Unlikable protagonists

[Ireth]

I have an issue with my latest story idea. The MC, a Fae named Cadell, goes through a complex character arc from villain to hero, with a few stages in between. The trouble is, at the start of the story he commits some reprehensible acts, namely torturing an innocent man out of spite and revenge after the man failed to save his friend's life. He does eventually come to regret it and ask forgiveness (key word here being eventually) as part of his character development, but I'm afraid that having such an initially malevolent person as my protagonist will turn people off, and they won't see the change he goes through to become a hero in the end. Any advice on how to handle that?

 

[Addison]

Well first off his motive for torturing the guy is something a reader can feel sympathy for. And just how innocent, or not, is the man who failed to save the friend? And the protag's alliance won't influence readers as long as you show that he's changing. Maybe he's changing partially due to his friend's death. Maybe the friend didn't like their alliance, the friend was actually good, who knows. After the death and torture give a hint to his questioning where he stands.
The key to making a character the reader likes and follows isn't his being good or evil. It's their characteristics; the strong underdog, the honorable warrior, the nerd trying to be cool for the girl etc. Just focus on those parts and you won't go wrong.

 

[T.Allen.Smith]

He does eventually come to regret it and ask forgiveness (key word here being eventually) as part of his character development, but I'm afraid that having such an initially malevolent person as my protagonist will turn people off, and they won't see the change he goes through to become a hero in the end. Any advice on how to handle that?

The key in attaining forgiveness is repentance. Why does this character regret his past actions? Why does he long for forgiveness? What causes such monumental changes in his thinking? The "whys" here are more important than the change itself. If you can create powerful, plausible reasons for such a massive shift then your reader will find it believable. Readers may even be swayed to support changes like these, eventually rooting for the character they once despised.

Furthermore, any forgiveness this character receives can't be given. It has to be earned...earned with great difficulty & struggle. Otherwise, the character change will feel weak and false.

 

[Ireth]

Well first off his motive for torturing the guy is something a reader can feel sympathy for. And just how innocent, or not, is the man who failed to save the friend? And the protag's alliance won't influence readers as long as you show that he's changing. Maybe he's changing partially due to his friend's death. Maybe the friend didn't like their alliance, the friend was actually good, who knows. After the death and torture give a hint to his questioning where he stands.
The key to making a character the reader likes and follows isn't his being good or evil. It's their characteristics; the strong underdog, the honorable warrior, the nerd trying to be cool for the girl etc. Just focus on those parts and you won't go wrong.

The victim in this scenario, namely the man who failed to save a life, is quite innocent. The dead friend in question was a good, guy, and actually a mutual friend of Cadell and the human who tried to save him; Cadell deeply resented that his friend was also friends with humans. Cadell doesn't even begin to question his actions until he himself is held captive by enemy forces and tortured, for no greater crime than just existing -- the enemy has no idea what a Fae is, and wants to see what makes them tick. It is at this point, after surviving his torture, that Cadell begins to realize "I did wrong, and if I keep on doing it I'm no better than my enemies." This runs in stark contrast to the rest of his people, who view humans as little more than playthings, and will happily hurt and kill them for amusement. Sometimes we can't see our own faults until we stand in front of a mirror.

The key in attaining forgiveness is repentance. Why does this character regret his past actions? Why does he long for forgiveness? What causes such monumental changes in his thinking? The "whys" here are more important than the change itself. If you can create powerful, plausible reasons for such a massive shift then your reader will find it believable. Readers may even be swayed to support changes like these, eventually rooting for the character they once despised.

Furthermore, any forgiveness this character receives can't be given. It has to be earned...earned with great difficulty & struggle. Otherwise, the character change will feel weak and false.

My response to Addison answers your question pretty well, I think. As for forgiveness, I never said Cadell receives it, only that he asks. Which is still a big step forward from where he used to stand.

 

[Filk]

I think that for this to work you would have to show the propensity for good in Cadell early on. He can't be an entirely wicked character. However, in the scene where he is the torturer you could work on describing his rage and the amount of passion that would force him to do something so reprehensible. If he were torturing merely for amusement I think that that would be enough to turn the reader off, but people commit crimes of passion every day. That is something we can all relate to, whether we act on said impulses or not. We all do things we come to regret; the key is keeping the character from being flat evil and turning into a pious never-do-wrong. Keep the character human (or Fae, but you know what I mean hehe)

 

[Ireth]

