Misunderstood characters

[Shannon]

What characters have you encountered in books that are painted as antigonists, but that you somehow identify with?

What characters do you believe are not so much "evil" or "bad," as misunderstood?

For me, the most recent one of these is Ridley from the Caster Chronicles.

[Kurukka]

Voldemort. Come on, the dude has no nose! :P Kidding.

More seriously, Peter Pettigrew. I know he's hated by almost everyone, loathed actually but I think he's more pathetic than anything else, really. I don't know if I could have be as brave as Sirius in his position, I'm not sure I would have died for someone else. But if I did do what he'd done, I would still have hated myself for the rest of my life.

[Latasha]

Zsadist, from Black Dagger Brotherhood... I feel like he is painted as evil and scary in the beginning, and he lightens up towards the middle of the series. But I feel like he is really just troubled and needs someone to love! LOL

[Heidi]

Latasha wrote: "Zsadist, from Black Dagger Brotherhood... I feel like he is painted as evil and scary in the beginning, and he lightens up towards the middle of the series. But I feel like he is really just troubl..."

Z is my favorite as well :) p.s. does anyone else think it is weird that the US and Europe spell favorite in different ways? Just a side note. Sorry to get off track!

[Heidi]

There are two misunderstood characters in Harry Potter for me - Draco and Snape.

[Jessie]

Rogerson from Dreamland by Sarah Dessen and Isabel from Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater.

Rogerson, yes was an abusive boyfriend and Isabel is somewhat of a snobby b!t$h. There's a reason why they're like that, and even though I don't relate to them, the books and their characters have become my favorite.

[Latasha]

I feel like that about Cole from Shiver. He is extremely troubled, but I find him very appealing.

[Kurukka]

Heidi I wrote: "There are two misunderstood characters in Harry Potter for me - Draco and Snape."

Misunderstood how ?

[Jason]

I know this isn't YA or even recent, but Darl from William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying.

Also, I'm still convinced Snape is a villain even after Rowling tried to exonerate him. That moment when he only wanted to save Lily and didn't care about James or Harry...that's his core as far as I can see.

[Gwennie]

**HP SPOILER**

James was cruel to him, so I get that one. Plus, he wound up with the woman he wanted. I never understood his hatred for Harry. He said he looked like James, but they always said Harry had Lily's eyes... you would have thought he would have felt something for him because of Lily, and because she gave her life for him.

Still, Snape was my most favorite character and storyline.

[Heidi]

Cécilia wrote: "Heidi I wrote: "There are two misunderstood characters in Harry Potter for me - Draco and Snape."

Misunderstood how ?"

HP spoiler alert********


Draco and Snape are both products of their environment. Draco was raised to feel superior, but he was ultimatley a weak person who had terrible parents. Everyone picked on Snape -- that and we never really knew which side he was on until the end.

[Kurukka]

*HP SPOILER*

Oh that yeaah, I thought you were talking how people didn't like him because he was mean when he was a teacher. Yeah, I agree, it totally makes sense, I always emphasized with both of them for that. Prejudice is strong.

[[deleted user]]

Heidi I wrote: "Latasha wrote: "Z is my favorite as well :) p.s. does anyone else think it is weird that the US and Europe spell favorite in different ways? Just a side note. Sorry to get off track!"

Yea i do think its weird its spelled diffrently in US and UK. The same goes for colour. Its colour in the UK and color in US. But then again you americans are weird! You call fotball soccer and youre the only country that does that ;p

[Heidi]

Hey... don't bring up football Louise! Football is one of my favorite things (see how I used favorite again!) We here in the States may think your "football" is a little weak compared to ours. I mean, have you seen some of our professional football players. Yummers!

[Heidi]

p.s. Don't mind my spelling in general. It tends to be terrible on here because I type so fast :)

[Amanda]

Myrnin and Oliver from
also Griffin from . I just feel for the poor kid.

[Becca]

Heidi I wrote: "Hey... don't bring up football Louise! Football is one of my favorite things (see how I used favorite again!) We here in the States may think your "football" is a little weak compared to ours. I ..."

Personally, I detest American football and prefer the version the rest of the world plays, and that's coming from an American. Don't hate me Heidi, but I just don't get into sports where kids are literally messing up their brains trying to play. My husband is actually doing his masters research into brain impact injuries, so I have a front seat to all the damage. It's heartbreaking.

[Amanda]

Isn't football in the U.S. called soccer everywhere else?

[Latasha]

Lol no. Soccer is called football everywhere else.

[Shannon]

::snickers::

[Shannon]

I know that this isn't really YA, but I really think Andrea from My Love, My Love by Rosa Guy is really misunderstood. I want to hate her-- she is the one who ruins everything for TiMoune, but by the same token, the woman is just trying to protect the only thing she's ever known since she was a young child. If it were me, I might have done the exact same thing.

[[deleted user]]

Nah football in US is called american football everywhere else ;p

[Gwennie]

Yeah, American football is just plain ole football here in the US. We call Soccer soccer and the rest of the world it's 'football'.

It's quite confusing.

[Amanda]

Wendy wrote: "Yeah, American football is just plain ole football here in the US. We call Soccer soccer and the rest of the world it's 'football'.

It's quite confusing."

Gah, I agree. I don't watch sports so quite frankly I don't give a darn, but it's nice to think I know what I am talking about if someone were to bring it up ; )
So what do you call what we call 'american football', or do you not have that sport elsewhere. Does that even make sense?

[Heidi]

No one else really plays football like we do here in the US except Canada. Sorry... but soccer (football) bores me to tears. I grew up watching American football with my dad and siblings, so it is a family thing and a sort of tradition. I am sure that is how the rest of the world views soccer (football), so it is understandable how loved it is in Europe. Rugby is another sport I don't get, but at least they are more physical in that sport. What is the deal with the circle thing though? It is just weird.

