Character

My book club recently discussed A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry, a novel about triumphing over poverty and cruelty during 1970s India. It was a tough book to read, because the characters with redeeming qualities suffered horrific tragedies and the not so nice characters seemed to get ahead—and that’s just not the American way.

The good guy wears the white hat and the bad guy wears the black, and sooner or later the bad guy is going to get his. Then all will be right in the world again. Isn’t that the way it’s supposed to be?

The press seemed to be playing on this expectation over the weekend when the “good man” won and the “bad man” came in fourth at the Masters. This irritated me, because I still think it’s possible to be the number one golfer in the world AND a cheating husband. Is it all the kinks to that swing that upset people the most? Or did the man not meet our expectations?

This is not to say I don’t hold out hope that the knight in shining armor does exist. I certainly would prefer real people to uphold high moral standards, particularly those in leadership positions. I believe everyone should honor their marriage vows, too. But it makes a story when they don’t.

My grandmother used to think any guy in a navy suit, white dress shirt, and red tie was okay. She didn’t care to hear about any wolf in sheep’s clothing. Nowadays that seems like all we’re hearing about.

But I think the bottom line is you really can’t judge a book by its cover or character by one statement, decision, or action. How many books have you read where a character seems to be the good guy—until he becomes the villain? [Think: The Murder of Roger Ackroyd] Is it the “monotony of each day” that causes these characters to step out of character or something else? Does it matter?

If we write one-sided characters, the “nice” protagonist and the “evil” villain, do we meet the expectations of the majority of readers? If we blur the lines a little, does it make the story more interesting? More gripping? More memorable? Can we take it too far? I think so.

But in fiction I’m just not sure how far is too far for most readers. Are you?