attended college to earn a degree and moved to Florida with her husband. She supported her husband, had his son, and before he could break into the big leagues, he died of throat cancer. Molly remained in Florida, took care her six year old son and began her own successful dress shop in the Florida Keys before she met Will. And this? Was all in the mid to late 1970s. The home they lived in belonged to her, and she was the breadwinner of the two. Molly is wise, kind, cautious, fierce, and protective of Will, fighting as best she could while knowing her husband could take up the reigns of what he used to be. She deals with the terror her husband accidentally brings upon her and her son, and in the end saves her son and husband from Dolarhyde while escaping with no physical harm. Emotionally, Molly has to strength to choose her son over the man she loves and makes the choice that is best for HER, not Will.
In the television show, Molly's past is never addressed save that Walter is not Will's son. She is bright, bubbly, and naive and while a ray of sunshine, we knew nothing other than she made Will happy. There's no suggestion she had a job let alone her own business. Instead of protecting Will, she encourages him to go out there with the promise she won't change if Will comes back changed. While she is able to save her son, she is shot in the process and someone else is killed. She remains in the hospital as a victim of Hannibal and Dolarhyde by the time Will pitches himself and Hannibal over the cliff.
Now, Fuller ran around saying they kept Molly alive because they adored Nina. And a good chunk of me believes this is just one of the smaller reasons. However, can you imagine the context of Will and Hannibal going over the cliff if Molly died? How could you possibly sell it as romantic and Will realizing they couldn't live without each other if Molly had died?Ā
Enjoy Fuller, that's fine. But do not tell me he's far more feminist or progressive than Harris.
