Sympathy for the Devil: Making Likable Unlikability In Lolita, Watchmen, and Berserk

Abstract

When examining any piece of literature, one can expect that its audience will choose which characters they support based on the characters ethics. That is to say that they will root for the heroes, and against the villains. This is the case regardless of how much empathy and tragedy the writer imbues the villain with, well almost. From time to time, a writer creates a villain in such a way that they earn the audience's support. Using three characters, the aim of this project is to examine what writers do to incite this reaction in a reader. The first subject will be Lolita's Humbert Humbert, and how Vladimir Nabokov gains support from readers for him in the course of one scene. The second will be Watchmen's Rorschach, and Alan Moore's downplaying of his flaws while emphasizing his virtues ultimately makes him a likable character. The last will be Berserk's Griffith, and how Kentaro Miura creates a charismatic, brilliant villain.