Why I Love...Flawed Characters
It feels like Wednesday's come around all the time now...and you know what that means: "Why I Love..." This week's topic is one that can go so many different ways and include so many different things. But, for the sake of this post, favorite types of characters, I have to say that I love when a character is not perfect, has flaws, and still manages to capture my heart.
There are so many characters that fit this description, but my ultimate #1 flawed character has to be Severus Snape. From the time I started reading the Harry Potter novels, Snape held a special place in my heart. Everyone was convinced, and tried to convince me, that he was evil and a terrible person, but for some reason I had this gut feeling that he wasn't as bad as he was made out to seem. I held onto that opinion and that undying love completely paid off. I think that his final scene in the novels was one of the most difficult for me to deal with. Yes, he had his faults, but underneath his severe, angular exterior was a character with a massive heart and incredibly complex feelings. Because of this, he was always my favorite character in the series. No matter how much I wanted to hate him for how he treated Harry (who, at times, absolutely deserved it), I couldn't bring myself to dislike him. And that's why I love him.
I think that a close second is a new character I've come across: Minny, from Kathryn Stockett's The Help. At first I really didn't like her. I thought she was so mean and always looking for a fight. This feeling completely changed the further I got into the novel. I soon found that she was quickly becoming my favorite character. This happened for several reasons. 1) She stands up for what she believes in. 2) She would rather the wrath and consequences of the book be directed at her than Skeeter or the other maids. 3) She attempts to better her situation at the end of the novel. 4) She is judgmental yet completely loyal. These are all qualities that hinder her, yet completely endear her to the reader.
There are dozens of characters who fit into this category, and plenty that I would count among my favorites, yet these two probably hold the highest honor as of now. I don't think that Snape will ever depart from the top spot of favorite flawed character. There is just something about him that I can never abandon.
Runners Up:
~Oly from Katherine Dunn's Geek Love
~Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark from Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games
~Saleem Sinai from Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children
There are so many characters that fit this description, but my ultimate #1 flawed character has to be Severus Snape. From the time I started reading the Harry Potter novels, Snape held a special place in my heart. Everyone was convinced, and tried to convince me, that he was evil and a terrible person, but for some reason I had this gut feeling that he wasn't as bad as he was made out to seem. I held onto that opinion and that undying love completely paid off. I think that his final scene in the novels was one of the most difficult for me to deal with. Yes, he had his faults, but underneath his severe, angular exterior was a character with a massive heart and incredibly complex feelings. Because of this, he was always my favorite character in the series. No matter how much I wanted to hate him for how he treated Harry (who, at times, absolutely deserved it), I couldn't bring myself to dislike him. And that's why I love him.
I think that a close second is a new character I've come across: Minny, from Kathryn Stockett's The Help. At first I really didn't like her. I thought she was so mean and always looking for a fight. This feeling completely changed the further I got into the novel. I soon found that she was quickly becoming my favorite character. This happened for several reasons. 1) She stands up for what she believes in. 2) She would rather the wrath and consequences of the book be directed at her than Skeeter or the other maids. 3) She attempts to better her situation at the end of the novel. 4) She is judgmental yet completely loyal. These are all qualities that hinder her, yet completely endear her to the reader.
There are dozens of characters who fit into this category, and plenty that I would count among my favorites, yet these two probably hold the highest honor as of now. I don't think that Snape will ever depart from the top spot of favorite flawed character. There is just something about him that I can never abandon.
Runners Up:
~Oly from Katherine Dunn's Geek Love
~Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark from Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games
~Saleem Sinai from Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children
I loved Minny in the BOOK The Help! She had fire!
ReplyDeleteI agree!! I picked imperfect characters the first time I had this topic. I sooo agree. I haven't read the Help but I LOVE Snape. Fab post :)
ReplyDeleteI agree, Kaylie. As I haven't seen the movie, I am basing this opinion on the book version of Minny.
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