I'm certain you have heard of Dobby -the house elf from Harry Potter- and of Rue -12yr old girl from District 11 in The Hunger Games-. If you don't mind spoilers read on, because I need help. As you all know, SPOILER ALERT- both characters die. I have a similar situation in my book, which MUST happen. My main character's 9-year-old brother must die because this is my main character's black moment. But I need help creating an incredibly loved character that causes the same reader reaction as Dobby and Rue's deaths do. Bring on the hate mail my readers. Please help! Here are the important basic points for this character: 1829 America - fugitive slave doesn't know who his father is mother is captured friends die in a house fire that was purposely set by the townsmen Wanders off and finds a stray dog, names it, keeps it and adores it. The dog dies, and the boy gets upset (super sad) wanders off and does not return Excruciatingly slow death In my head, he is a sweet, curious child, who is also really optimistic and sensitive to discipline. I really want my readers to be like.
Welcome to the forum. I'm not entirely sure what you're asking here. Creating a character whose death has an impact on the reader is a matter of execution more than anything else. All of the points you've listed could make him likeable. I'm not sure how we can help you execute this, though.
My 2p... What's going to matter most in how I engage this character and the specific roll you set out for him in the story is the way he is engaged by the other characters and how he engages them. Notice that neither Dobby nor Rue are helpless. They display skills and qualities that make them whole in their own right. Yes, Dobby is a house elf and the plight of house elves is not a good one (much worse in the books than portrayed in the films), but he has magic and he has fortitude that comes to the rescue - so to speak - when it's needed. He's part of the team, not a wounded puppy. Rue is the same. If you think about it, and from one way of looking at it, Rue's death is more of a unifying force than Katniss*. Rue represents her people as more than just a Tribute. She's smart and cunning. She represents what is being overlooked and discarded and unvalued, which is the worst crime of all in this story. So, he needs to be more than a little boy who is adorable and cute. You need to make me feel - within the structure of the story - that there is a value here that supersedes the already great value of "this is my little brother". This, if you want him to be an archetype similar to Dobby, similar to Rue. * Not really related, but in the film version of the story, the scene where Katniss breaks from her speech to District 11 and talks about Rue being her friend and how beautiful she was is heartbreaking, but the part that always makes the tears run for me is when the old man whistles the mockingjay song alone and salutes. There's a whole story right there. He knows he's going to die for what he is about to do - it's suicide - but he has lived and this last sacrifice can give meaning not only to himself but to the greater good of the people.
Thank you. This is really helpful. I've got the points, filled the gap, now I just need to connect the dots. One heart-wrenching character coming up.
