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Monday, November 24, 2014

THE FLAWED HERO AND WHY WE LOVE HIM



We women are suckers for the wounded hero. It's in our nature to believe we can "fix" the brooding hero and live happily ever after. This idea is nothing new. Beauty and the Beast is a very old French fairy tale with a hero with a physical flaw and the mother of all attitude problems.  Enter Belle. A little love, patience and persistence and we have a transformed prince.

I enjoy writing characters who have quirks and flaws. They are so much more interesting than the perfect hero who always has the answer and never takes a wrong step. Can you imagine James Bond being attracted to plain little Jane Eyre? Mr. Rochester tried harder. Well, he did lie and manipulate, but it was all for love. She managed to change him for the better. Wait, that's Beauty and the Beast again.

The perfect hero would be difficult to live with. St. George slayed the dragon and saved the girl. Then what? Did he go out dragon hunting for the rest of his life or settle down and raise little princes? Imagine him sitting around polishing his armor and reminiscing about the good old days. The alpha male needs constant action.

As a writer, we want interesting characters with problems we can relate to. The hero's journey is much more interesting when life isn't simple or easy. Maybe it's because, in reality, we have so many wounded warriors returning home. We love these men and women who did their job to protect us and paid the price. They return with baggage we all want them to have a happily ever after.

2 comments:

  1. Interesting insight into heroes, Brenda. I agree with you. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great post, Brenda, and very insightful. Keep writing, girl. You are doing well.

    ReplyDelete

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