Fever Beach

The characters in Fever Beach have two distinct approaches to morality. Characters like Viva and Twilly believe in living by their stated moral beliefs. They worry less about what others think of them and more about whether they are living up to their principles. Viva does not accept her landlord’s racist beliefs, and she does not pretend to in order to keep the peace at home. As soon as she learns that the Minks are engaged in charity fraud, she risks her safety to bring them down. Although Twilly has access to great wealth, he is an environmentalist who does not believe in excessive consumption or in using his money to manipulate the world around him. Accordingly, he lives simply, and most of his funds stay in the bank, untouched. Twilly also risks his own safety repeatedly throughout the novel to defend Florida’s environment. Hiaasen uses he and Viva as clear representations of authentic morality that, juxtaposed with the other characters’ moral facades, emphasize the novel’s commentary on the hollow, corrupt politics surrounding the plot.

By contrast, characters like the Minks, Figgo, and Clure are more concerned with public perception; they have no qualms about committing immoral actions behind the scenes as long as their moral reputations are intact.