Meeting Evil by Thomas Berger
"Meeting Evil" by Thomas Berger is a darkly comedic novel that explores the complexities of civility and moral perception through the interactions between its two main characters, John Felton and Richie. John is portrayed as an Everyman—a well-meaning, unsuccessful real estate salesman who embodies typical values of decency and consideration. His life takes a chaotic turn when he encounters Richie, a psychopathic drifter who believes he is not inherently bad, despite the trail of violence that follows him. The story unfolds as John finds himself drawn into Richie's criminal exploits, which challenge his moral foundations and force him to confront his own values.
As the narrative progresses, John's struggle with his identity and societal perceptions intensifies, particularly as he grapples with the consequences of his association with Richie, culminating in a poignant realization about self-worth and personal responsibility. Berger masterfully juxtaposes John’s sincere civility against Richie’s cynical worldview, revealing the fragile line between civilized behavior and chaos. The novel ultimately raises profound questions about the nature of good and evil, responsibility, and the hidden darkness that exists within us all, making it a thought-provoking read for those interested in the complexities of human morality.
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Meeting Evil by Thomas Berger
Excerpted from an article in Magill’s Survey of American Literature, Revised Edition
First published: 1992
Type of work: Novel
The Work
Meeting Evil combines the characters and situations of Killing Time, Neighbors, and The Houseguest (1988) to darkly comic effect. John Felton, married and the father of two, is an unsuccessful real estate salesman in a small community. Like many of Berger’s Everyman protagonists, John is an essentially good person motivated by a sense to do right and to seem considerate of others. His benign tolerance is severely tested when a stranger comes to his door on John’s day off and asks for help in pushing a stalled car. Richie turns out to be John’s complete opposite and the embodiment of a typical civilized American’s worst nightmares.
A much more dangerous version of Harry and Ramona of Neighbors and the visitor in The Houseguest, Richie is a psychopath who sincerely believes that he is not a bad person. Violence just happens to erupt wherever he goes, though he insists that it is the police who commit most crimes. John is unable to break away from Richie as he steals cars, kidnaps other innocents, and carries out more mayhem. John escapes only to be charged with Richie’s crimes. The often hilarious novel’s denouement plays out when John finally returns home to find his wife entertaining Richie, whom she thinks is his client.
Richie’s acts cause John to reevaluate his values, though he corrects himself every time that he feels he is giving in to Richie’s cynical view of human nature. Despite one violent act after another, John remains terrified of being thought rude and is shocked that strangers might be wary of him. More than anything, John wants the unfair views that others take of him because of Richie to stop. Berger suggests that there is a subtle distinction between civilized behavior and the perception of such behavior. John’s civility is sincere yet is an ineffective weapon against the chaos surrounding him.
The ironic relationship between the characters is underscored by Richie’s admiration for the person he considers his only friend. Although Richie, an escapee from a mental institution, constantly mocks John’s bourgeois views, he likes John’s refusal to sway, his insistence upon sticking to his principles in the face of overwhelming reasons to do otherwise. John’s sense of responsibility wavers but never disappears, while Richie accepts no responsibility for his actions. In this world of misconstrued motivations and perverted morality, John’s essential decency is an ineffective weapon. This point becomes even clearer when John goes from being Richie’s victim to being victimized by the foolish police. John comes to realize that what is most important is not how others perceive him but what he thinks of himself. Before he can arrive at this view, he must face what he and Richie have in common, that the criminal represents his darker side.
Berger, as always wanting to keep his reader off-balance, briefly shifts to Richie’s point of view midway through the novel. Richie’s insistence that he lives by a code and that he detests immorality makes his antics even more ironic. Berger follows this interlude with John’s recognition that this extreme situation has brought out previously hidden qualities, an opportunity to make up for earlier failures, an awareness that he has enclosed himself in a “convenient moral armor.” He actually needs a monster such as Richie to goad him into changing his complacent life, to recognize that his life has been as aimless as Richie’s own.
Sources for Further Study
Booklist. LXXXVIII, April 1, 1992, p. 1411.
Boston Globe. June 21, 1992, p. 108.
Chicago Tribune. July 12, 1992, XIV, p. 6.
Kirkus Reviews. LX, April 1, 1992, p. 408.
Library Journal. CXVII, May 1, 1992, p. 114.
Los Angeles Times. June 15, 1992, p. E5.
New York Times Book Review. July 12, 1992, p. 7.
Publishers Weekly. CCXXXIX, April 6, 1992, p. 49.
San Francisco Chronicle. July 19, 1992, p. REV4.
The Washington Post Book World. XXII, June 14, 1992, p. 6.