Literature has the compelling and unique ability to present stories that foster empathy and offer perspectives that transcend geographical or cultural boundaries, allowing readers to immerse themselves in the emotional complexities of the characters. Jamil Zaki, in the War for Kindness, argues that there are ways to achieve an increase in empathy, with the common element in most strategies being the ability for individuals or groups to “untether” from what they perceive of their current circumstances and attempt to understand another individual or group’s reality. Tim Martin’s Moral Hazards provides a set of complex ethical conundrums, illuminating the complexities of moral decision-making; for example, the impact of the stories that the characters’ hear is paramount to their consciences. This passage focuses on Anik, a fervent human rights lawyer, who is forced to navigate the intricacies of the broad balance between ethical obligations, empathetic connections, and the formidable constraints entrenched within the pursuit of justice. Of the characters in this novel, I find that she has to navigate the most significant complexities in her ambition to make real changes towards justice for victims in legal contexts. Because of her dedication towards her clients who are victims of sexual assault during war and her commitment to making a change by having rape listed as a crime against humanity when used as a weapon of war, Anik is the best exemplification of untethering from personal realities as a manifestation of absolute empathy in Tim Martin’s Moral Hazards.
Tim Martin’s characterization of Anik and the character’s development throughout the book highlight the complex manifestations of empathy in legal circles. Anika is presented as a character with a passion for defending the oppressed. This dedication to her human rights law career is reflected in the character’s unwavering relentlessness in pursuing justice for her clients and the victims of gross human rights violations. For example, in the beginning, Anik attempts to bring to light ensure the prosecution of former Nazi camp guard Otto Schuman for the atrocities committed during the Nazi regime. Upon her defeat in this suit, she travels to Kenya’s Dadaab camp, where after listening to the stories of the refugees goes on a mission to have rape, which is ubiquitously used as a weapon of war, recognized as a “crime against humanity.”Her passion is relevant even in the tragedy of her loss in this case, in which she feels a blend of guilt and shame after having lost the case (Martin 38). It is apparent that this character, and her protagonist’s essence in this novel, is meant to represent empathy and its manifestation. Anik’s dedication to uncovering the truth and seeking accountability at the refugee camp in the later stages of the novel is consistent with her character development and represents an emotional investment in pursuing justice for victims. Therefore, Tim Martins’ creation of a protagonist who has a deep interest in helping people through the legal corners reflects a character with an empathetic connection with the plight of the victims.
Anik’s characterization also reflects a conscious effort by Tim to present a character inherently inclined towards a moral obligation to redress injustices that society’s vulnerable populations suffer. Anik’s actions resonate with a profound sense of empathy and a steadfast moral compass; for example, during the case against Schuman in the case regarding how rape is used as a weapon of war, Anik presents an impassioned plea to the jury which combines legal arguments with emotional appeals attempting to get the jury to understand the victims’ suffering.
“Anik turned to see Sophie walking out the door. I’ve betrayed Edith and Sophie, she thought, floundering in a mire of guilt and shame” (Martin 38).
This quote proves the impassioned presentation that Anik presents in court and the emotional nature of her relationship with the victims of rape and assault she represented in her search for justice. However, this moral inclination towards justice is not a conscious effort but reflects her intrinsic nature to side with the victim in every case where she perceives injustice. This attitude and perspective are reflected in the novel’s latter stages as she deals with the refugees seeking justice at the Dadaab camp. This intrinsic moral obligation is divergent from other characters, for example, Omar, whose moral compass is extrinsic and related to wealth (specifically gold). Therefore, Tim Martins’ presentation of Anik as a character driven by intrinsic precepts of moral obligation offers a cogent foundation for readers to understand her trajectory of thought and action.
Anik is untethered from her personal reality and empathizes with her victims. Cunningham (679) argues that empathy has a central position in history and is exemplified by how people understand other individuals’ perspectives and values in their historical context. In this case, although Anik is not a victim of the Nazi assault or directly affected like Sophie and Edith, her interactions with the two women elucidate an empathetic foundation in a way that she attempts to consider and understand the victims’ suffering. In addition, her legal arguments in front of the jury echo her empathetic understanding of the magnitude of crimes and the urgency to ensure that individuals like Otto Schuman understand that there are consequences to their actions. Furthermore, in her interactions with refugees at Dadaab camp, she seeks to ensure that all legal circles reflect how rape can be declared as a crime against humanity.
