preview

The Separation Of Conscience In House Of Cards By Francis Underwood

Decent Essays
Open Document

If pragmatism embodies the description of this absolution, than the prescription of conscience serves as the authoritative measures placed on our arbitrarily produced morality. Therefore, the nature of conscience can be deconstructed outside of an authorized narrative or a persuasive contextual description, such as pragmatism. However, our notions of morality and rationality are contextually decisive within this framework, which creates a divergent model of conscience. This sentiment is expressed through the Netflix series “House of Cards,” as seen with the apparent suicide of Peter Russo, orchestrated by Francis Underwood. Underwood chooses to divert from the status quo ante of conscience towards a decisive path in order to develop his political …show more content…

This touted approach encounters individuals, such as Peter Russo, who are deprived of moderation and conform to Underwood’s sense of morality. The prideful affirmation of Underwood’s alternative conscience is described as he mentions Russo’s death and breaks the fourth wall by affirming, “Do you think I'm a hypocrite? Well, you should. I wouldn't disagree with you. The road to power is paved with hypocrisy. And casualties. Never regret...I don't use people unless I can throw them away afterwards.” This hypocrisy is demonstrated as Underwood leverages Russo's dependency issues, making him a casualty of pragmatism and a veneer of Underwood's engineering. The absence of remorse for Russo's death, as well as the contriving positions enacted by Underwood support his motivations and the casualties of his conscience. This amnesty allows for the continued exertion of force over Russo’s image, even after death, which is reserved for a particular set of manufactured principles. This is expressed when Underwood enters Russo’s memorial and commands his spirit to “have the courage in death that you never had in life. Come out, look me in the eye and say what you need to say. There is no solace above or below. Only us- small, solitary, striving, battling one another. I pray to myself, for myself,” as if Underwood takes comfort in the framework …show more content…

Underwood presents his duplicitous nature and manipulative actions throughout the series, yet undergoes a transformative commitment to his alternative conscience with the murder of Russo. This engagement of action to Underwood's nature allows for his manipulative tendencies to enforce his own conscience. This notion is produced through the contradictions echoed in Underwood's patronization of Russo, as he states that "Maybe they were right about you. Maybe you are worthless. I’m the only person who believes in you Peter, but maybe that's one too many.” While Underwood allows power to control him, his love of power is a naive production, as he becomes unmindful to the destruction his addiction thrives on. Therefore, Underwood diverts Russo's conscience towards an unmanageable path, as Russo's dependency concerns isolate him from external support and positive reinforcement. In comparison, Underwood manages an expansive network of support through individuals who share his prescription of conscience, either by pretense or construction. Russo's death may also be represented through Underwood's manipulation of the narrative and historical context of Russo's death. This manipulation is reproduced through Underwood's involvement in Russo's death, as Underwood responds to a question from Thomas Hammerschmidt, former editor-in-chief of the

Get Access