Redemption arcs

[Fyri]

Sorry, this video just came out and I love them. Zuko from Avatar The Last Airbender is often seen as the prime example of a good redemption arc.

I'm curious to see a discussion. Is there a better written redemption arc out there to rival Zuko's?

Aaaaand go.

 

[pmmg]

Vader

 

[pmmg]

Scrooge too, considering the season. And the Grinch

Actually, I think Grinch more than Scrooge. I felt his more.

 

[Finchbearer]

Boromir

 

[pmmg]

Boromir is good too. He died just at the time I was really liking him.


Honestly, I dont think this is a question that can be answered, its like apples to oranges type of a comparison, cause its not just a character alone, its all the stuff around them as well. Personally, I did not like the last air bender. I thought Aang was too much of a goof, and though Sokka was made the brunt of most jokes, I thought he was right in almost every situation. I could not enjoy it, it was not for me...so Prince Zuko got lost. I was asking too many questions to stay with it to get to his big scenes. I also thought this was another tale where i had to wonder what the adults were doing? Cause they weren't solving the problems. I would never have followed Aang.

Zuko got a long series to show his redemption story in. But...I question if he was really evil (I kind of thought of him as just a kid), and I don't think he, with an adult mind, every truly committed to the cause.

I felt redemption much stronger in Vader. He only had three movies, and for two of them, he was pretty evil. His change of heart was more impactful to me, and meant more to the story.

I think Boromir is the same. He was devoted and falling into darkness, and overcome the evil of his ways, and gave his life for those he was not in favor of having the ring.

I never really liked the Scrooge story, but it is about a change of heart.

The Grinch, though short, has such a good message to it. That evil can do what evil does, but good people dont stop being good just cause you steal their stuff and do bad things. In the light of that, he changes, and I feel it.

 

[pmmg]

Beast, from Beauty and the beast is another good one. Much as I dump on Disney, I used to admire them quite a lot. And I like that one the best.

 

[A. E. Lowan]

Personally, I think Vader and Arthas Menethil should have been prep school roomies. Keep the whining to one spot for a bit.

Agree that Boromir was good, though. I like complexity in my arcs. Wait until you see what we do with angels and paladins.

 

[Gallio]

Jaime Lannister

 

[Fyri]

Vader

Interesting. I don’t know enough about Star Wars to know his redemption. All I really know is his beginnings.

 

[Malik]

Personally, I thought redemption arcs were overdone in fantasy, so I did an atonement arc with my MC--which is closer to my own life. The difference being, he doesn't ever know if he's redeemed himself or not, so he spends his life determined to go down swinging.

 

[Fyri]

Boromir

Can't agree with this one since he didn't really take a villain role so much as fell weak to the Ring's influence for a moment. He was always on the protagonist side though. Beautiful redemption development, yes, but not so intense as others. Hmm. Though, seeing many others agreeing with it, I am reconsidering my thoughts on this. I guess it is technically still a redemption arc. I was just expecting responses with longer journeys toward change/healing/atonement.

Idk what I intended with this topic. Maybe just to talk about people with redemption arcs in general, really. My ADHD impulse made me post without a strong thought process.

Jaime Lannister

Wait. He redeems himself??

Edit: I had to refresh my brain on his developments. I vaguely remember this. Jaime is an interesting character of note to me, actually because he relapses and shows more of a failed redemption arc. That sometimes people can try to change, fail, and not try again. As much as I hate Game of Thrones for it's depressing worldview, I do really appreciate the representation of this reality.

 

[Gallio]

Wait. He redeems himself??

Of course, Jaime doesn't entirely redeem himself. i don't think it's possible in any world to redeem oneself for pushing a little kid out of a high window. But he is definitely presented as a more sympathetic character from the time Rob captures him, and he is teamed up (at first, involuntarily) with Brienne.

 

[Gallio]

As much as I hate Game of Thrones for it's depressing worldview, I do really appreciate the representation of this reality.

Personally, I think that's the chief virtue of GoT. The ending of the TV series was a total let-down because everything that went before suggested that evil would triumph. Cirsei should have won.

 

[Fyri]

Personally, I think that's the chief virtue of GoT. The ending of the TV series was a total let-down because everything that went before suggested that evil would triumph. Cirsei should have won.

To be fair, Dany also had her own development toward chaotic evil and...won? It's been a while since I engaged with the full story.

Though, that is an interesting goal. To write a story where evil wins and that's that. I hate it, but it is an interesting decision for a storyteller. Maybe the books will indeed have Cersei win.

 

[Gallio]

Though, that is an interesting goal. To write a story where evil wins and that's that. I hate it, but it is an interesting decision for a storyteller. Maybe the books will indeed have Cersei win.

In case you haven't guessed, that is exactly what I intend with the book I'm working on.

 

[Finchbearer]

Boromir has the redemption arc. His character is also very in keeping with Tolkien’s ideals on Christianity. He succumbs to the temptation of the ring, and seeing as men are all sinners, this sits in line with classic redemption in terms of martyrdom, when he finally dies doing the right thing after all.

 

[Finchbearer]

Can't agree with this one since he didn't really take a villain role so much as fell weak to the Ring's influence for a moment.

I don’t think you have to have started out as the ‘villain’ to have a redemption arc - if that is your line of thought here - as with any traverse through life, an individual might end up falling foul of what is considered ‘good’ and then end up seeking redemption.

Scrooge is a good example of a redemption arc that shows he wasn’t ’born bad’. As a child he was basically neglected, so he rejected any idea of family or of good cheer at Christmas time because he went through what we would describe probably today as a traumatic childhood. He had the capacity to be redeemed, and again it is a very Christian idea, redemption in itself, and A Christmas Carol is a perfect example of this ideal.

 

[Finchbearer]

There are scant amounts of female character redemption arcs in fantasy (wouldn’t know about SF) perhaps there is a plethora of reasons for that? Nesta from ACOTAR comes to mind, she would probably qualify, but I can’t think of any other definitive ones.

Maybe female characters tend to be written more as inherently good or evil with little room for ambiguity in terms of a redemption arc.

 

[Queshire]

For me, personally, any redemption arc that ends with the person's death fails the test.

 

[Gurkhal]

Personally I love redemption arcs but I agree with Finchbearer that its almost always male characters who are afforded such. Female characters of a darker disposition generally don't get any such chance which sounds like a challenge and encouragment to write such.