Tags
accountability, baroness orczy, bbc merlin, bbc sherlock, captain america, captain america: the first avenger, captain america: the winter soldier, character development, characters, dynamic characters, editing, harry potter, heroes, marvel, marvel superheroes, star wars, story dynamics, the brooklyn project, the scarlet pimpernel, undo the sue, writing
Sometimes, an author will become so preoccupied with his or her hero or heroine that they can do no wrong–even when they are. The rules bend for these protagonists. And people in the stories (and occasionally the reader as well) see nothing wrong with this.
This can potentially lead to the creation of a Mary Sue.
Protagonist-centered morality is bad because it takes away the possibility of accountability as well. If your hero does something wrong, you want it to have repercussions. They can’t just get away with a slap on the hand! It reinforces to the reader that the hero has done something wrong, and it also makes for deeper characters. If the hero has slipped up once, they have to fight harder to even be allowed to do it right the next time..
On the other hand, if you don’t add responsibility, your protagonist can become spoiled and obnoxious (as in real life) or unrealistically angelic (sickening.) The latter would make him/her a Mary Sue, no matter how many de-Sue-ifiers you threw in to try and balance it (without removing the lack of accountability.)
Apart from the message that it sends, that it’s okay to do bad things, it’s bad for the story at large.
I’m trying to think of a few examples, but all I can think of is that, though in the final cut, we never see the response to Steve’s failed attempts to enlist, falsifying information, I think there was actually a scene planned where someone found out and didn’t trust Steve for a while. They just didn’t officially tell anyone because if they did he’d be court-martialed and they couldn’t have that. In the planned Howling Commandos fanfic that I’m writing, I was going to have one of the people in the USO show tour find out and hold it over Steve. There are, however, strong consequences when Steve fails to predict that the train is a trap and save Bucky, even if it’s not technically his fault.
Another example would be the BBC show Merlin. While, all around, this is generally a good show, the BBC slipped up a bit (for once); this show displays a bit of protagonist-centered morality. Though, later on, they add more consequences, even to past actions, early in the show there are a few episodes where Merlin slips up and gets away with it. However, for the show’s other protagonist, Arthur, there are always consequences to his actions. Inconsistent much? Or just waiting around? *sigh* I wish they’d done it earlier on.
In the BBC show Sherlock, we’re actually hoping to see protagonist-centered morality blown out of the water; at the very end of the last season, Sherlock killed someone, point-blank, in cold blood (attempting not to give spoilers here); we want to see how people react to this. There’s always mistrust, and rightly so, after something like that.
In Star Wars, Obi-Wan’s attempt to distance himself, to not become emotionally involved, backfires when Anakin turns to the dark side; Obi-Wan’s aloof affection was simultaneously too much and not enough.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier comes with a thorough message about accountability (where Civil War is essentially about people’s Constitutional rights, from what I’ve heard). This is especially true for Natasha, who risks, in a selfless action that proves she is capable, no matter what she (and incidentally, Hydra) thinks, of heroism, she spills all her dirty secrets across the Internet in order to bring Hydra down (again, trying to avoid spoilers.) Ironically, this bypasses the same failsafe that Hydra thought would protect them; they insist that Natasha (or anyone, really) wouldn’t incriminate herself like that.
From what I’ve heard, Harry Potter is really bad about this–it sounds like he consistently breaks rules of both the magician and human world without any consequences.
One very good book that could make better use of accountability (without outright protagonist-centered morality) that I love is “The Scarlet Pimpernel.” Except for Marguerite, the book doesn’t use it quite as well as it could…
Accountability. Use it for deeper character.
Thanks for reading, and God Bless!
Oh yes! Exactly!
Thank you! 😀
Very good post, and very true!
I think the other problem with protagonist-centered morality is that it creates a double-standard. What gives the protagonist any right to punish others for essentially not following the rules when he himself ignores them?
Right! I might develop that in my next post. 🙂 Or, if you want to, you can claim that side for your post. Just remember to link back to this one! 😉
I might like to. I’ll see if I can get a post together, and if I can’t sometime in the near future, I’ll let you know.
😉 Okay. In the meanwhile, I’ll plan to use that. 😉
Nobody ever trusted Sherlock in the first place! (Except maybe John. And as he was there for the whole thing, mebbe he’d just keep on as he was anyway.)
Nice point on Obi-Wan.
True, but now there’s an added layer of hostility and distrust. I think John was actually pretty shocked and upset when Sherlock shot the guy, partly because he’s thinking “Sherlock is better than this! He can find another way out!” and the rest of him is going “oh, snap.”
Thanks. 🙂
And the rest of us are going, “Sherlock is better than this… but there is no other way out.”
Yup. It’s still freaking me out and heartbreaking… 0_0
I’m keeping my fingers crossed for next year…
Me too!
That’s a great point, Erin. I’ve never given this thought. But you’re right: there has to be a standard that’s apart from the protagonist.
Thank you! 😀 *bows*
Yes, otherwise it weakens the story.
Yup. Which… actually, saying that totally defeats your whole, “Obi-Wan screwed up, therefore he’s really a Sith” argument. He screwed up because he’s only human. Like us all. Which… makes him a stronger hero.
