Villains

by C.J. Chase

Several weeks ago, I mentioned the following quote in a comment:

A book without a bad character is a bad book.

I recently tried to find an attribution, but couldn’t locate one. I read the line years ago when I was putting together a list of literature I wanted oldest (home schooled) kiddo to read before he finished high school. There are many lessons we can learn from a “bad character.”

Of course, even the heroes of a book need to be close enough to reality that they have character flaws. We don’t relate to perfect characters, nor do we learn from them. That said, one of the ways a character learns (and we learn from the character) is to pit the person against another character—an antagonist or villain. Ideally, the villain should even have some of the same strengths and flaws as our intrepid hero, so we can see the differences choices make in a person’s life. The late Regency writer Edith Layton once told me that the best villains are often those who “just missed” being a hero.

Choices. A villain is the hero of his own story, in his own mind. However, somewhere in his life, he made a choice that took him outside the bounds of acceptable behavior. Not that he would necessarily agree. He may think his actions perfectly justified. What motivates a villain?

1. Greed. I put this first because it seems to be the number one motivation for villainy. Greed comes in many forms—a craving for money, power, sex. A villain takes these normal human desires and adds a willingness to commit deceit, theft, even murder. This is desire taken to an extreme, like MacBeth’s “vaulting ambition.”

I have no spur


To prick the sides of my intent, but only


Vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself,


And falls on th'other.

MacBeth was a classic fictional villain motivated by greed. As his ambition became greater, so did his crimes. Other greed-motivated characters in the Villainy Hall of Shame include Darth Vader (power), the Sheriff of Nottingham (power and wealth), the White Witch (control), and Cruella DeVil (fur coats).

2. Revenge. This motivation often elicits a certain amount of sympathy in us. A wrong was done. A person was hurt. Our villain feels he cannot get adequate justice from the legal system, so he takes matters into his own hands. But revenge often leads to an endless cycle of offenses.

Consider Hamlet—not exactly the villain of the play, but a man who lets revenge spiral out of control. His uncle murdered his father (the late king) and usurped his throne. Obviously, he couldn’t count on a savvy prosecutor to take on the case, so he promises his father’s ghost he’ll get revenge. But in his quest for vengeance, he accidently kills an innocent man and triggers the suicide of an innocent woman. Which leads the dead man’s son to vow revenge… Even if you don’t know the story, you probably won’t be surprised when I say that by the end of the play, all the principle characters are dead. Without forgiveness, revenge perpetuates. There’s a reason the Lord says, “Vengeance is mine.” (Romans 12:19)

Image courtesy of Salvatore Vuono

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3. Mental Illness. A villain can be motivated by a mental imbalance. The reasons for his behavior are only fully logical to the villain. These villains often show up as serial killers in suspenses and thrillers. A person with a mental illness has his own view of reality, and he will discard facts and observations that don’t conform to his twisted thought process.

4. Goodness. Wait, what? Goodness as a motivation for villainy? Here’s a C.S. Lewis quote to illustrate my point.

Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.

This may be the parent or sibling or friend who has genuinely decent motives. Or it might be a romantic rival who sincerely believes the main character would be better off with him/her. You’ll often find this type of “villain” in a romantic comedy.

Why are fictional villains so important—in other words, why does a book need a “bad” character? They are a mirror to let us better see our own sinful nature. How many times have we been guilty of greed or revenge or even single-minded (and often self-righteous) “goodness”? Just as the hero is what we ascribe to become, the villain is what we fear we could become.

Do you have a “favorite” fictional villain? Is there a type of villain that “speaks” to you more than others, perhaps because you struggle with the same temptations?


After leaving the corporate world to stay home with her children, C.J. Chase quickly learned she did not possess the housekeeping gene. She decided writing might provide the perfect excuse for letting the dust bunnies accumulate under the furniture. Her procrastination, er, hard work paid off in 2010 when she won the Golden Heart for Best Inspirational Manuscript and sold the novel to Love Inspired Historicals. Her current release, The Reluctant Earl, is now available at retailers such as Walmart and Kmart and in online bookstores. You can visit C.J.'s cyber-home (where the floors are always clean) at www.cjchasebooks.com