: Re: How to prevent turning off the reader at first with a protagonist with unlikeable traits but that becomes better later on? I have a story where the protagonist, who is a warrior meant to be

I think you need to read some books with famously unlikable protagonists who eventually receive some sort of redemption or at least resolution without the author making any attempt to get the reader's sympathy. Here are some I've read:

1) Thomas Covenant, Unbeliever. Critic James Nicoll called this character the "most unlikeable supposedly sympathetic protagonist". You can't tell whether he is going to redeem himself or just sink deeper into cynicism and self-loathing. (author Steven Donaldson)

2) Humbert Humber in Lolita (Nabokov) redeems himself in the end. Somewhat. Maybe. He is not likable.

3) John Updike wrote a whole series of books (the 'Rabbit' books)
featuring Rabbit Angstrom, who is relentlessly unlikeable. I didn't hate him at the end, though. So is that redemption?

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: A Deus Ex Machina is a plot device, often appearing out of nowhere and having no previous introduction, which spontaneously arrives to solve an otherwise unsolvable problem. Dei Ex Machina

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: Is it a deus ex machina if the alternative is illogical? Background: I know to avoid Deus Ex Machinas - meaning to me a sudden and unexpected solution arriving out of nowhere to save an otherwise

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: This tag can be used for questions about fiction or nonfiction, as long as it is aimed at pre-teen readers. Middle grade writing is similar to young adult but will generally have younger

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: Moving away from a gender-based analysis I'm writing a short essay on gender undercurrents of conversations, i.e. how do different people approach communication and problem-solving in their relationships.

: Re: How to prevent turning off the reader at first with a protagonist with unlikeable traits but that becomes better later on? I have a story where the protagonist, who is a warrior meant to be

More posts by @Bryan361

: A Deus Ex Machina is a plot device, often appearing out of nowhere and having no previous introduction, which spontaneously arrives to solve an otherwise unsolvable problem. Dei Ex Machina

: Is it a deus ex machina if the alternative is illogical? Background: I know to avoid Deus Ex Machinas - meaning to me a sudden and unexpected solution arriving out of nowhere to save an otherwise

: This tag can be used for questions about fiction or nonfiction, as long as it is aimed at pre-teen readers. Middle grade writing is similar to young adult but will generally have younger

: Moving away from a gender-based analysis I'm writing a short essay on gender undercurrents of conversations, i.e. how do different people approach communication and problem-solving in their relationships.

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