What Is Evil?
Almost exactly a year before the film was released to theaters, the Pope had famously commented upon the nature of evil by stating that “Evil is not merely an absence of something but an active force, a living, spiritual being that is perverted and that perverts others.” This reaffirmation of the palpability of evil responded to what had become a rather strong tenet of 20th century belief which proposed that rather than existing as a tangible component of life, evil arose primarily as a result of the absence of good. By specifically choosing a child as the vessel to be possessed by demonic forces, The Exorcist almost at times seems to be acting in congress with Vatican doctrine with the implicit question: how could a child be responsible for such evil within the context of being an absence of good when children are the very icon of goodness and innocence? The answer, of course, is that she couldn’t therefore the existence of evil within her must be a concrete demonic presence.
The Exorcism of Father Karras
Two exorcisms take place here. One, obviously, is the exorcism of the demon from the young child. On a more abstract level, however, is the exorcism of Father Karras. Karras is plagued by increasing doubt which is engendered by personal guilt over being unable to provide proper care for his poor, dying mother. Unlike modern evangelical pastors preaching from inside mammoth modern arenas and living in splendor, Father Karras not only lives in poverty but is surrounded by poverty. It is inescapable and, more to the point, inexcusable from a theological perspective. The welcoming of the demon into himself for the purpose of a murder/suicide is the climax of the exorcism of doubt from inside Karras. Ironically, is the revelation of the tangible existence of the devil that finally exorcises the doubt still afflicting Karras about the existence and goodness of God.
The Disintegration of the Family Unit
Aesthetically, The Exorcist is one of the most liberal films ever made; not only did it break new ground in what could be portrayed in a mainstream, big-budget, studio produced film, it evaporated all existing borderlines. Ideologically, The Exorcist is conservative almost to the point of reactionary. In addition to a forthright insistence on the existence of evil in the tangible form of the presence of actual demons, the film also more subtly implies that these demons prey upon the breakdown of social conventions and institutes. Not only is Chris MacNeil divorced, but she is a working woman and not only is she a working woman, but she is a liberal Hollywood actress. So, in effect, her liberalism is the driving force behind the long periods of separation from her daughter which seem to have had the effect of first making her physically ill and then allowing that illness to reach a point that she becomes weak enough for the devil to possess her. Never stated, but implicitly stated is a potential moral: if she had been a proper housewife letting her husband bring home the bacon, she could have stayed home with her child and prevented Regan from being possessed. This theme is even more subtly intensified through the parallel with the family status of Father Karras. While it is true that his mother lives in poverty like himself and ultimately dies from a lack of access to affordable care, the sacrifice Karras makes is to God not himself and result in the ultimate sacrifice of killing himself so that he may do what Chris could not: save her daughter Regan.
