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What makes a character sympathetic? This question sometimes stops me, makes me scratch my head and mutter to myself. I understand that an unsympathetic character is one that I, as a reader or a writer, can’t fully relate to. But why? That's the kicker. Is a character less than sympathetic because I don’t have anything in common with him? Or maybe I don't have enough information about him--about his emotional state or his circumstances.
I once wrote about a character that was prone to good deeds. Too many good deeds. Hanging out with him made me feel like I was gagging on a sugar cube. This character didn’t survive the first draft of that particular novel. Sympathetic characters, it seems to me, should be like the rest of us--flawed, plagued by weaknesses, and prone to bone-headed moves. On hindsight, I bet that if I'd developed the reasons why Mr. Good Deeds behaved as he did, I would have liked him better. If he had a few bad habits or quirks, he'd have been more interesting. Understanding how a character is struggling emotionally as well as physically makes me care more about him. I become sympathetic.
What do you think? What makes a character sympathetic?
Totally agree! When a character's flaw puts him/her into a bad situation and we're internally screaming 'NO! Don't do it!', we know it's a sympathetic character. I often think of Anne of Green Gables when I'm thinking of characters I adore with major flawes :)
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Cynthia! I also think that believable characters are not perfect ones, because we can relate to them. They are struggling to figure things out, and we're right there with them.
ReplyDeleteBut I also like to get inside the characters's head. When writers can show us what the character is thinking, I tend to care more because I feel like I know them.
I think about this a lot now, when I read. What makes me CARE about the character?
I think when a reader understands a character, it makes him/her that much more relatable. I have a female whose actions make readers unsympathetic to her. I wondered why and until I took a step back and examined why she behaved the way she did and added all the reasons into the ms, I didn't have a sympathetic character. Now, she's still not all that nice, but at least people understand her motivation a lot better, which in turn makes her a lot more palatable.
ReplyDeleteYes a character should have flaws, and...hopefully by the end of the story expereinced a change, overcome a flaw or become more self-aware. If a character isn't a somewhat better human being at the end, he or she doesn't get my sympathy.
ReplyDelete"Hanging out with him made me feel like I was gagging on a sugar cube."
ReplyDelete:-)
Hey, Jemi--welcome! And so true about the internal screaming. That's a great point.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Linda. Yes, I love getting into a character's head. That makes all the difference to how sympathetic I feel toward that character.
What a great anecdote, J.L. Characters don't have to be nice to be interesting. Thank you for sharing your experience.
Fabulous point, Bish! I, too, am much more sympathetic when a character changes in a substantial way by the end of the story.
LOL, Jennifer--glad you liked that line. ; )
I think you hit right on it. This is why I didn't care for The Social Network as much as I could have...the MC was not sympathetic, and he didn't grow at all as a result of the things that happened to him. So, no flaws or too many flaws..either way if the reader can't relate to them, the connection isn't there.
ReplyDeleteAngela @ The Bookshelf Muse
Absolutely, Angela. You made some great points. The Social Network as an example is perfect. I also found the MC to be less than sympathetic.
ReplyDeleteThat's a good questions. I think you nailed it, though: flawed, plagued by weaknesses, and prone to bone-headed moves. Yup. That's somebody I can relate to.
ReplyDeleteHi, Doralynn! Thanks for stopping by and commenting. It really is easier to relate to the flawed characters, isn't it? ; )
ReplyDeleteI don't care for extremes, the characters who are too bad or too good, because I'm not able to relate.
ReplyDeleteI read a few books with evil or goody-two-shoes MC's and they were grating, even if the books had great action and writing.
I agree, Medeia: A grating MC can ruin a novel with great writing and action. If that doesn't speak to the importance of balanced characters, I'm not sure what does. Thanks for the comments.
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