The Moral Occult

The melodrama is one of the most confusing yet interesting genres I have encountered in my time of studying. There is often a lot going on, and it is sometimes difficult for the audience to catch up. That being said, when you know what to look for or the ideas and methods that writers use, it may become more clear as to what is going on. In his text The Melodramatic Imagination, author Peter Brooks defines the idea of "moral occult". This is the idea of right and wrong or good vs. evil. "Moral" meaning what you think is right or wrong, and "occult" meaning your beliefs and/or how you practice them.

Brooks decides the moral occult is the center of all melodramas when he states, "The melodramatic mode in large measures exists to locate and articulate the moral occult" (Brooks, 5). The author is reminding us that the moral occult, the battle between good and evil, is the center problem and the reason for the work to exist. The moral occult appears in melodramas and is often up to the character to decide between one or the other. It is the problem that the characters must resolve throughout the story, and along the way they are forced to question their beliefs and what they value. We see an example of this in the film All That Heaven Allows. One of the main characters, Cary, has decided to marry Ron but her children are appalled when they realize he is not of the same social class. Cary has to decide between Ron and her children, and the decision is not easy. There are two sides to the argument but what makes it even more difficult is that there is truth in each side.