Morally ambiguous characters

[scenario]

Bruce Willis' character in Pulp Fiction.

 

Or just about half the cast of Pulp Fiction for that matter.

 

 

[SoxAce]

Rod Blagojevich

Vin Diesel's character (Riddick) in Pitch Black

Edited February 9, 2010 by SoxAce

[JPN366]

I'm not sure that robbing from the rich and giving to the poor or eye for an eye killing or revenge killing is necessarily morally ambiguous. It's more vague than that. Dexter can be considered because he's apathetic to an extent, but at the same time, he follows a code. He kills people who've done bad things and gotten away with it. He knows right from wrong. Vic Mackey can be considered, but he purposely did bad and purposely did good. Moral ambiguity is a conscious sense of apathy. House is morally ambiguous, because he only cares about figuring out puzzles and is apathetic towards patients and people in general. The Joker is morally ambiguous, because his only goal was chaos and anarchy, he did not care who was hurt. Others to consider are Patrick Bateman from "American Psycho," or Alex DeLarge from "A Clockwork Orange."

Edited February 9, 2010 by JPN366

[SouthsideDon48]

Derek Vineyard in "American History X"

[knightni]

Every main character and theme in Leverage.

[Texsox]

Edward Norton's character in Fight Club.

 

We used him in a Film and Lit class. It paired well with Jekyll and Hyde.

 

A character we used in a literary class regarding monsters was from I am Legend. I did not go seethe movie, but if it stayed reasonably close to the book, it should be argued that DZ's character is actually the monster, not the zombies. Context makes the difference.

[hogan873]

Al Swearengen from Deadwood

 

(also one of the all-time best characters from any show)

 

Great one! One of my favorite shows.

[hogan873]

As far as in literature: Serge A. Storms in the Tim Dorsey books.

[NorthSideSox72]

Its hard to write, and therefore hard to find, the characters that are truly right on the razor's edge. Most of the ones that might come to mind are actually pretty clearly good or evil as the story wears on. The challenge is finding one that stays on that edge throughout, which you rarely see.

 

Of those suggested so far, I like Snape, Roark, and any of the cops in LA Confidential.

 

Others from film: Avner in Munich (based on reality), John Cusack's character in Gross Point Blank

 

Others from literature: Tom Bombadil from LOTR (character didn't make it into the film), Llewelyn Moss in NCFOM (more ambiguous in the book than the film)

 

And just to throw in a twist... characters from reality, who were often made into good or evil in the extreme, but were really neither. This was a particularly strong theme in the winning of the West in American history - Geronimo, for example, or Kit Carson.

 

[Soxy]

And just to throw in a twist... characters from reality, who were often made into good or evil in the extreme, but were really neither. This was a particularly strong theme in the winning of the West in American history - Geronimo, for example, or Kit Carson.

Thanks for all the input guys! I'm bookmarking this thread and keeping a list.

 

NSS--I like those examples, but I definitely wouldn't feel comfortable doing a native american/old west type thing up here. It's a very charged topic--especially to our Native students.

[NorthSideSox72]

Thanks for all the input guys! I'm bookmarking this thread and keeping a list.

 

NSS--I like those examples, but I definitely wouldn't feel comfortable doing a native american/old west type thing up here. It's a very charged topic--especially to our Native students.

There is some interesting history up in your area, with regards to AmerInd tribes, the US, the Europeans, the Canadians, etc. I've spent some time in Quetico and the BWCAW, and learned a bit about local Ojibway (and Sioux) history. Fascinating stuff. Off topic, though, sorry.

 

[Milkman delivers]

The Cigarette Smoking Man.

[Rex Kickass]

Its hard to write, and therefore hard to find, the characters that are truly right on the razor's edge. Most of the ones that might come to mind are actually pretty clearly good or evil as the story wears on. The challenge is finding one that stays on that edge throughout, which you rarely see.

 

Of those suggested so far, I like Snape, Roark, and any of the cops in LA Confidential.

 

Others from film: Avner in Munich (based on reality), John Cusack's character in Gross Point Blank

 

Others from literature: Tom Bombadil from LOTR (character didn't make it into the film), Llewelyn Moss in NCFOM (more ambiguous in the book than the film)

 

And just to throw in a twist... characters from reality, who were often made into good or evil in the extreme, but were really neither. This was a particularly strong theme in the winning of the West in American history - Geronimo, for example, or Kit Carson.

 

I don't really know why Roark would be considered morally ambiguous. He was guided by a certain set of principles. Right or wrong did matter very much to Howard Roark, just not the traditional right or wrong, I don't think that makes him morally ambiguous.

[SleepyWhiteSox]

I don't really know why Roark would be considered morally ambiguous. He was guided by a certain set of principles. Right or wrong did matter very much to Howard Roark, just not the traditional right or wrong, I don't think that makes him morally ambiguous.

 

Yup.

 

Hank Rearden annoyed me too.

 

 

Anyways, I'll go with Travis in Taxi Driver too. One of my favorite movies.

 

Was kinda thinking of another one of my favorite movies, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, but I dunno if it fits and, sadly, I haven't read the novel...

[FlaSoxxJim]

Yup.

 

Hank Rearden annoyed me too.

 

 

Anyways, I'll go with Travis in Taxi Driver too. One of my favorite movies.

 

Was kinda thinking of another one of my favorite movies, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, but I dunno if it fits and, sadly, I haven't read the novel...

 

The book and film were equally brilliant, and their portrayals of RP MacMurphy were along similar lines. I consider MacMurphy to be a hall-of-fame antihero, but not morally ambiguous i don't think.

 

The book is worth going back and reading. Told from the Chief's perspective it really gets you inside that wonderful, tragic character. It also gives you a good look at Ken Kesey's mental state at the time, basically when he was off on his the Merry Prankster/Electric Kool-Aid trip.

 

Kesey swore he hated the film treatment and vowed never to watch it. It's one of my all-time favorites.

[bmags]

Yup.

 

Hank Rearden annoyed me too.

 

 

Anyways, I'll go with Travis in Taxi Driver too. One of my favorite movies.

 

Was kinda thinking of another one of my favorite movies, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, but I dunno if it fits and, sadly, I haven't read the novel...

 

the fact that Rand couldn't even make her protagonists anything but insufferable says a lot more about her than the world she's dictating to.

[NorthSideSox72]

I don't really know why Roark would be considered morally ambiguous. He was guided by a certain set of principles. Right or wrong did matter very much to Howard Roark, just not the traditional right or wrong, I don't think that makes him morally ambiguous.

Are we calling morally ambiguous, characters that are hung over the razor's edge of conventional right and wrong? That's kind of what I thought. It seems like the definition you have, is more like a sociopath - someone who just doesn't care about morality. Or am I misunderstanding?

 

[Steve9347]

Dennis Reynolds

[Middle Buffalo]

McNulty on "The Wire" and Boner on "Growing Pains."

[bmags]

McNulty on "The Wire" and Boner on "Growing Pains."

 

I've been thinking of writing this one. I think it has to be McNulty seasons 1-3 because season 4 he's perfect and season 5 he's a complete mess. I Hated it.

 

But Seasons 1-3 for sure. Do personal moral failings discount the heroism he showed in his altruistic job? I unno. I don't know how you look at characters like that with deep moral failings but help so many people. But, FDR and such.

[Felix]

McNulty on "The Wire" and Boner on "Growing Pains."

I thought about McNulty as well, but I tend to agree with bmags post. I really got pissed off at the writing for his character in seasons 4 and 5, which I thought was a shame given how good the rest of the series was.