Investing In Virtue: Characters That Model Morality
It simply isn’t enough for a character to claim to be virtuous or to think thoughts that would be construed as such. When writing, it is important to ensure that characters who are supposed to represent the best of humanity, and thus serve as examples of how people should behave, act in that capacity no matter if it is harder to do so. This is due in part to our struggle to chose to do what is right and proper rather than what is easy and convenient. One way to accomplish this is to present a dilemma where both choices seem equally good if one does not care to examine the details.
Faced with outcomes that appear to have similar results allows for a writer to show how the character looks to overcome the question and make the proper decision. When such an event appears in a TV show or film, the audience does not get the benefit of seeing a character wrestle emotionally with what to do. Rather, it is often taken on faith that the protagonist made the right choice until some later point when a resolution occurs. We might be invested in the outcome, but not necessarily in the character.
This is what makes books so valuable. Not only does a reader get invested in seeing how things will turn out in the end, but there is a deeper connection when readers can follow along with the agonizing choices the virtuous characters make. Audiences care more when they see the protagonist consider how others will be affected by their decisions when compared to antagonists who only appear to be free. The virtuous character’s reward is what leaves readers satisfied. What better way to show that being virtuous does pay off than rooting for someone you can be?