♥ Flawed Characters ♥

I personally love flawed characters. They just seem so much more real to me. I don't know, there's something really beautiful about a character who has maybe fallen from grace or isn't quite sure of themselves. They are, in their own way, more perfect even than those without flaws.

Take, for instance, Brutus from Julius Caesar. He's not perfect- he has good intentions, but he's weak- minded and easily manipulated. All he wants is to do what's right for Rome. "Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more," (3.2.22) he states to justify his partaking in the slaying of his friend. He truly believed that Caesar and his ambitions were dangerous to Rome, which he loved more than anything. And yet, I do not despise Brutus, despite his betrayal of his friend. Instead, I hate Cassius for convincing him that he must act against Caesar for love of his country. Like (bad metaphor) a lost puppy (*facepalm*), Brutus is no longer sure of himself and allows himself to be swayed.

Similarly, I LOVE Draco Malfoy. (*redirects rant* We really don't need to go into that right now...)

But what IS a flawed character? Or better, what ISN'T a flawed character? "Perfect" characters are like your typical Disney Princesses whom we all love, but have little to no depth. The Disney Snow White, for instance. She's pretty, gentle, and somehow friendly to every single person she meets. And by the way, she's royalty! (Although the Disney Princesses are split into two general groups: the Damsel in Distress and the more Mary Sue-ish Less Distressed Heroine. Please note: Not all Disney Princesses fit into the Disney Princess perfection stereotype. Examples: Mulan, who is based off of history and is neither a Damsel or a Mary Sue, Pocahontas to an extent, as she is also based off of a real live person, and maybe Belle. But I wouldn't consider her "real" or "flawed." Just not "perfect," or at least not overly so like Disney Cinderella. Plus, I love Beauty and the Beast. OH! ALSO: Kiara from The Lion King. :D) Another type of "perfect" character would be the Mary Sue/Gary Stu, which has several different subcategories. First is the Self-Insert, where the author puts an idealized version of him/herself into the story. This character is apparently loved by all and is almost always instrumental in saving the day. These are generally found in fanfiction, as authors don't willingly admit to making their characters the more perfect form of themselves. They don't like admitting that they're NOT perfect in the first place at all. However, one probable self-insert I would like to mention is Cassandra Clare's Clary Fray. See? Even their names are similar... Another Mary Sue/Gary Stu is pretty much that Cliche Heroine/Hero (but mostly heroine) that single-handedly solves all of the world's problems. She/he usually has a unique hair/eye color and is good at EVERYTHING. (Plus, she's/he's H-A-W-T.) She/he almost always gets the main guy or girl drooling over her/him by the middle of the book. Any flaws that these characters possess are totally intentional and meant to be endearing. (i.e. Bella Swan's cutesy naivety.) The last type of Mary Sue/Gary Stu that I'm going to mention is the Other Species. So like a werewolf who turns against his clan and saves a human maid or a vampire who emerges and lives amongst humans. This character has all of the traits of the Cliche Heroine/Hero but only maximized because of the excitement of being non-human. UGH. But there are plenty more. This site seems to have a plethora of fandom (and real world) tropes; you could probably spend three days straight looking through it.

<3

Oh wow, I wrote a lot about that. Well more about flawed characters: Being flawed gives them a chance to improve. For instance, Severus Snape, arguably one of the best Harry Potter characters, starts out as a somewhat arrogant, scrawny, greasy, cowardly Slytherin Potions geek. But by the end of the series, the reader find out that he's maybe the most honorable man in the Wizarding World. He vows total allegiance to Dumbledore because of his love for Lily Evans. He agrees to look after a boy who is the very image of his Hogwarts rival and dedicates the rest of his life to following Dumbledore's every command for love of her (see image I took from someone's website). Even if it eventually leads him to killing him. Unlike with Caesar and Brutus, however, Snape kills Dumbledore because Dumbledore orders it so. (Also, it gives me yet another reason to ship Draco/Hermione; Hermione would surely be drawn to help his cause.)

Basically, flawed characters are just so much more realistic and therefore more identifiable than "perfect" ones. It reminds us that these characters are human, as are their authors, as are we. And through this mutual manhood, we are more able to understand and empathize with them. It also raises morale, insisting that no one, not even our favorite protagonist, is perfect and thus, we don't need to be, either. Finally, flaws make room for improvement. If you have a "perfect" character, he or she will never get any better. In fact, it's highly probable that you'll eventually tire of them and they'll lose the charm that came with being perfect in the first place. Flawed characters never cease to amaze.

~Ellen~