Entertaining History: (Un)heroic Identifications, Apt Pupils, and an Ethical Imagination

Abstract

Pupil 1998 saw the release of director Bryan Singer's Apt Pupil. Based on a Stephen King novella, the film devolves upon all-American 16-yearold Todd Bowen's inquiry into the character of evil. Following a brief school lesson on the Holocaust that raises more questions than it answers, since the history teacher predominantly avoids details of the crimes committed and devastation inflicted, Todd commits himself to pursuing outside-of-class research. Part of his motivation comes from an attempt to understand what is behind the fascist symbols and Germanic slogans he sees spray-painted onto school walls. However, by unique