I think that for this to work you would have to show the propensity for good in Cadell early on. He can't be an entirely wicked character. However, in the scene where he is the torturer you could work on describing his rage and the amount of passion that would force him to do something so reprehensible. If he were torturing merely for amusement I think that that would be enough to turn the reader off, but people commit crimes of passion every day. That is something we can all relate to, whether we act on said impulses or not. We all do things we come to regret; the key is keeping the character from being flat evil and turning into a pious never-do-wrong. Keep the character human (or Fae, but you know what I mean hehe)

Well, the torture part is purely for amusement. If Cadell was strictly interested in revenge, he could just kill the human and be done with it. But, he is a Fae like any other, and even the Seelie, who are generally nicer than the Unseelie, have it in them to hurt humans basically for shits and giggles. They would not hurt anyone they claimed as a friend, but this human has not earned that distinction even by virtue of being a friend-of-a-friend. The only reason Cadell starts the truce is that he sees the potential benefits for his Court if they cooperate, since the elves and humans know much more about the enemy than any Fae does. It's not because of any friendship toward the humans or elves -- that comes later on.

 

[Rob P]

You say that he asks for forgiveness eventually and after being tortured himself does he realise his past mistakes. How much does his change rely upon acts perpetrated upon him as opposed to actually seeing the light? Like saying you're sorry when you've been found out.

There is something that Filk said that got me thinking too. Torture for amusement and torture for retribution. It might be worth showing a scene where Cadell fulfils his amusement in some way but when it comes to the torture, although others would torture for amusement, his actual act against this man shouts retribution when viewed against how he would handle amusement.

 

[Ireth]

You say that he asks for forgiveness eventually and after being tortured himself does he realise his past mistakes. How much does his change rely upon acts perpetrated upon him as opposed to actually seeing the light? Like saying you're sorry when you've been found out.

That's a good question. A turning point in his view of the humans he is in contact with, especially the one he tortured, is when, while Cadell is being tortured and plotting escape, the very man he tortured leads a rescue party after him. The fact that he chose to go along himself, rather than just sending people off for the sake of the truce, speaks to the man's own capacity for forgiveness. Then Cadell starts to realize that hey, humans aren't all evil tree-killers/mindless playthings/pretty receptacles for sex/etc., and he actively starts trying to befriend them and reaps the benefits thereof, not just because of the truce.

There is something that Filk said that got me thinking too. Torture for amusement and torture for retribution. It might be worth showing a scene where Cadell fulfils his amusement in some way but when it comes to the torture, although others would torture for amusement, his actual act against this man shouts retribution when viewed against how he would handle amusement.

Also a good point. Though, after the truce is in effect between the humans and Fae, both sides agree not to antagonize the other (for amusement or otherwise) in the interest of focusing on their common enemy for the time being. Violators of the truce would be punished. So that might not be workable unless I have it happen pre-truce. Which, considering my plans for the opening scene is the fight that results in the friend's death, which is soon followed by the revenge and then almost immediately by the realization that a truce is needed, there's not a very big window for that to happen in.

 

[Nihal]

There is something that Filk said that got me thinking too. Torture for amusement and torture for retribution. It might be worth showing a scene where Cadell fulfils his amusement in some way but when it comes to the torture, although others would torture for amusement, his actual act against this man shouts retribution when viewed against how he would handle amusement.

This. There is a great difference between being cruel because you enjoy seeing someone suffer or because you're in pain. If he only enjoys it, wouldn't he torture other humans?

His story sounds more like retribution. Misery loves company, sometimes we do condemnable things only because we're suffering and we want others to feel the same pain, if not to make some one else to "pay the price". It's true that revenge tastes a little sweet, but I don't think it's the same feeling a sadist would feel.

 

[Ireth]

This. There is a great difference between being cruel because you enjoy seeing someone suffer or because you're in pain. If he only enjoys it, wouldn't he torture other humans?

See Post #6 for my initial response. Just because Cadell doesn't torture onscreen any humans besides the one who couldn't save his best friend, doesn't mean he hasn't in the past, or would in the present if the truce wasn't stopping him from doing so.

 

[Anders Ämting]

I have an issue with my latest story idea. The MC, a Fae named Cadell, goes through a complex character arc from villain to hero, with a few stages in between. The trouble is, at the start of the story he commits some reprehensible acts, namely torturing an innocent man out of spite and revenge after the man failed to save his friend's life. He does eventually come to regret it and ask forgiveness (key word here being eventually) as part of his character development, but I'm afraid that having such an initially malevolent person as my protagonist will turn people off, and they won't see the change he goes through to become a hero in the end. Any advice on how to handle that?

