Why Morally Gray Characters Fascinate Us

A couple of weeks ago, I attended a conference and actually participated in a conversation about characters. Normally, at conferences, especially online, I pay attention to the information being given, and that’s it… I fade into the background, but this time I participated.

The question was: Why do people like morally gray characters?

My answer was quick, and it almost scared me because, again, I usually don’t participate like that. But I immediately jumped in.

I love a morally gray character.

For me, it’s because we all have a sliver of questionable actions within ourselves. And with the morally gray characters I write (all but one), there’s also a sliver of goodness or at least normalcy. You can’t always see it right away, but it’s there. That’s the key for me. If there’s a sliver of good, then there’s a possibility of being a better person.

During the discussion, some disliked morally gray characters entirely, and some were ambivalent, but the question stayed with me long after the session.

As individuals, most of us aren’t morally gray, but we have a negative thought or desire that is out of character… but could be considered morally gray. Most of us don’t act on it, which is definitely a good thing! However, when I think about morally gray characters and their history, that’s what truly captivates me.

What was their childhood like? What did they struggle with? What were they susceptible to that caused them to go in a different direction, rather than simply having a fleeting thought one day and brushing it aside because they knew it was wrong? On paper, actions appear as right or wrong, but underneath, as you peel back the layers, there’s something that shaped them into who they are.

For me, that’s just an interesting concept. It doesn’t allow me to disregard their actions… instead, it makes me question them. It gives me the opportunity to say, yes, they’re not a good person, but they suffered X, Y, and Z.

Understanding why someone does something is not the same as excusing what they did. Far from it. I can acknowledge the negative actions and see the ripple effects on the victims. It makes me angry, but more than angry, it makes my heart ache.

And then, on the flip side, I think: What did that person suffer that led them to do something like that to someone else? I know they did wrong, but my heart still wonders about them and what they went through.

Someone told me I’m just empathetic in that regard. I don’t know. All I know is that, in terms of morally gray characters, I enjoy writing them. They work particularly well with thrillers and mysteries, which is mostly what I write, although not all of my books feature them.

One character I absolutely love is King James from The Chronicles of Iniquity series. As the leader of a gang, he is most definitely morally gray. He’s done some things (off-page), and people fear him, but he also has a good side.

So why do some people like morally gray characters? I think perhaps the attraction isn’t that we want to be these characters. Maybe somewhere beneath their extreme choices, we recognize an emotion, a temptation, a fear, a flaw, or something we’ve experienced ourselves. A tiny recognition that makes them difficult to dismiss because there’s a familiarity to it. Again, we don’t always act on our thoughts and impulses, which is a beautiful thing, but sometimes there’s a sliver of connection there.

So, my question is: Do you like morally gray characters?

What makes a morally gray character work for you? How far can they go before you want to stop reading about them?

Are there any morally gray characters you’ve found unforgettable?

~Bobbie