Anik relegates all the privileges of growing up in settings where she was not affected by war or the Nazi assault. Her appeals regarding the magnitude of the sexual-related crimes are based on the accounts provided by the women at the refugee camp, while Sophie and Edith provide her understanding of some of the scores from the Nazi atrocities. This assertion means that she is fully immersed in a world where injustice manifests in her victims’ experiences, and her appeal to the jury is to ensure that Schuman and other individuals involved in gross injustices are held liable. Therefore, Anik’s ability to ensure that her moral compass is guided by the pleas of the people she represents is a critical foundation for understanding her untethering and the extent of her willingness to seek justice.
Anik’s drive to untether from her point of privilege and attempt to understand her client’s perspective is also driven by her willingness to immerse herself in uncomfortable situations. When she arrives at Dadaab camp, she is faced with the realities of suffering that refugees go through; for example, constrained access to clean drinking water and other basic needs. Even though Anik has lived in Canada for most of her life, she immerses herself in these constraints to get a lucid perspective of refugees’ challenges.
“She would go to the field, where the action was. She would return to the minister with fresh ideas from the battlegrounds of today’s war crimes” (Martin 44)
This quote reflects Anik’s willingness to be part of a setting that is divergent in welfare from the one she grew up in. It shows that Anik is untethered from the precepts of her reality, and her empathy manifests in her willingness to approach, observe, and witness some of the plight of victims of injustice. Unlike Edith, the client in the first case, whose plight is based on a memory or journal representation of the horrors during the Nazi rule in East Germany, the women refugees in Dadaab are still vulnerable to various social, political, and economic risks. Anik’s visit and short stay at the camp illuminates the extent of the suffering and heightens her empathy to ensure that something is done to mitigate some of the risks these women face before coming to the camp, during the war, and at the camp.
Anik’s untethering from her reality and immersion into the victim’s perspectives divulges contrasting strategies in her attempt to achieve justice. Readers are faced with an ethical conundrum regarding the micro and macro perspectives when considering the outcomes of Anik’s efforts. The micro perspective, being the focal point at the start of the novel, is where Anik only intends to get justice for Edith by ensuring that Otto Schuman is jailed for his crimes, including sexual assault, during the Nazi regime. Anik fails in this case, partly because of the macro perspectives the defense lawyer presents in his arguments.
“Here in Canada, do we need to worry about our moral fitness? I’m pretty sure we fought and died on the side of the righteous, our brave fathers giving up their lives in the fight for freedom against the Nazis” (Martin 37)
Although not expressly indicated in the novel, it is apparent that Anik’s failure, in this case, leads to a decision to alter her approach to her attempts to get justice for victims of sexual assault, especially during instances of war. The deputy, who is Anik’s supervisor, instructs her to take a step back regarding her investigation and legal strategies in seeking justice for victims of sexual assault during the era of Nazi atrocities. This instruction leads her to a macro mission of ensuring that rape is listed as a “crime against humanity.” By going to Dadaab camp, where she meets with refugees from Sudan, Anik does not intend to help one person but many individuals who have been victims of sexual assault. However, there is an ethical question for readers who must wonder if Anik’s success in establishing the recognition of rape as a crime against humanity (macro perspective) replaces the shame and guilt of her failure in helping Edith achieve justice (micro perspective). Therefore, although it is clear that Anik is untethered from her personal realities in seeking justice for her victims, her initial loss forces her to change tactics from strategies that target a single person to strategies that target a larger demographic.
In conclusion, Anik, the protagonist in Tim Martin’s Moral Hazards, illuminates the fundamental reasons for untethering. Even though Anik is not directly affected by sexual assault or war, having lived in Canada and not East Germany or Sudan like her victims, she presents an empathetic appeal before the jury in the first case and a zealous effort in the Dadaab refugees’ case to attempt to achieve the best possible outcomes for the victims. Anik’s untethering is also reflected in her willingness to immerse herself in uncomfortable situations, like her visit to the Dadaab camp, to cultivate her empathy by understanding the gravity of the victims’ experiences. Nonetheless, a notable ethical conundrum arises when readers consider that despite Anik’s untethering remaining robust throughout the novel, there are divergences between her micro approach in the initial parts of the book to her macro approach in the latter stages as she seeks to have rape listed as a crime against humanity. Ultimately, Tim Martin’s characterization and development of Anik illustrate how untethering can be the optimal manifestation of empathy.
Works Cited
Martin, Tim. Moral Hazards. FriesenPress, 2020.
- https://doi.org/10.1080/00220270902947376
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