Honestly, I think this might be one of those things where you need to go with your gut instinct. Some morally horrible characters are instantly unlikable, while some managed to be likable despite being horrible. I could give advice on how I would handle it but my medication is starting to kick in so for now I'll just say this: You decided that this terrible person has potential to be a likable character, so there must be some part of you that sees value in his personality, even before he turns good. First and foremost, I think you need to put some faith in that, and write him as a character you find likable and interesting.

 

[wordwalker]

Honestly, I'm not so sure you can come back from this. Torture is a cold-blooded kind of evil (plus this is torture for revenge, not 24 tactics, and it seems to be revenge for someone's failure, not their malice), and it's our early impression. That's a pretty rough start; your best bet might be to combine that with one or two other things Cadell does right off that flood the reader with how the person who does them all has his own balance of good and evil that clearly isn't human.

 

[Anders Ämting]

Honestly, I'm not so sure you can come back from this. Torture is a cold-blooded kind of evil (plus this is torture for revenge, not 24 tactics, and it seems to be revenge for someone's failure, not their malice), and it's our early impression. That's a pretty rough start; your best bet might be to combine that with one or two other things Cadell does right off that flood the reader with how the person who does them all has his own balance of good and evil that clearly isn't human.

While first impression are rather important, you also shouldn't underestimate just how forgiving readers can be towards characters they have come to sympathize with, even if they have done monsterous things along the way.

What you absolutely want to avoid is the reader putting the book down in disgust a few chapters in, going: "I don't want to read about no damn torturer." It's okay if they hate the guy in the beginning, because as long as they keep reading, you can still change their minds. The trick is to convince them to stay with the story.

 

[T.Allen.Smith]

While first impression are rather important, you also shouldn't underestimate just how forgiving readers can be towards characters they have come to sympathize with, even if they have done monsterous things along the way.

What you absolutely want to avoid is the reader putting the book down in disgust a few chapters in, going: "I don't want to read about no damn torturer." It's okay if they hate the guy in the beginning, because as long as they keep reading, you can still change their minds. The trick is to convince them to stay with the story.

I agree Anders. I've known charcaters that I despised... characters that attempted the murder of children that I slowly gained sympathy for. Now, this doesn't mean that I, as a reader, forgave them. However, this did create a battle within that warred. On one hand I wish for this character to get his just desserts, while on the other I cheered for his redemption and change. This is exceedingly hard to do well...but...if you can pull it off, can be one of the most powerful arcs.

 

[wordwalker]

What you absolutely want to avoid is the reader putting the book down in disgust a few chapters in, going: "I don't want to read about no damn torturer." It's okay if they hate the guy in the beginning, because as long as they keep reading, you can still change their minds. The trick is to convince them to stay with the story.

Amen. A story's all about how its pieces fit together, and when you wander into unlikability you need a strong counterbalance to keep the reader convinced there's a larger picture. And it needs to be in place right around then, because that's the moment you risk losing them.

 

[Addison]

So long as the character is like able, someone the reader can connect with some way, and realistic and his transition from evil to good is realistic then there won't be a problem.

 

[Ireth]

Thanks for all the advice, guys. You've given me lots to think about. ^^

 

[Steerpike]

I have to disagree with a lot of the advice above, primarily because of its absolute form of you "have" to do X or Y. I've read very good books where the MC is unlikeable and never becomes likeable. The idea that you have to redeem the character, or hold out the lure of redemption to the reader, or start with some sympathetic hook to hold the reader, is inaccurate and grossly underestimates the reader, in my opinion. You certainly can do those things if you wish to do them in your story, but you do not have to do them.

 

[T.Allen.Smith]

Steerpike,

I agree with what you say. However, the OP's concern was stated as:

...I'm afraid that having such an initially malevolent person as my protagonist will turn people off, and they won't see the change he goes through to become a hero in the end. Any advice on how to handle that?

Malevolence to hero seemed to imply a need for redemption or a shift from despised to likable. Further, it was stated the character may ask for forgiveness. I think these points were the source of most of the advice. Although, I do see where a character could remain despicable yet still achieve hero status...just a bastard of a hero.

 

[Steerpike]

r a shift from despised to likable. Further, it was stated the character may ask for forgiveness. I think these points were the source of most of the advice. Although, I do see where a character could remain despicable yet still achieve hero status...just a bastard of a hero.

Yes, I think this is right and makes sense in the context of Ireth's character. I just felt like the discussion was veering into more general areas, with some of the comments coming across as general pronouncements of how you 'have' to handle unlikeable protags. I think the advice to Ireth makes sense. In terms of more general statements, I think "don't bore the reader" is about the only absolute I've seen that I can get on board with