Flawed Characters Are Believable Characters
A little while back I reviewed Gillian Flynn’s Sharp Objects, commending her for her ability to create characters that are exponentially flawed and yet so undeniably likable. Camille Preacher, Flynn’s narrator, is a frustrating character not only because she withholds information from the reader but also because there are countless moments where she makes catastrophically bad decisions.
Case #1: Camille, age 30, decides to attend a high school party with her thirteen-year-old half-sister Amma and does recreational drugs with her after leaving.
Case #2: Camille gets drunk with John who has just turned eighteen, books him a hotel room, and then winds up having sex with him.
It is these lapses in judgment that make us cringe and draw us closer to Camille. I don’t think anyone would argue that these are not terrible decisions. However, I will argue that what ends with a bad decision begins with a noble reason. In Case #1 Camille wants to spend time with Amma. She wants to understand this half-sister who seems to have the whole town (their emotionally conservative mother included) wrapped around her finger and maybe even become closer with her. Likewise in Case #2, Camille senses that if she leaves John alone he may do something to harm himself.
In each of these instances, you are able to see Camille’s desire to do better, to do more, and to be more despite the psychological pain she battles on every page. She consistently fights to keep her head above water and although she may have a thorny exterior to keep everyone at an arm’s length she is truly empathetic to those around her. It is this combination of redeeming and flawed qualities that gives Camille the complexity needed to carry a novel like Sharp Objects forward.
From an authorial perspective crafting a flawed character like Camille gives you the freedom to ask the question, “Why not?” and tumble down the rabbit hole. It gives you opportunities to create twists in your plot and layers to relationships your main character has with his or her supporting characters, which ultimately enables you to continuously surprise your readers and avoid the clichés we see pop up time and again in certain genres.
Flaws make your heroes more human and in turn more relatable. Don’t get me wrong, I like a fearless, noble-hearted hero who can do no wrong and a villain who is rotten to the core as much as the next girl. But after a while it gets stale and I find it harder to relate to them and in turn their struggle(s). By giving Camille these flaws and these lapses of judgment Flynn is able to craft moments of emotional vulnerability and it is these moments that keeps readers turning the page.
