In a post on Writers Helping Writers, Sue Coletta shares her thoughts on why readers love anti-heroes. “Pop culture fell in love with characters who have less-than-heroic traits since they are more relatable,” she says. “We can’t see ourselves in a hero who stands on a pedestal of perfection.”
In other words, we empathize with anti-heroes in a way we don’t with traditional non-flawed protagonists. ‘When characters are richly detailed psychologically, we connect to them,” Coletta writes. ” Characters who aren’t so black and white, but morally gray, fuel our fascination. Also, perhaps a small part of us wish we could do what they do. Plus, they’re fun characters with snarky, witty dialogue.”
Anti-heroes are allowed to act in ways the reader can’t – or shouldn’t – allowing them to live vicariously through the semi-bad guy. “Dark characters do what they want, unconstrained by social norms,” Coletta notes. “These complex and nuanced characters fascinate and provide a safe way to get in touch with our own forbidden impulses.”
Coletta examines the three types of anti-hero: self-interested; unwilling; and vigilante.
