Heroes and Villains

I volunteer at a primary school for one lesson a week, assisting students with reading and writing. Last week the class was learning about story construction. Each student was asked to chose a hero, a villain, a setting and a problem. Judging by their responses, I expect to see an abundance of stories featuring Batman or Super Girl in the following weeks. While keeping it simple is beneficial for seven year olds, the concept of heroes and villains is blurred in fiction and reality. I first came across this quote from Alexander Solzhenitsyn when I was a school student:

‘If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary to only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?’ (Gulag Archipelego)

Fiction is inhabited by flawed characters, which is why we relate to them. A human character who is perfect in thought, speech and behaviour is unappealing. A villain without a redeeming feature is equally unappealing. But neither type of person exists. Heroes have flaws. Villains can be loving and gentle. One of the interesting aspects of writing is discovering the motivations that govern the actions and speech of your characters. Though their choices may seem irrational, as you uncover their back story, they begin to make sense. DuFresne says,

‘Fiction is non-judgemental. There are no victims or villains, not as central characters at any rate. You witness what the characters do and you write that down’ (A lie that tells the truth, p 64).

As a writer, I do not have to agree with the choices my characters make. I struggled to release my characters when I began writing my second book, Rick and Emily. Although I like Rick, I feel sickened by some of the things he says and does. I also feel concerned at choices that Emily makes. When I first began to write, I feared that I might be minimising Rick’s abusive behaviour by trying to present a balanced view of his character. As well as describing scenes where he chooses violence or intimidation, I also included scenes where he chooses love and compassion. I also feared that I might be advocating that women remain in abusive relationships by allowing to Emily to stay longer than was safe.

One day, I realised that I had to be faithful to the characters. Rick and Emily both make their choices. The responsibility that I have as a writer is that the characters experience the consequences of their choices. Rick is neither hero nor villain. He is a flawed individual who experiences the consequences of his choices. So is Emily. The important thing is that both eventually confront their flaws, seek help and change. The novel is a story of hope and redemption. Or will be, when I finish it :)