2-3-4 Challenge Book Discussions #1 discussion

Though the women were brainwashed, not all of the men were. What type of people would be so adaptable to this type of commune? What keeps them beholden to someone like Alden Pike?

I think that the men who followed Alden Pike wanted permission to abuse and to control women, and this community was their ideal spot to indulge their unhealthy attitudes.

They must have suspected that, once they became members of Tranquillity, they would meet an unfortunate end if they ever tried to leave, so fear and gratification would outweigh sense and right, or any other motivation to leave.

That was my thinking about the men, too, Charlene. These men knew it was wrong and were willing to let Pike do what he wanted as long as they could have their sexual appetites satisfied. They had to know he'd murdered his wives.

Yes, and the chilling comment by Pike's daughter that she killed the wives, including her mother, indicated how very twisted she was.
I guess her early abuse took her humanity from her, too. Still, I didn't feel sorry for her as much as I think I should have. I think in real life the victim-becoming-an-abuser is all too frequent. What a struggle some people undergo to keep or to regain their humanity. Stories like this make us think, don't they?

They certainly do. Tabitha was definitely a victim but I think she was too far gone. To be born in that environment and raised completely be a psychopath among sexual deviants was just too overwhelming. I never could muster sympathy for her, especially after she killed her brother.

Yeah. She certainly had gone beyond the pale.

I agree with the both of you, Alden was too controlling to let anyone leave as that would undermine his power and leadership. Tabitha's mind was twisted early on, though whether how early Alden influence had on her is another question. The book indicated that Tabitha was jealous of her mother, always biting leaving scars and marks, eventually killing her so she can have Alden to herself when she was 12. Child killers exist unfortunately. I had no sympathy for her whatsoever.

Her situation was tragic but I had no sympathy.

The men were totally going along with this to have permission to abuse the young women. I too did not feel bad about Tabitha especially as we got to "know" her.