Surname 1

Student’s Name

Professor’s Name

Course

Date

Question One

In the graphic novel Nimona, Ambrosius Goldenloin and Ballister Blackheart have a

complicated history. The duo trained at the Institution of Law Enforcement and Heroics.

However, they later went separate ways after a fight in which Ballister lost an arm and

Ambrosius was declared a champion. As a result, the two become arch-rivals with Ballister as

the supposed villain and Ambrosius as the chosen hero. Conventionally, a hero is a character who

is driven by the pursuit of the greater good such as justice while a villain is the one who is

defined by their acts of evilness and cruelty. Nonetheless, the definition of good and evil in the

story is not downright straightforward. There is a huge contrast between the official description

of villainy and heroism and what actually transpires in the novel.

At the beginning of the story, readers are introduced to a funny comic narrative set in a

world where magic and science coexist. Here, the shadowy bureaucracy called the Institution,

overseen by the Director can be seen as a good entity simply because the people have been made

to believe that it has good intentions. In addition, Ambrosius, an agent of the Institution, can also

be considered a hero. However, it turns out that the Institution had some ethically dubious plans

against the people. On the other hand, Ballister is portrayed as a supervillain because he opposes

an establishment that the people believe is good. As a result, he is portrayed as bad person even

though he is fighting to expose the rogue system.

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As the story proceeds, the discrepancy between the official narrative of good and evil

becomes apparent. Nothing in the novel is as simple as it appears and everything is twisted. The

issue of good and evil is even more complicated. These terms are often used to comfort people

and make them believe that a certain worldview is the correct one. As a result, good and evil are

relative. For example, in Nimona, the Institution used Ballister as a scapegoat and forced him

into villainy. Ballister’s main goal was to expose evil acts by the government such as fear

mongering and corruption. Surprisingly, the story designated Ambrosius Goldenloin as the hero

thus indirectly assigning Ballister the villain tag.

Ballister Blackheart, the true hero and protagonist of the story devotes his time to

exposing the rogue Institution. He is not driven by selfish interests nor harbors evil intentions.

Instead, he maintains a moral code that forbids him from killing unlike the other characters.

Ballister has also undergone dehumanizing experiences but still cares for other people. For

instance, he understands Ambrosius when he shows remorse and regrets his actions against a

former friend. Therefore, Ballister is not as evil as readers would want to perceive based on the

context of the story. On the other hand, it appears that Ambrosius was dumb and much of a pawn

in the narrative. He executes evil on behalf of the puppet master which is the Institution.