Hah! 😀
That’s true…I suppose we could say the same for Sid! Did you know he repented as he was falling down the main shaft of the Death Star?
I wouldn’t believe it. He was still firing off Sith lightning.
Don’t be ridiculous.
My sentiments exactly.
But didn’t you hear him crying?
I heard him screaming. That’s fear/impending doom, not repentance.
Actually, to me it sounded rather like a temper tantrum. Sidious having a tantrum–disgusting.
Yeah, that too.
Sidious throwing a temper tantrum. *winces at the ugly mental image*
That was shrieking, and howling. It was more of an animal sound than anything else.
I’m thinking they should let me write the storyline to Star Wars 8.
….. *head desk*
I’m thinking if you want to get involved in that Disneyfied pile of bantha chizzk, it is entirely your funeral.
Burn! X-P
Oh, they’ll do awesome. At least, they’ll make Obi’s girlfriend his girlfriend.
Please reread my introduction, particularly the section on the Disney ripoffs.
YES. Seriously. Disney. 😦
*facepalms*
*Steve, who is reading over my shoulder, facepalms*
Professor, you just made Captain America facepalm. Have you no shame?
(That is just so wrong on so many levels. Obi-Wan is not Prince Charming. *head desk* Also, the character may have a crush on someone but won’t ever voice the fact that he has feelings for her.
*laughs* I’d just revolutionize things.
Yeah, but Disney won’t. Most likely it’ll be more of the same.
You’d make a high screaming mess of things… oh, wait. That’s what they’re doing anyway.
They messed up the worldbuilding in Frozen. It didn’t feel like a Norwegian kingdom at all, though that’s what they were telling us it was. Berk is realistic. Moonhaven is realistic. But Arendelle? Or the German princedom in “Tangled”? Nope. Sorry, Disney, your worldbuilding skills are slacking off.
Berk has flying dragons.
It did feel like an actual Viking society, albeit a fictional one, though. Which Frozen did not feel like what it claimed to be. *sigh* It felt like a regular modern world. *sigh*
Stoick had a Scottish accent! Hiccup had an American one! There were dragons flying around! It didn’t feel like any real society anywhere anytime! Good story, but.
*sigh* Okay, all of Hollywood is going to h*ll in a handbasket. By the way, one of the latest Lego themes is a sanitized, supposedly “kid-friendly” version of “Game of Thrones.” WITH humanoid animals. *facepalm* That makes even less sense than a Voyage of the Dawn Treader movie. Also, I want duty-bound Aragorn back. (What was wrong with Peter Jackson?! Couldn’t he see that Tolkien’s version of Aragorn might be a reluctant hero, but also is one who is very devoted to his duty, both to Gondor, the North, and the Free Peoples?! *sigh*)
Well, we all know Lucas is the one who ruined things first.
Quits. You’re just so wrong I don’t know where to start arguing with you.
*sigh*
Not originally! Or there would be NO fans of Star Wars at all.
That’s a good point, Erin, about Disney…
Can’t we hope for a good Star Wars, though? I mean…it is possible that they’ll get it right.
I suppose… but for now I’m ignoring Disney. Step aside, Brave and Tangled, I have more awesome things to do. Such as read/watch Horatio Hornblower in honor of this point in world history, to get relief from the teacher discussing stupid things (like the exact reason why Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI took seven years to have a kid–sheesh! At least they waited until she was twenty and he was twenty-one! What matters is that they didn’t, we don’t need to speculate why. *facepalm*)
It’s possible I just saw something pink and oinking fly past my window. Anything is POSSIBLE.
*rolls on floor laughing*
*laughs* The things that get discussed! They once had a program on TV devoted to that. -_- (I stole your face, btw.)
You saw something pink fly past your window?! Where do you live, madam?
There are a lot of programs on TV devoted to that, actually. *sigh*
I don’t think flamingos go “oink” and squeal, professor. 😛
(It’s not my face. It’s Erin’s.)
Berk.
Which where I live is actually quite a rude word, btw.
*sigh* Hiccup was so awesome in HTTYD 2! Disney doesn’t have anything on them. By the way, apparently Disney is responsible for more soul-scarring stuff now than ever. It’s been a long time since the Sword of Truth days of the original “Sleeping Beauty.” That would be an interesting story… what if I rewrote the Avengers like a fairy tale? Oh, and you could do some DC superheroes likewise, Rosalie! 😀
I am busy, I am busy… just got accepted into the BSc program and quietly freaking out. And I’ve got the drafts for my current ‘big’ writing project arriving in two weeks, and three shorts to dispatch before that happens. So no. No DC super-fairytales, no.
I got on the Dean’s List last semester because apparently my grades were higher than average and now I’ve been invited to be in the honors program. I need to talk to my mom and my adviser about it…
Sorry. :-S
Oh, yay. Mazel tov!
No worries.
A bit of pressure, though. :-S
“Do or do not. There is no try.” (I’ve got it embroidered on a pair of socks for some reason.)
Really? That’s cool X-P
Pingback: The Brooklyn Project: Protagonist-Centered Morality and the Double Standard | The Upstairs Archives