Exhibit A: Emma Woodhouse from, of course, Emma. (Jane Austen)
Emma is completely covered in imperfections. She’s judgmental, conceited, and a classist.
Exhibit B: Taran: The Assistant Pig Keeper from, The Prydain Chronicles. (Lloyd Alexander)
Let’s be honest. At times Taran was downright annoying. I mean come ON. Grow up already! He wasn’t even my favorite character, and yet, I wanted him to succeed. And, I was not only intrigued by his story, I was also reluctantly empathetic (notice I did not say sympathetic).
Exhibit C: Rachel Berry from Glee. (Fox)
Annoying, right? They even describe her that way in the show. She’s selfish, self-important, intense, and is also ironically, insecure. She is easily blinded by her desires and pursuit of fame. But, despite these obvious flaws, she is my favorite character on the show, and easily the one I relate to the most. (This synopsis is centered only on the first two seasons of Glee because I have Netflix and can only watch the seasons after-the-fact.)
I considered including Rudolph and the Misfits from Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer, but Rudolph really doesn’t apply to this. His character is a shining example throughout the whole story. While I love a good underdog misfit story (and relate to them as well), I’m focusing on the characters that are far from perfect in regards to their personality.
So what makes me relate to Emma? Why is she my favorite of Austen’s heroines? Elizabeth Bennett is easily more likeable. In fact, I think she is generally rated the most liked of the women. And who wouldn’t want to be like her? She’s noble and upright, true to herself, and bold. (She’s also willing to go against social norms, which could be considered a fault in her time period, but is hailed as a great attribute in the 21st century). If you think about it, Elizabeth has very few faults and she pretty much always makes the right decision. I think that’s probably why I relate to Emma more. Being flawed myself, it’s comforting reading about someone who begins overcoming her faults. Also, she is able to find love despite and because of her imperfections. That was a comfort to (pre-married) me who had doubts about that concept.
Taran the Wanderer. He was pretty much the ideal coming-of-age character set in a fantasy/myth series. When I was a kid and read these books, I appreciated that he wasn’t like most fantasy novel heroes: perfect in every way eveb if they lacked experience; perfectly noble, heroic, loving and selfless. Taran longed for recognition. He wanted to be considered a hero but was instead in charge of a rogue pig. He was taught through humility to be a real hero, but it took pretty much the whole series for him to reach that point. Coming-of-age stories are still very close to my heart. I’m not sure if it’s because I never fully grew up, or because no one really stops “coming of age.” At any rate, I could envision myself in his position. Yearning for something greater in life, yet being stuck chasing an ungrateful pig. Fortunately for him there was much more happening than he realized. Still, I easily felt like that when I was a kid (even now when I am changing diaper after diaper after…)
And why, may you ask, do I like Rachel Berry? On my first run through of Glee I liked her, but often found it painful to watch her be selfish or fail socially because of her own conceit. I watched the second season and began on the first again, and I have to say, she really is my favorite character. This time watching it, I am downright proud of her when she makes the right decision. For instance, when she allows someone else to have the spotlight I give a little sigh of relief (this is of course incredibly difficult for her given her personality). She has big dreams, but she is also very insecure. I think that I can often be this way. Half fully driven, half my biggest enemy. In high school I never considered myself one of the “pretty girls” (which was probably true, and didn’t help that I was too shy to talk to anyone). Rachel portrays this insecurity to a fault. She assumes she is less than Quinn and the other Cheeri-os in regards to looks, and everything that goes with that. She has jealousy issues and with this mindset does some pretty tasteless things. Yet, she truly does try to become a better person and her growth is palpable through the series. Even her relationship with Finn becomes more real and based on her love for him, not just for herself (though she does many unlikable things through this process as well).
Although these characters can often cause me frustration and second-hand embarrassment, I love them. I love that they aren’t held back by their own misgivings, and that they even make attempts to grow past them. I love that their weaknesses can be turned into their strengths, and I love that they are always pushing forward with refined tenacity.
1 Peter 1:6-7
In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
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