The Relatability of Characters
Two questions I enjoy asking people I meet for the first time are: “Who is your favorite fictional character?” and “What fictional character do you relate to the most?” I ask these questions because first, they are decent conversation starters. Generally, people like to talk about the media they are consuming. The second and main reason why I ask these questions is because I believe it is important to know which characters within movies, television, videogames, and books are actually popular.
For instance, a large percentage of frat guys I knew in college said that either Jon Snow from Game of Thrones or Spiderman was their favorite character or the character they related to the most. Therefore, I know that if I were to write a novel whose target audience was extroverted college-aged males I would probably try and create a character that was similar or shared aspects of Jon Snow and Spiderman.
Though Jon Snow and Spiderman are extremely popular characters they (for quite oblivious reasons such as dire wolfs and green goblins) are very different than the average college aged male. Why then do they identify and relate with these seemingly dissimilar fictional characters? I believe the answer is quite simple. Audiences connect to characters who make the same moral decisions and hold the same moral values as they do.
This rule however does not explain why some people connect with characters that hold divergent morals from their own. A prime example is that I connect with the character Rust from season one of True Detective, yet he is the complete opposite of me. He loathes religion, is a nihilist, a drug abuser, and believes that marriage is useless as mankind should stop reproducing and just face oblivion. Despite Rust’s personality and unsavory characteristics, he is relentless in his quest to uncover the truth and expose evil. Though I do not cringe when I see people worshiping on Sundays I, like Rust, desire to see evil punished and met with justice. Now I’m not implying that I am a total stud like Rust who can infiltrate gangs and battle inbreed cultist. Just that at my core I share similar desires. I did have to dig deep into his character to find points of connection, but because he is such a well written and interesting character I made the effort to find these points of connection.
