an abusive father is much more able to argue that he Did What He Had To Do.
Oh yes. An abusive mother comes across as a betrayal of their expected role as a nurturer, and it's typically played as a very harsh revelation for the POV character, while an abusive father is presented in stories as 1) an obvious asshole with which neither the characters and audiences are supposed to have any emotional investment in from the get-go, or 2) someone who Did What He Had To Do but went too far. Neither case inspires the same sort of betrayal or emotional response (in fiction) as a mother in the same position.
Even John Winchester is a slow burn dismantling of Mode #2 listed above. On a first viewing of the series, you trust he's doing what he's doing for a reason, just like the brothers trust him. Then there's a sense of dawning realization for you and the brothers that the John Winchester was, in fact, a complete asshole. He could have been a good hunter and a good father, as their adopted father/mentor Bobby demonstrated after John's death, but failed.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2012-09-03 08:20 pm (UTC)Oh yes. An abusive mother comes across as a betrayal of their expected role as a nurturer, and it's typically played as a very harsh revelation for the POV character, while an abusive father is presented in stories as 1) an obvious asshole with which neither the characters and audiences are supposed to have any emotional investment in from the get-go, or 2) someone who Did What He Had To Do but went too far. Neither case inspires the same sort of betrayal or emotional response (in fiction) as a mother in the same position.
Even John Winchester is a slow burn dismantling of Mode #2 listed above. On a first viewing of the series, you trust he's doing what he's doing for a reason, just like the brothers trust him. Then there's a sense of dawning realization for you and the brothers that the John Winchester was, in fact, a complete asshole. He could have been a good hunter and a good father, as their adopted father/mentor Bobby demonstrated after John's death, but failed.