Musings on character types

[luzula]

I watched the Captain America movie a while ago, and it got me thinking about the kinds of character types I'm drawn to. I seem to be captivated by people who are idealistic and brave and try to do the right thing. They are often part of some institution that they believe in, but that institution often fails or betrays them, and then they struggle with that.

Obviously Benton Fraser is my prime example here. But Nate Fick, my favorite character in Generation Kill, is another example, and Steve Rogers seems to push the same sort of button for me, although not as strongly. For a more obscure example, Longstreet in The Killer Angels totally hit that button for me, too.

So, these are all men, and all in military or police organizations--I guess that's a place where these issues often arise, but I'd love to find other examples. The first female character who comes to mind is Elizabeth Moon's Paksenarrion, who really fits into that pattern, although her story has other appeals to me as well. She's in a military organization, too. Perhaps Utena Tenjou? Hmm, not really--she's more of an outside challenger than part of an institution, although she is brave and tries to do the right thing.

But one example that really clicked for me when I realized that it fit this same pattern is Shevek in Le Guin's The Dispossessed. He is partly rejected by the anarchist society he comes from, even though he deeply believes in its principles. God, I love that book.

So, do you have any examples of this type of character that you think I'd enjoy?

Comments

[baronjanus]

For "brave and tries to do the right thing", minus institution and uniform, you can maybe try Duncan MacLeod.

Oh um, and have you tried Flashpoint.

[baronjanus]

And then there's Giles, of course, though it's a bit more complicated than that and isn't quite so clear-cut shining-hero. There's resisting the organisation in order to do what's right, though no uniform.

[baronjanus]

A couple of Discworld examples pop to mind but I'm very tired by now. Do you know Discworld?

ETA: He [Carrot] could lead armies, Angua thought. He really could. Some people have inspired whole countries to great deeds because of the power of their vision. And so could he. Not because he dreams about marching hordes, or world domination, or an empire of a thousand years. Just because he thinks that everyone's really decent underneath and would get along just fine if only they made an effort, and he believes that strongly it burns like a flame that is bigger than he is.

[luzula]

Thanks for the recs! Yeah, malnpudl mentioned Giles--it's funny, I spent a couple of days with her earlier this year, and she gave me a Fandom 101 viewing, where we watched one episode of Buffy and one of Highlander, both of which I enjoyed. I had seen neither before. I really am not much of a television watcher--if I watch alone I always have to make myself sit down and watch something. As opposed to reading, which is pretty much effortless.

I have not watched Flashpoint, no, but you're bumping it higher up the list! : )

I never really connected with Discworld? Or at least, Pratchett's style works best for me in small doses.

[baronjanus]

Uhm, I don't want to be evil in any way, but I think Hazel could be gently persuaded into a Buffy rewatch, possibly Flashpoint too, if you don't like watching alone. Just putting that out there... casually... whistling innocently.

[sabra_n]

Yes, Carrot is absolutely of a type with Fraser, but...I never liked Carrot that much. Possibly because he's so much more opaque? But there was always something kind of creepy about him for me. With Fraser I could always see the human being animating the exaggerated persona. Not so much with Carrot. I did like him in The Last Hero, possibly because it was appropriate for him to be more idea than person in that context.

[baronjanus]

Now that you mention it, and I think about BIG HEROES with a lot of human feelings, I find myself wondering why Thor didn't work for Luzula.

[luzula]

I don't know? I mean, I haven't actually watched the Thor movie, so I can't say for sure that he wouldn't, but he didn't grip me in the Avengers movie. I know a lot of people have feelings about Thor (and Loki), but I have not had them, even after trying some fic. The workings of my mind, they are not always clear to me. : )

[baronjanus]

No, that's perfectly understandable. Especially if you haven't seen the movie (without it, they're both kinda "wtf" in many ways). Even if you will, there's no guarantee - no one knows why one character grips the heart and one doesn't :) Just the way it is.