I had an argument with my ten-year-old son yesterday. It wasn’t about screen time or whether he could “check his farm.” (Holy creepers, who thinks up games like “Hay Day” and how can we stop them?)
We were sitting in the library doing homework, and a literary debate ensued. My son had to write a persuasive essay convincing his classmates to read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. His essay included praise for the adventure and action in the story, as well as the mystery. But I thought something was missing.
“What about Harry?” I asked. “Doesn’t he make you want to read the story? What do you like about him?”
“Well, he’s the good guy,” my son said.
“So you like him just because he’s the good guy?” I asked.
My son nodded.
“But what makes him good?”
“He just is, because he’s the main character.”
This sounded too simple. Granted, he’s ten, but I had to press.
“So all good guys are the same?”
He shrugged. “Yes.”
“Harry is just like Artemis Fowl?”
“Well, no. Artemis robs people.”
“But he does good things too.”
My seven-year-old, who was sitting nearby with a copy of Superfudge in his hands, perked up and said, “Harry is brave.”
I smiled. Now we were getting somewhere.
My ten-year-old rolled his eyes, but I wouldn’t give up. Why do kids and adults all over the world love Harry Potter? It’s not just because he’s the good guy, is it?
What makes a great character
In his book Plot and Structure, James Scott Bell asserts that a good story must have a compelling lead – someone to sympathize with, route for, relate to. Harry Potter definitely fills this role. My parents weren’t killed when I was a baby, but I can sympathize with Harry’s loss. I want him to triumph over the evil Voldemort. I love his perseverance and his courage as he strives to protect what is good. Like my son said, Harry’s a good guy.
But Harry isn’t perfect. In fact, he screws up a lot. And I can relate to that. Thank goodness Harry has Hermione to keep him in line, which reminds me of another good character quality: loyalty.
Think about your favorite lead characters. What common qualities do they share?
- strength
- courage
- intelligence
- persistence
- loyalty
- a few flaws
In some ways, my son is right: the “good guys” have some predictable attributes that draw us to them. But that can’t be enough.
What makes each character uniquely endearing is the way he or she overcomes obstacles. Artemis takes down evil with intricate and highly intellectual plans. Harry has an invisibility cloak and lots of help from his friends. Katniss has her bow and arrow, and Hazel Grace has her cynical wisdom. These are the things that make us love them.
Here’s my formula for a great character:
heroic qualities + unique personality traits or situations = compelling lead
Who are some of your favorite characters and what do you think makes them great? Do you agree with my formula or are there other components to a great character? Share your thoughts in the comments!
Julia
Oh I loved the Harry Potter books…I was sorry to see them end. These are good points about main characters…and I completely agree with your formula. I think loyalty is the key one…when we like someone, we do tend to become “loyal” to them.
Exactly- we appreciate that quality in them and become loyal followers! Thanks for stopping by.
I had a very interesting conversation with my class last year about Artemis Fowl and whether he was a good guy or a bad guy — whether we were supposed to root for him or not.
One of my students approached it very logically. He said, “There’s a whole series of books about him. So he must have some good in him because we’re supposed to keep reading about him. He must be the hero by the end.”
As for what a hero needs to be memorable, I think he/she needs vulnerability — and the capacity for failure. Even if we know, because of literary tradition, that our hero will eventually win — we need to know the possibility of failure is very, very real. That’s what makes the hero relatable to us regular folk!
Yes, I think my son came from that same logical point of view.
I love your point- if we know with certainty from chapter one that our hero will succeed, what’s the fun of reading?
I’m enjoying The Eighth Day, btw, and can’t wait to share with my kids. 🙂
Yay! Glad to know you are enjoying TED! I wondered if your son who reads HP and AF would find it interesting. He IS the target audience. 😀
I think that’s a pretty good formula for a lead character. For me, I also think the character needs to be relatable on some level. As you noted, Harry messes up a lot. He’s not perfect and so he seems more like us.