Jimmy Cracked "Corn", But I Don't Care

             If you've read my recent character analysis post about James Bond, you might get the impression that I'm a Bond fan. My reply would be that I'd like to be a Bond fan--I could always use another book to read--but there is too much going on in the story that I'm uncomfortable engaging in. While there are several reasons why someone wouldn't pursue the Bond novels/movies, I wanted to think about one in particular.

            One thing that turns most prospective fans away is Bond's seemingly immoral opinion of violence. Most people cannot cheer for a hero who maintains a cool attitude while he shoots, strangles, drowns, poisons, or bleeds his enemies to death. I've noticed, additionally, that not only does Bond not seem to care how he kills his opponent (in Goldfinger, he electrocutes an assailant with a charged bathtub just because the hit man was in it and 007 happened to have a plugged-in lamp handy), there are times when he actually seems to enjoy it.

           Surprisingly, this is not the reason why I wouldn't associate with Bond, James Bond.



            In The Man With the Golden Gun, the assassin Scaramanga mentions that he and Bond are a lot alike in their murderous activities. To this, Bond replies that the difference is that the people he kills are killers themselves. This is, as far as I can tell, the only justification that Bond has ever given for the way he handles people. Oddly enough, it could be enough to justify Bond for me.

            I understand that the seventh commandment states that we're not supposed to murder, but even the Christian Bible is not that finely cut. If one was to read the book of Judges, written after the Mosaic law, he'd see example after example of God calling men to kill men who oppress His chosen people. I'm not trying to say that Bond is doing all that he can for the glory of God, but I'm wondering if I believe that God is in control, did He influence Bond to push Dr. No into that acid?

           The fact remains, however, that Bond does use some ruthless methods to finish the mission, so I would urge any parents who might consider letting their children read the book to examine Bond for themselves. It is, after all, their job to surround their kids with the right influences.

            So while Bond's violence itself doesn't keep me from Bond, I accept that it might for other people.