What is the best way of making a protagonist seem morally questionable without having them be instantly 'bad'?

Question

I have an idea for a new written project in which the protagonist must have questionable moral fibre but not be instantly unlikeable, or roguishly appealing either.

What is the best way of accomplishing this? And if they are to die, how can I make them finally redeem themselves without it seeming 'corny'? Is it perhaps best for them to remain unchanged by the events of their story and, if so, does this make them automatically villianous?

Thanks!

Answer 1

Hey!

Nice intriguing question, David. Hmm.... questionable moral fibre and we can't justify the means too little or too much, eh?

Here are a few ways, in my opinion, to do that-

1) Tie the protagonist to one incident.
Many authors do that so, in that way, it is a bit stereotypical but you can try it and have the readers think with the character's viewpoint too. Then, at one point or the other-- have the protagonist do something which was a tad extreme a response to that particular incident.

Let the character have a fixation with a tragedy in his life and justify his doings on the basis of it. Then, at points-- let the reader think that the character should let bygones be bygones now. I don't know... am I clear enough?

2) Give the protagonist a psychological disorder.
A disorder like schizophrenia, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder or any of the sort may cover up the character's abnormal or slightly dark behaviour just about right. In addition to that, it will intrigue the reader as he'd like to know what goes through the mind of someone who's not psychologically normal.

3- Give the protagonist a philosophy about life.
A different philosophy like hedonism. Spread out the word about this new philosophy by the impressive dialogues and quotable quotes from the protagonist in the beginning. Later, the reader will begin to follow and at the same time, dislike the character.

4- An extremely good sense of humour can help.
The protagonist may make jokes that can make up for the lack of morality but, for that, first you need to have a good sense of humour which only comes from observation. Don't go over the top with sick or extremely derogatory jokes... just let the reader know that the protagonist has emotions and is observant of all the fear and agony that surrounds him. He just refuses to be frightened or agonized anymore.

Ok, I am out of ideas for now. Good luck with your project.

Coming to the second part, I don't think making them redeem themselves it a great idea. There's no way to make it possible without drastically changing the character sketch of at least one character which is always risky.

This doesn't make your character automatically villainous. A good villain, if you call him villain, is never all black. So, maybe the funny protagonist dies not before churning out one last funny joke or the philosophical protagonist dies with full faith in his thinking and philosophy and that'd do it. Rest lies in your execution of all this.

Good luck and have fun!!

Love,

Abhyudaya (Batman)
Gwalior, India

Answer 2

Both are pretty bad, but the first is just laughably bad. The second is worse. BQ: I don't really think either has a major influence, as I don't think they're very common positions. One caveat: I think sobriety should have been put in the first sentence, as I've heard it used to falsely say someone was raped a lot more than I've seen it used to defend rape (maybe once or twice ever). Being drunk and having sex doesn't mean you were raped.

Answer 3

This is always a tricky thing to get right, but when it is, it can make for some of the most interesting characters in fiction.

Some of the best examples I can think of that effectively protray that moral ambiguity you are looking for occur on television series, where there is a lot more room for character development over time.

The best of the best of these include Noah Bennett (aka Horn-Rimmed Glasses Man) of Heroes, Vic Mackey of The Shield, and perhaps, the best of all, Al Swearingen of Deadwood. Oh yeah, Tony Soprano probably fits in there too, but I think Deadwood kicks The Sopranos butt in this category.

One way these shows have inculcated the moral ambiguity is by showing some of their more 'evil' reprehensible actions right off the bat, and only later revealing what their motivations for the actions were. Once we learn the motivations, we come to empathize, perhaps even agree with their actions, which we originally took to be questionable.

Another way is to also give the character redeeming traits. Perhaps he shows loyalty to his followers, family, or even religion, or perhaps he is performing his actions to right some wrong done to him - revenge for slaying his family, for example. This is a common tactic, and has the disadvantage of often seeming manipulative, or even cliched, but it can work if done right.

Answer 4

Conceal the motivations of the protagnonist from the reader and slowly reveal their motivations in the course of the unfolding of the plot. Further, write in such a way that the reader is influenced in their impression about the protagonist through the impressions of other characters in the story, and in the end, display the hidden motivations that compelled those characters to look at the protgonist in this manner.

Answer 5

Make your protagonist an anti-hero, i.e. one who ultimately has his/her heart in the right place, but sometimes follows questionable means. Some good examples of anti-heroes include "The Punisher", Robert De Niro in "Taxi Driver", Dirty Harry, some incarnations of Batman, etc. The Punisher's motivation is good (rid the world of evil), but the fact that a lot of people get killed in the process makes him a darker protagonist. Travis Bickle's (De Niro, "Taxi Driver") heart is in the right place as he tries to free Iris (Jodie Foster) from a life of prostitution, but the blood spilled in the process is enough to make him look questionable. As for the part about deathbed redemption, I don't think I can help you there.

Answer 6

I rarely take part in it, but find the question really interesting...probably one of the ways (only one) would be to show the protagonist's hidden desires, thoughts, dreams, fears. He may think the things not acceptable from the point of view of 'social moral'. (Great example - Camus, l'Etranger).
Being sceptical, honest, ironic, sarcastic and may be talented are good qualities to make the people question your moral ;)

Answer 7

I think of the various main characters in Dr. Who. They were practically devoid of morals, or any other redeeming quality, except possibly affection for the people he takes on as "pets".

I think the lead character from Firefly, the TV show (Serenity, the movie), Malcom "Mal" Reynolds personifies the person you are looking for. He defies all the rules, except the ones he, personally believes in, and even breaks his own rules from time to time, yet we all love him. This is because we get tired of following the mindless, unfair rules of our times, and admire someone who creates his own.

Answer 8

Read 'A Tale of Two Cities' by Dickens.

Answer 9

Flashback to his/her childhood, dark past, or past time in the protagonist's life when nobility and honor were still a potential...
"BEFORE IT ALL WENT HORRIBLY WRONG!!!"