Evil queens and wicked
witches are frequently our first introduction to the world of
villains. But as we get older, our needs change. The simplicity that
existed in our black and white worlds as kids becomes a confused
rainbow of varying grays, and the concept of pure good and evil no
longer makes sense. We yearn for complicated characters, where the
good guy struggles with doing the right thing and even does the wrong
thing sometimes. Where the villain has a reason for the terrible
things they do—reasons we may even find justifiable.
These are the
characters I love most. I like the humanity it gives them. Even the
best of us do bad things, and the worst of us are never hopeless even
if we're damned. It's the story behind the person, the why behind the
actions that intrigue me and add a satisfying complexity to the tale.
I would love to hear
about your favorite hero and villain. Tell me which characters have
gripped you and taken root in your memories. It doesn't matter if the
answer is cliché. One of my favorite complex heroes is Batman. The
names don't get famous from being crappy—well, not most of the
time. Leave a comment and share your characters and why they're your
favorite. I'm interested in hearing back!
Thought for the day: A
hero can do bad things for the right reason, while a villain can be a
good person for the wrong ones.
Later readers!
I feel the same way. One of my favorite characters is Scarlett O'Hara, even though we have little in common and probably wouldn't be friends. She's hard to love most of the time, but Margaret Mitchell lets us see the reason why: she has always felt flawed and unworthy of her mother's love. I got so mad at her sometimes I wanted to slap her, but I always cared about what happened to her and wanted her to find happiness. That's the kind of characterization I strive for in my own books.
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