Books
and stories hold special places in our hearts when the characters in the story
create a connection with the reader. But often we don’t know how this
connection is made or why we’re so drawn to a certain character. Even
characters that seem to have no redeeming qualities may be found appealing by
readers—but the reader has no idea why they like this character. What makes
these reader-character relationships so strong, and why do we feel this way
about people who don’t even exist?
Depending
on what appeals to the reader depends on if they’re able to make that
connection with the character. For instance, girls who are fascinated by
mysterious people are often the girls who become infatuated with Mr. Darcy if
they read Pride and Prejudice. You never know exactly what Mr. Darcy’s
intentions are when you start Pride and Prejudice. He seems like this
stuffy, proper, strict man—and then he proclaims he is in love with the adventurous,
opinionated, and free-spirited Elizabeth Bennet. Not only does he confess his
love for her, but he manages to flatter her and insult her at the same time as
he speaks of his opinion of her family’s low social class. Readers who are
drawn to enigmas and who like solving puzzles such as Mr. Darcy find that they
love him as a character. The same goes for people who find the classic ‘heroic’
qualities appealing. People who admire qualities such as bravery, honesty,
fairness, kindness, and chivalry are more likely to be drawn to the
hero/heroine rather than the villain. A reader’s personal taste has a large
role in whether they make a connection with a character or not.
Characters
are the people that both the writer and the reader want to be, but they have
enough flaws and quirks to make them human and relatable. Often, through my
experience as a reader, I find that my favorite characters are the ones I wish
I was more like, or I wish I had in my life. For example, Hermione Granger has
always been my favorite character in the Harry Potter series. She’s a
girl who is brilliant, first of all, is confident in her abilities, and doesn’t
change herself to fit in with other people. I wish I was more like her—I want
to be smarter, I want to have the conviction and determination she has, and I
want to have her ability to speak my mind no matter what. Characters like this
can be role models; they encourage us to strive towards the person we hope to
be. Our favorite characters are also the ones who we see a bit of ourselves in.
Reading a book is a way of knowing you aren’t alone—somebody has felt the same
way you have felt, or has the same problem you have, or the same dream. I find
that the characters I have grown to love are the ones I relate to most. When you
can relate and empathize with a character, it’s like finding a friend. You see
a part of yourself in this imaginary person, and you want to root for them, cry
for them, and protect them—because it’s like rooting for, crying for, and
protecting a piece of yourself. It’s interesting to speculate that reading or
story in general could be a way for the audience to understand themselves. When
you find a character that reminds you of yourself, you can live vicariously
through that character. By seeing how they respond to situations and other
characters allows the reader to look at themselves more objectively, whether
they’re aware of it or not. Even relationships with characters we don’t like shed light on what we’re like are as a character. Finding a
certain character’s action’s despicable or annoying can shed light on what we
value as a person.
Forming
a connection with a character is like making a friend. You watch your new
friend, you listen to them, and you interact with them and other people, and
you inevitably judge them through these interactions. The more you interact with this new friend,
the more you get to know who they are and appreciate their good qualities, but
their flaws as well. ‘Falling in love’ with a character works the same way, which
is why we can love a character even if they aren’t perfect. As we keep reading
we learn more about them and their back story which allows us to empathize with
them, and forgive them for their mistakes. Forming connections with characters
is interesting because through a reader’s ability to empathize, envision, and
use their emotions while reading truly does allow a person who exists only
through words to come alive. It’s interesting how real these characters can be,
how we feel like they’re our friends and we know them so well—and yet they technically
don’t exist. It’s fascinating how the brain allows us to feel for people it
knows do not physically exist. Our personal taste, our empathy and our ideals
combined with imagination give people the ability to form relationships with
people who live inside our heads, which is both bizarre and amazing at the same
time.
“Of course it is
happening inside your head, but why on earth should that mean that it is not
real?”
Albus Dumbledore
