People Aren't Simple (Part 3)
In the past two blog posts, I talked about characters vs real people--how on one hand, characters generally need to be more predictable and consistent, but on the other hand, it sucks when they're so simplified they turn into caricatures. Today I have some examples for you. These aren't necessarily my all-time favorite characters, just a selection of those that feel, in my opinion, well-rounded and "real."
Classic Literature
Chief from One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest - It's a great book, and a lot of that has to do with the two main characters. Our narrator, Chief, is fascinating. He pretends to be dumb and stupid, and is therefore able to observe a ton about the characters around him. He's part Native American and has a full life and backstory before he came to the mental hospital, and one of the best parts is how his paranoid schizophrenia slips in to create an unreliable narrator. He's a multi-faceted, layered character, who shows us--the readers--a different side of himself than he shows others, and despite his docile nature, is able to pull on some serious physical strength to propel the plot forward.
John Wemmick from Great Expectations - This character is hardly the most interesting or memorable Dickens character, but I feel like he really illustrates my point. He's no Miss Havisham (who could forget the haunting Miss Havisham!), but again here what I like about him is the layers. He's a firm, gruff clerk for a lawyer at work... then goes home to a house built like a castle, where he takes care of his father, works on the house, enjoys walks, and has a love interest he eventually marries. He really feels like he has a life beyond the page, even though it's a simple one. And while it's not earth-shattering, I think it's a fantastic example of someone who has depth to his personality.
Modern Literature
Peeta Mellark from The Hunger Games - Peeta's a lovable character, largely due to his mild-mannered stoicism and compassion. His personality, especially in the first book, is hard not to like. But he's also been shaped by his culture and circumstances, which allowed him opportunities to show us how he's been kind and considerate often in his life. He has a neat juxtaposition of traits with his physical strength and talent for cake decorating. He's a deep character because he has multiple motives, complicated emotions, a well-explained history/life, and yet all this comes together logically to create the thoughtful and gentle soul that he is.
Spook from Mistborn - This seemingly minor side character ends up having a hugely fascinating growth arc through the series. I hesitate to talk about him much at the risk of spoilers. Suffice it to say, he starts out as a street urchin, not taken very seriously, and eventually develops his powers and his role in the events around him to become a major player in the final book. I could praise all the characters in that series, but there's not much that can be said without spoilers!
Television
Jadzia Dax from Deep Space Nine - Jadzia is one of my favorite female characters of all time. She's a Trill--a symbiotic species that pairs a long-lived symbiote with a humanoid host. Jadzia is Dax's eighth host, so that's seven lifetimes of adventures, lovers, friendships, and learning. She's a strong-willed, intelligent scientist, sure. But her previous host, Curzon, earned a lot of respect with the Klingons, and plenty of that carried over, making her also a tough, Klingon-savvy warrior. The human host had a life and backstory before she was joined, and Dax's old friends, enemies, and lovers resurface from time to time to complicate life. Jadzia is hard to beat when it comes to deeply fleshed out characters.
Delenn from Babylon 5 - You knew I was going to put a B5 character on here. B5 is another one very difficult to talk about without spoilers. Delenn is the Minbari ambassador on the station, of the religious caste, who played an important role in the recent Earth-Minbari war. She's wise and thoughtful, often advocating for peace and the better good during the show, eventually growing to become a catalyst for change. She questions herself and her beliefs along the way, developing from a shy foreigner to a confident leader.
Classic Literature
Chief from One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest - It's a great book, and a lot of that has to do with the two main characters. Our narrator, Chief, is fascinating. He pretends to be dumb and stupid, and is therefore able to observe a ton about the characters around him. He's part Native American and has a full life and backstory before he came to the mental hospital, and one of the best parts is how his paranoid schizophrenia slips in to create an unreliable narrator. He's a multi-faceted, layered character, who shows us--the readers--a different side of himself than he shows others, and despite his docile nature, is able to pull on some serious physical strength to propel the plot forward.
John Wemmick from Great Expectations - This character is hardly the most interesting or memorable Dickens character, but I feel like he really illustrates my point. He's no Miss Havisham (who could forget the haunting Miss Havisham!), but again here what I like about him is the layers. He's a firm, gruff clerk for a lawyer at work... then goes home to a house built like a castle, where he takes care of his father, works on the house, enjoys walks, and has a love interest he eventually marries. He really feels like he has a life beyond the page, even though it's a simple one. And while it's not earth-shattering, I think it's a fantastic example of someone who has depth to his personality.
Modern Literature
Peeta Mellark from The Hunger Games - Peeta's a lovable character, largely due to his mild-mannered stoicism and compassion. His personality, especially in the first book, is hard not to like. But he's also been shaped by his culture and circumstances, which allowed him opportunities to show us how he's been kind and considerate often in his life. He has a neat juxtaposition of traits with his physical strength and talent for cake decorating. He's a deep character because he has multiple motives, complicated emotions, a well-explained history/life, and yet all this comes together logically to create the thoughtful and gentle soul that he is.
Spook from Mistborn - This seemingly minor side character ends up having a hugely fascinating growth arc through the series. I hesitate to talk about him much at the risk of spoilers. Suffice it to say, he starts out as a street urchin, not taken very seriously, and eventually develops his powers and his role in the events around him to become a major player in the final book. I could praise all the characters in that series, but there's not much that can be said without spoilers!
Television
Jadzia Dax from Deep Space Nine - Jadzia is one of my favorite female characters of all time. She's a Trill--a symbiotic species that pairs a long-lived symbiote with a humanoid host. Jadzia is Dax's eighth host, so that's seven lifetimes of adventures, lovers, friendships, and learning. She's a strong-willed, intelligent scientist, sure. But her previous host, Curzon, earned a lot of respect with the Klingons, and plenty of that carried over, making her also a tough, Klingon-savvy warrior. The human host had a life and backstory before she was joined, and Dax's old friends, enemies, and lovers resurface from time to time to complicate life. Jadzia is hard to beat when it comes to deeply fleshed out characters.
Delenn from Babylon 5 - You knew I was going to put a B5 character on here. B5 is another one very difficult to talk about without spoilers. Delenn is the Minbari ambassador on the station, of the religious caste, who played an important role in the recent Earth-Minbari war. She's wise and thoughtful, often advocating for peace and the better good during the show, eventually growing to become a catalyst for change. She questions herself and her beliefs along the way, developing from a shy foreigner to a confident leader.
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