I've been finding this discussion of Lois's motives and the morality of what she's planning fascinating. Seems I hit a raw nerve somewhere, by the look of it!
Janet pretty much said exactly what I think in relation to this issue. First, no, Lois isn't perfect (but who is?). She's married to one man, and she's been getting dangerously close to someone else. She would have kissed Clark, if he hadn't pulled away. Is that excusable? Well, no, it's not. Is it a hanging offence? Well, I don't think so.
But if she'd planned to carry on as if nothing had happened, whether Clark stayed around or not, then I think she'd be betraying her husband (and let's leave aside his identity for the time being). Fidelity isn't just about being physically intimate with someone else; it's also about emotional fidelity.
As Kathy said, people make mistakes in relationships. They marry the wrong people. The person they marry may be a perfectly nice, kind, ethical person, but the relationship just isn't right. In those circumstances, which is the better path? To say nothing and make both spouses miserable? Or to be honest and make a break, even if it does lead to hurt in the short term? Would anyone want to stay married if their spouse came home and said 'I'm in love with someone else'?
So I think that what Lois is currently planning is the right thing - regardless of how long she's been married. She knows that her marriage was a mistake, but she's trying to do something about it rather than pretend it's not the case.
Now, there's the question of Lex. At present we - and, more importantly, Lois - have no idea whether he's good or evil. That's deliberate on my part. The story is from Lois's point of view. We've seen, through being shown her POV, how little she really knows about her husband. She's starting to notice a few things, some character flaws... but does that mean that he's evil, or just thoughtless and fairly typical of most people in the business world?
Why did she marry Lex? Several people have asked that, and it's a question which will be answered over the course of the series. It wasn't answered in this story because it didn't really come up here. It will certainly arise in Betrayed. Were her reasons good? Or flawed? That remains to be seen, and I might suggest that this isn't a question which has a black and white answer.
The one thing I will say is that I think it's highly unlikely that Lois would have had any kind of mercenary reasons. That's just not the way she is in the series, and I hope that I'm writing her in character.
Does she fall in and out of love easily? Well, have you never found yourself in the situation of
believing that you're in love with someone, only to discover that you were mistaken in your feelings? Of believing that someone loved you, only to find that they betrayed you? Staple fodder for romance novels, of course - and common in real life. Kathy's example also illustrates this. Would you have expected Lois to stay in love with Claude after what he did to her? What would you think of a woman who did continue to love a guy who'd betrayed her like that? Co-dependent, perhaps?
I do think it's a bit unfair to talk of readers and authors 'making excuses' for Lois - I don't know if you just mean in this story, Ray, or in others as well. I know you think that authors should make it plain that they disapprove of her bad behaviour, though (as I've explained before) I don't think that's the author's job. It is my role as an author to show some development on the part of the characters, however, and I try to do this in every story I write. If I post to explain or comment on my characters' motivations, I don't see myself as making excuses for them; I might try to explain where I think they're coming from, but it's up to the reader to make their own judgements as to the merits or otherwise of the characters' actions.
No, Lois isn't perfect - in this story or in any other. Nor, incidentally, is Clark - remember, he's been coming back day after day, in full knowledge that Lois is married. And, as he reveals in the last section, he has feelings for her and he knew that all along. Wasn't it just as much up to him to stay away?
But then, nobody's perfect. We all have human failings, some more than others. And if I tried to write about perfect characters, without any flaws whatsoever, I'd think it would result in a perfectly boring story.
One I'd never want to finish writing, and I'm sure that no-one would want to read.
Anyway, for those interested enough to read on, I hope that Betrayed will answer at least some of your questions - and that you'll tell me if it doesn't.
I don't want to stop debate here, by the way - please carry on the discussion, or add further comments. I just wanted to come in and add my own perspective, as the author, to the discussion. Thanks for taking part!
Wendy
