Following in the spirit of some similarly themed but markedly different threads, I want to ask what you think are the worst characters any writer has ever made. Now, I know there will always be differing opinions, but I am wondering what some of you think about this. I really didn't know that I could dislike any characters until I met Atticus Young from Jeremy Robinson's Kronos. The whole guy just seemed so way over the top and cocky. His motivations and actions seemed so... contrived... and during the ending when he's facing off against a ship full of 50 armed guards, he somehow managed to get past them and escape. Overall, it was an OK novel, but I just absolutely hated the main character. At several points, especially at the end, I was actually rooting for the "bad guys" to win and for Atticus to somehow die. What are your most hated characters?
I assume we're not listing the obvious aka everyone who exists in Twilight land. Ada from Cold Mountain Lolita's mom. I was sooooo ready for her to die. Roy Cohn from Angels in America, but we were supposed to hate him.
Morgan Rowland from Sweep Series. She was pretty much Twilight's-Bella-ish with 'Ooh...my boyfriend is gorgeous' plus Edward's 'I'm monster' attitude in one character. She was irritating throughout the series. Though, one of her few coolness is her long line of abbreviation; M.R. - the Woodbane queens and princesses of Belwicket - which she shared with her mom, Maeve Riordan, and grandmother, Mackenna Riordan.
Holden Caulfield. While I respect and admire the writing in The Catcher in the Rye, and I enjoy the point that Salinger is trying to make via Holden, he drives me UP A WALL. Seriously. That kid needs to be shipped off to a war-torn country to learn some perspective.
So many to chose from, but since I'm just starting a book about Jane Austen, I'll chose an annoying character from her books. Hands down it would have to be Mr. Collins. He's such a simpering idiot that you love to hate.
If you don't reply Peter Jarius Frigate, you've not read Riverworld. It's the only character that has stopped me from reading a story I really wanted to read. I just couldn't stand him.
I agree with Jacklondonsghost, I could not stand Holden Caulfield. I think he alone ended up making me hate the entire book. There was just something about him that made me want to sigh.
Just my opinion: Anyone by Ayn Rand. Ayn Rand was a woman with a robotic outlook on life. Consequently, her characters are flat, lifeless, uninteresting, and utterly unsympathetic, even when they're supposed to be the heroes. Even if you champion objectivism, the mouthpiece characters are cardboard. (Full disclosure: I think objectivism is wretched. Even if I didn't, she still wouldn't be good at characterization.) I read a lot of Vietnam War fiction, and hated every single person in Del Vecchio's 'The 13th Valley,' too. I'm pretty sure I was supposed to like some of them--but am not entirely certain. Overly artsy, pretentious caricatures do not make for real, living characters. Give me Gustav Hasford or Larry Brown, instead.
I always found Emily Byrd Starr from L.M. Montgomery's Emily of New Moon books to be an insufferable snob and something of a Mary Sue.
Oh, I have to say it: Bella Swan from Stephenie Meyer's Twilight... I need not say more. If you've read the book, you know how horribly irritating that girl is.
I agree with all the people who say Bella. The thing I hate about her -- I don't even care that she's cheesy and romantic -- the thing I absolutely CANNOT STAND is that she is completely OK with having a boyfriend tell her what to do, what not to do, etc and she allows him to have power over her. In my opinion, no relationship like that is EVER okay and so I can't stand her because she puts up with it and acts like Edward's doormat.
(he's even worse in the mini-series, btw) Well there were these books about a girl called Marijke I used to read when I was younger. And in every single book I got so annoyed with her... she was like the rich, spoiled girl that everybody loved somehow. Ugh.
That's exactly the reason I hated Samantha from the 'American Girl' collection. Back in my day, there were just three dolls: Pioneer Kirsten, Rich Victorian Samantha, and WW2-era Molly. I had glasses. Molly had glasses. Needless to say, I had a Molly doll. But I remember distinctly disliking Samantha's poor-little-rich-girl story, even at nine or so.
Bella from Twilight Eragon from the Inheritance Cycle For some reason i can't think of anybody annoying outside the YA market...
I hate to say it, but a little bit of Max from the Maxiumum Ride fame. Through all of the amusing sarcasm, she's a tad of a Mary Sue, and her blatant disregard for the rest of The Flock sans Fang (in the latest novel) gets annoying after a couple of chapters. Meh, but James Patterson made her character work. The #1 most irritating character would have to be... Astrid from the GONE series. She's an utter know-it-all, not appreciative of Sam's bravery. In the end everything always works out for her. The one girl that called her out on it ended up dying, and Astrid convinced everyone that the girl (Mary) was psycho. Not cool.
There was a really cute bit on an NPR show recently- I wanna say 360 with Kurt Anderson- where and English prof read a bit she'd written from the perspective of Holden after he was convinced to go on anti-depressants. Hi. Lar. Ious.
Stephen Dedalus from the novels of James Joyce - he's a great character, but the sort of person I just know I wouldn't get on with.
James "Jim" Taggart from Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. It's a magnificent book, and the you're supposed to hate him. Every word he says makes you want to drop him off a building--and if Ayn Rand ran into him in real life, she literally would.
Unfortunately this sort of thing happens in real life far to often. You and I can see that its wrong, but it doesn't mean they can or even realize it. The problem is that its never addressed and the author makes it seem like a good relationship to have. The fact that so many twilight fans can't seem to see this and want Bella with Edward disturbs me.
Entirely agree with James Taggart from Atlas Shrugged. Whiny, snivelling brat just WANTS to be drop-kicked.
Twilight is sexist. Simple as. Above all other reasons, that is why I hate it. The message it says is that a girl should devote herself entirely to a guy, and is nothing without him. I'm no feminist, but that idea is truly ridiculous.
Yeah I know what you mean. Personally I can't stand the idea of a girl being mistreated at all. I hate the idea of any girl thinking she needs a guy for anything. I also hated how in Twilight Edward would often mention how she kept getting herself in trouble and if it wasn't for him. The one scene that this attitude really bugged me was when she sorta got lost and there were a group of guys sorta stalking her or something. Even if those things were said as a harmless tease, it felt really inappropriate for the situation. Twilight, setting back womans rights half a century. EDIT: I have thought of one annoying character. He isn't in a book(though maybe in a manga) but Tingle from the Legend of Zelda series really annoys me. At first he was just this creepy guy in Majora's Mask. Then later on he was added in Wind Waker and for the most part his sole purpose was to empty your wallet. All the whle doing a stupid dance and chanting something incredibly dumb.
I'm going to have to say Miranda, from Life as We Knew it. I love the book, but for a main character Miranda sure whines a lot. I'd say 80% of her dialog is her complaining. Sure, it may be realistic, but seriously Miranda, shut up.
