Debate on character flaws: should protagonists be likable or realistic?

I was at a book club meeting last Tuesday and this one guy, Dave, argued that a main character needs to be someone you'd want to grab a beer with. But another person pushed back hard, saying that makes stories boring and unrealistic. She brought up Walter White as an example of a compelling but terrible person. Where do you all land on this for your own writing?

3 comments

3 Comments

xena115h ago

Funny you mention that book club, because I just heard an interview on NPR a few days ago where the author said something kind of similar about Walter White - how we root for him because he’s good at what he does, not because he’s a good person. That stuck with me because it’s the same reason I can’t stand overly perfect protagonists in novels these days. Dave’s "grab a beer" test sounds nice in theory, but real people have flaws and sometimes terrible opinions. One of my favorite characters in a recent book is this mean, selfish old lady who runs a bakery, and I’d never want to actually hang out with her, but reading about her choices is way more interesting than some wholesome baker who never makes a mistake. So I lean toward realistic and messy over likable - just feels more true to life.

wright.lisa13h agoMost Upvoted

Totally with you on this @xena1. Those perfect characters where everything works out just feel fake and boring. I'd rather read about someone making bad choices and dealing with the mess than a hero who always does the right thing. It's like watching a train wreck in slow motion, you just can't look away even if you don't like the person. The bakery lady sounds exactly like the kind of character I'd love to meet in a book. Real people are complicated and sometimes mean, and that's what makes stories worth reading.

christopher_wells413h ago

Hmm, I gotta disagree a bit. Sure, messy characters are interesting, but if I can't find some shred of goodness or hope in them, I just stop caring about the story altogether. Don't you need at least something to root for to keep turning the pages?