Fatal Flaws

Everyone has faults. Some are endearing. Some are annoying. And some are an absolute dealbreaker. Confidence can be sexy, while cockiness can go both ways. When it delves into arrogance, though, it makes someone completely unlikable. Huge flaws tend to overshadow everything else, and they end up being all you associate someone with. Envy, lust, pride, wrath, greed, gluttony, sloth. There’s a reason these are called the seven deadly sins. It’s because all of these are fatal flaws. Mind you, this isn’t always literal. These flaws may not kill you, but they can usually lead to your downfall in one way or another.

It’s not hard to find examples of how these flaws affect characters. Open the bible to the first few pages, and we see ignorance and greed leading to Adam and Eve being cast out of paradise. A mixture of self-righteousness and anger leads to the very first murder just a few pages later. Reading further, you find that Moses had a pretty wrathful side, Saul had a bad case of Hubris, Samson had a weakness for the ladies, and, well, it’s safe to say that Judas was more than a little self-serving.

Fatal flaws can be played out one of two ways while writing. If your hero has a fatal flaw, you can tell a pretty compelling story about overcoming it. Gran Torino had Clint Eastwood playing a bitter, grumpy old racist mourning the loss of his wife. While the grief gave the character some sympathetic qualities, everything else about him was almost completely unlikable. We grow to feel for his character, Walt, as the movie goes on, and he not only forgives the punk kid that tried to steal his car, he takes him under his wing and tries to help him stay away from the gang influence that plagues their neighborhood. The interesting thing about this example is that it’s not Walt’s flaws that kill him, it was him overcoming them.

The flip side of this coin is when you use this trope while writing a villain. This gives the heroes a weakness to exploit when facing off against an antagonist. The rogue’s gallery in Batman seem to be built around this idea. Edward Nigma, the Riddler, suffers from an overwhelming need to prove that he’s smarter than the “World’s Greatest Detective”. Harvey Dent, Two-Face, leaves absolutely everything up to the flip of a coin. The Joker has no greater motivation than wanting to watch the world burn. All of these examples give Batman a hell of a head-start when trying to find their Achilles’ heels.

I’ve said before that flaws are what makes a character interesting, but too much of anything can be bad. Treat them like alcohol. Used in moderation, it makes things more fun, and certainly more entertaining. Too much, too often, and it becomes a huge, sad mess. Write responsibly, and have a designated editor. No one wants you behind the keyboard when you’ve gone a little overboard.

Indulgences

Let’s talk about indulgences. An indulgence is defined as the act of allowing oneself to enjoy a particular pleasure. Sometimes they’re harmless, like having a bowl of ice cream while curling up to a movie. Other times, not so much. Going gambling with your rent money is not exactly harmless. Regardless, though, everyone does it in one way or another, regardless of whether your coke habit involves drinking or inhaling. Vice is an inherent part of the human experience. It’s a weakness, sure, but everybody has at least one. It’s part of what makes you you.

Vices are also a part of what makes a character interesting. No one wants to read about someone that’s perfect in every way. A well-rounded character should have flaws, because it makes them more believable. Sherlock Holmes, for all of his intellect and cunning, still had a soft spot for opiates and intelligent women. No character is without their shortcomings, and, honestly, I would get bored reading a character without any.

The tricky part while writing is to incorporate these less than savory aspects of a character without it defining them. Everyone knows that one guy that leers at any pretty girl that comes by. No words, just that awkward stare that lasts a little too long. People make a point of avoiding him, because that one behavior is enough to make a bad impression. A weakness for pretty women is perfectly fine. Hell, I’m guilty of that. But it’s not fine when that’s all the character seems to care about.

A great example of flawed heroes are the two main characters from Road to El Dorado, Miguel and Tulio. Their entire adventure was set into motion thanks to gambling, and they blatantly cheated when they did it. They were perfectly happy to let an entire city believe they were gods so they could enjoy a life of luxury and riches. By all accounts, these two are not good guys in any sense of the phrase. What made them good was seeing them grow, and letting their conscience get the best of them. Their bad habits gave them an obstacle to overcome. The evil high priest may have been the antagonist of the story, but there was just as much a fight within themselves. The traditional hero’s quest is just as much about fighting the monsters on the inside as it is fighting the monsters on the outside.

Don’t be afraid to give your character flaws. It makes your character more fun to write, and will definitely make them more fun to read. The lovable rogue is lovable for a reason. Han Solo may have been a self-serving jerk, but that’s what made his decision to throw in with the rebels all the more meaningful. It means more to do the right thing when you make a habit of doing the opposite. So don’t be afraid. It’ll all come out okay in the end.