When I first started reading the description of the
Secularist, I immediately thought of the villain in Dan Brown’s book The Lost Symbol, the sequel to The Da Vinci Code. Like the Secularist,
Brown’s villain was also covered in tattoos. However, as I kept reading, I saw
that there was no other similarity—the Secularist just comes off as a villain
in the beginning.
The story is
about a man called the Secularist and a girl who has apparently seen the devil.
The Secularist is there to assist her people in banishing the devil, who has
burnt all their fields. The place is fictional, and very little detail about it
is given, but such detail doesn’t seem relevant to the piece. The only important
facts are that the town has recently fought for its independence from some
unknown occupant and that it is a struggle to retain its power, as it is so
weak. The girl and the Secularist have a conversation about power, which
becomes the main theme of the work. They talk about how the powerful abuse the
weak, and the Secularist believes everyone should “stand” rather than “kneel.”
The girl comes to agree with him at the end.
The first
few pages were disturbing, but in a good way. The naked girl in a bath of blue,
slimy liquid being watched by a tattooed man definitely sets up a foreboding
and uncomfortable tone. A part of me wanted to know the reasons for the blue
liquid and head shaving, but I’m uncertain if an explanation is truly
necessary. Also, I’m not sure what the girl decided at the end. Does she choose
to sacrifice herself or take the Secularist’s power to confront the devil?
Maybe you meant to leave it ambiguous, just as she was indecisive about the
devil’s offering. It would stay in line with her character, but since neither
of the characters really change, I’d like to know what she decides.
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