Today's Characters Lack Character
Recently, on a rainy weekend, my wife and I watched Tom Clancy’s “Clear & Present Danger.” Now, to be clear, this is not a family film. Its content is mature, and there are many scenes of violence, but one thing stands out: The main character, Jack Ryan (played by Harrison Ford) is a boy scout. In a gray world, there is no shadow in him—he is a virtuous, patriotic family man, a veteran – intellectual, who hates injustice. Having read other Tom Clancy novels featuring Ryan, his character is even more virtuous in print than in the films.
Whereas I like Jack Ryan, I must admit that I do not like many of the characters I encounter in novels or movies these days (like the new portrayal of Ryan on Amazon Prime). Most protagonists are no longer virtuous people who encounter evil or misfortune and are thus thrown headlong into a pursuit of justice. Modern characters tend to be severely flawed, and they interact with others who seem to stumble along a path by chance rather than navigate it by skill. Even authors I have enjoyed in the past have recently introduced seedy and amoral elements in novels, and I have chosen to simply stop reading books a couple hundred pages in so as to avoid filling my imagination with examples of vice.
I think that’s what bothers me about the recent dark turn in books and movies: Characters lack character. Serial killers like Dexter are heroes for only killing evil people; Batman and Superman become mortal enemies; the Avengers are split into a “civil war;” witches and dragons are good; patriots are motivated by hidden vice, etc. Heck, even Disney is no longer a sure source of wholesome family entertainment. Audiences want flawed characters that make them feel better about their own weaknesses, and I think this tells us something worrisome about our culture.
Whereas art may reflect reality, the old adage about life imitating art seems a cautionary warning for our time. Somewhere deep inside, each of us holds up a fictional character as an example of what we wanted to be as a child. In a world where few characters are worthy of emulation, art may become more base, and society will likely follow.
Some can remember a time when Jimmy Stewart taught us that life could be wonderful, despite the calamities inherent in it; from a small North African bar Humphrey Bogart showed us that our own passions were less important than the common good; and John Wayne took us along on a ride to save his grandson because family was worth full sacrifice. The books and plays on which these movies are based pointed to characters of character, flawed, but wanting to be better. Isn’t that the way each one of us should be described: Flawed individuals striving to be better?
As sinful people, God calls us to be constantly better. If we fall, God never keeps us down, nor does He force us to wallow in failure; rather, we are called to learn from our mistakes, and strive to be better. Better spouses, better parents, better friends, better workers, better people. We learn by this, and we learn from watching others, whether in real life or in the entertainment that fills our imaginations. It just seems better to read about people who strive for virtue, rather than those who revel in vice. We need Jack Ryan, Gandalf, Bilbo Baggins, Dr. Watson, The Cat in the Hat and many others who point toward the good. After all, if life imitates art, who do you hope your neighbors are reading?
