What makes you hate a character?

Question

What actions, and behavior eventually makes you hate a character in a book, what makes someone "pure evil" in your eyes?

Answer 1

Cruelty to the most innocent, animals and children.

Answer 2

A character that's "pure evil" is more likely to make me hate the author. "Pure evil" is unrealistic...even Hitler had his moments. The best villains are the ones with a human side -- compassion, insecurities, their own pain, etc. Darth Vader is a good example of that. To keep the Star Wars analogy going, the Emperor is a good example of a villain who is TOO evil. He has no redeeming qualities, no "humanity"...he's just the epitome of power-hungry evil and abject cruelty. He's just a jerk....Darth Vader is conflicted, which makes his dark side (so to speak...) infinitely more interesting.

But anywho...what makes me hate a villain the most is betrayal. A Judas, if you will. Those who seem good in the beginning, and then turn around and screw over those who trusted them. It takes a LOT for a character -- villain or otherwise -- to redeem himself in my eyes after betraying his friends/family/etc.

Answer 3

Anything that illustrates how truly banal evil can be.

We should all hate Lucifer in Paradise Lost, but we don't. He's pure evil, but he's perhaps the most interesting character at least in the first book.

On the other hand even the most dry and boring history text of
Stalin, Hitler, or Pol Pot brings out the pure evil of the man.

Answer 4

To be honest, I think the best kind of villain is one that isn't "pure evil." You need human qualities in your villain to make that character truly unlikable.

To reference a book you're more than likely familiar with, in the Harry Potter series, who did you want to punch: Voldemort or Umbridge?

Taking pleasure in causing others suffering could be considered the ultimate evil. Also, greed and ignorance help. An evil genius isn't quite as hatable since the readers might develop a sneaking respect.

To boil it down, think:
greedy corporate executive building huge factories billowing toxic smoke into the atmosphere

rather than

hooded, red-eyed wizard seeking ultimate power.

Answer 5

I hate characters that are pathetic, or who have every opportunity to make things right, but don't. I recently read The Memory Keepers Daughter. The characters literally spent their entire lives mourning one bad decision--albeit a tragic one--that they could never seem to recover from. It really frustrated me that they wasted so much time living such tragic lives. I just found the main characters unlikeable.

Pure evil... Hmmm... That's tough... I would say someone who intentionally hurts, takes advantage of, abuses, etc, someone who is innocent or not capable mentally or physically of defending himself. However, evil can be so many things...

Answer 6

Pure evil is hard to convey. The most that can happen is that only the evil part is portrayed. If every time he is mentioned, he's doing something nasty, you gotta figure the author expects you to hate him.

Classic example would be Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter series.

Answer 7

Someone who constantly nags on you. Similarly ignorant people who don't listen. Mrs. Joe Gargery of Dickens' Great Expectations made me completely sick. She is pure evil because she is so annoying. Thankfully something happens to her.

Boring characters make me think that the writer is evil.

Answer 8

I don't care at all about evil. I detest characters without wit or culture.

what's the point - I could meet someone like that on any bus. What's the point of writing a book, screenplay etc. if your character is a bonehead wus...think early jim carrey.

Answer 9

I hate characters that are like Superman. They have all of the power necessary to stop the bad guys "but they don't like hurting people," boo-hoo. They let bad things happen because they can't muster up the balls! to do what needs to be done... pathetic.

Answer 10

doesnt make me hve pure evil in my eyes. but when u think the thing should have never happened. Like in Harry Potter the last edition hermoine had liked ron but never admited and harry liked hermoine but he woudnt hve shown it but then the author made it to be in one of the editions that harry got jealous wen he saw ginny and dean thomas "snogging" in the middle of the common room. So im my thought i think harry and hermoine should have hooked up instead of harry and ginny

Answer 11

I really hate mercilous charactors, charactors that don't give you a choice, charactors that treat the good guys like crap, and the good guys try to do something back to them, but the bad character doesn't care.