[Brittany (finally graduated and can once again read for fun)]

I think the Aussie's have their version of football too. Kind of a weird hybrid I guess. Also, in I am the Messenger Zusak refers to soccer. Not sure of that had to do with the American publisher or what, I'm just throwing that out there.

And I also LOVE American football. And the whole rugby thing is a scrum. I'm not overly familiar with the sport, but in my opinion it's even more dangerous than American football because these guys don't where oads and it's very physical from the matches I've been to. CRAZY!

[Heidi]

You are right about the I am the Messenger soccer reference Brittany - I didn't mean to discount my Aussie friends. I am not sure what they play. All the rugby players I knew in college were big drinkers and they played half in the bag. It is a very physical sport so it has to be pretty dangerous. In the horrible book Playing for Pizza by John Grisham a US football player goes to Italy and plays football, but it is very minor minor league team.

[Heidi]

p.s. sorry to take up this thread talking about sports. :)

[Brittany (finally graduated and can once again read for fun)]

Well, you know I don't mind. Even if my team does suck this year I can always talk sports!

[Heidi]

Brittany wrote: "Well, you know I don't mind. Even if my team does suck this year I can always talk sports!"

Hey at least your team didn't have to fly to Detroit to play this week!

[Brittany (finally graduated and can once again read for fun)]

No, we just fired our coach in the middle of the season we were sucking so badly. You have to admit, it's been a weird year in the NFL. All around. I don't even have any superbowl favorites. Although I'm liking the Jets this year. I think they're a strong team. And I think Mark Sanchez is super HOT. I don't think they are superbowl quality, but no one really is this year. see, WEIRD!

P.S. Are you ready for Favre to retired??

[Gwennie]

I'm just outside of detroit, haha!

I don't have much love for sports, and this is very off topic but soccer reminded me of it. You should all rent "Green Street Hooligans". It is awesome!! Intense and a bit violent but definitely worth a watch. It's about soccer and the fans that create gangs that fight other area's soccer team fans... It's got Elijah Wood and Charlie Hunnam.

[Heidi]

I've seen Green Street Holligans Wendy. I think soccer (football) fans are more physical than the actual players!

[Heidi]

Brittany wrote: "No, we just fired our coach in the middle of the season we were sucking so badly. You have to admit, it's been a weird year in the NFL. All around. I don't even have any superbowl favorites. Al..."

I wish Farve retired last year. p.s. our coach also got fired in the middle of the season -- remember???

[Gwennie]

LOL! I don't know anything about soccer other then the fact that David Beckham is HOT, haha. It just make me think of that movie.

On another note, as I was thinking of Charlie Hunnam, with his head shaved in Green Street, I was thinking he'd making a pretty hot Zsadist. And if you grew his hair out like in Sons of Anarchy, he'd make a pretty good Phury too...

[Gwennie]

Not that I remotely think they should be made into a show or movie. it would be awful. It was mostly just an observation.

[Ottilie]

American Football drives me nuts, I was in marching band in High School so I don't know if I have some bias...

[Heidi]

Carmel wrote: "Brittany wrote: "I think the Aussie's have their version of football too. Kind of a weird hybrid I guess. Also, in I am the Messenger Zusak refers to soccer. ..."

Hi ladies, other than footba..."

Thanks for the update! It looks like a mixture of US football and European football?? p.s. your country changed the name from soccer to football???

[Heidi]

That is so confusing Carmel! Since we already have "football" here in States, I guess there is no going back. Soccer just doesn't seem to catch on as much here.

[Heidi]

I've watched rugby and prefer that to soccer, but what is rugby union???? That Aussie rules game seems pretty cool. What would you say is the most popular sport in Australia?

[Heidi]

Carmel wrote: "Heidi I, rugby union has some differnt tackling in it compared to plain rugby. Rugby Union is considered more a sophisticated/thinking man's football (played in universities, etc)
http://www.rugby..."

Thanks for the info Carmel! I never knew about all those sports you have :)

[Brittany (finally graduated and can once again read for fun)]

Heidi I wrote: "Brittany wrote: "No, we just fired our coach in the middle of the season we were sucking so badly. You have to admit, it's been a weird year in the NFL. All around. I don't even have any superbo..."

Oh right... I forgot. I guess we're in the same boat. Except I actually think we have a good QB. Our defense is really so we are always battle late season injuries and the special teams is atrocious!!!

[Brittany (finally graduated and can once again read for fun)]

Carmel,

Thanks for the update. I knew there had to be an Aussie floating around here somewhere to enlighten us.

And speaking of soccer/football, the Colorado Rapids won the MLS championship this year! I know it doesn't compare to the Euro leagues, but Woot woot for the home team, and I'm fairly certain the arena was free of those blasted vuvuzelas. If I EVER hear one of those again it will be too soon. Made watching the World Cup much less enjoyable this past year. But I guess you can't mess with culture.

[Becca]

Actually, there's a pretty big push to ban them from the world cup Brittany regardless of culture. They put out so many decibles that the people sitting in front of them during the world cup went deaf and the players all complained about not being able to hear their team mates. They're already banned from the Euro leagues and American Soccer, MLS doesn't allow them either, so I thik by the Brazil world cup, they won't be allowed.

[Shannon]

Carmel wrote: "I think Will from is misunderstood because we've only met him for the first time in the first book of Cassandra Clare prequel to TMI series. I bel..."

I think Will is misunderstood as well. I feel an odd sort of affection for the guy. There HAS to be a reason. People don't just act like that because they're rotten to the core.