S is for ...

My Fiction Addiction

So it seems Blogger has a new design for posting. It’ll take some getting used to, that’s for sure. Happy Saturday! And how appropriate that S day falls on Saturday. Ah, it’s the little things!

In keeping with my fave fictional characters A-Z theme, today I share with you one of my fave  characters beginning with the letter S:

Sawyer from the TV series Lost

Now, before you jump to conclusions that this is some superficial post on how hot he is and all that, let me explain why his character resonates with me. Yes, I admit, it doesn’t hurt that he’s rather easy on the eyes, but it’s the way his character was developed that had women around the world swooning for him.

Well, being the analyzer that I am when it comes to what make characters and stories work, I came up with a few conclusions as to why Sawyer was such a hit, aside from his obvious physical attributes.

I only just watched the series last year on the DVD sets, so I really got to follow all the characters’ arcs closely, and I found myself more interested in Sawyer (AKA James Ford) than anyone else. And after a little research online, I learned that he was pretty much everyone’s fave character on Lost. Interesting.

Put the actor Josh Holloway in a romantic Fabio-type story where he’s a valiant horseman waging war to save his love and … YAWN. Boring stuff. BUT! Put him in the role of Sawyer … a sleazeball who watched his parents die when he was a child, has spent his life conning people for a living, speaks with an unpolished Southern American twang, sports a cocky red-neck air about him, doesn’t look out for nobody but himself, knows how to defend himself ’cause that’s all he’s really got anyway … and you’ve got the makings of an interesting character.

When Lost started out, Sawyer was someone we loved to hate. He clashed with everyone and made his own rules. Right away, interesting. We had low expectations of him because he was such a lowlife anyway. But continue to put that lowlife in situations where he had to grow and make difficult choices, and watch his arc start to develop over time, and you’ve hooked your audience. Each little glimpse we got into the guy Sawyer could be if he wanted to, we believed there was hope. Make him stumble, and the hope is dashed, but we still keep following along on the edge of our seats because we now know there’s that sliver of a good guy inside … and we want him to nourish it and blossom.

Besides that, the fact that Sawyer was a sleazeball con-man who loved to read was just genius. He always had a book in his hands and would often spout out lines from classic novels which was so far off what his character’s stereotype would’ve been. But that’s why it was so great! That’s what we should strive for with our own characters–those little quirks that just bring them to life. And, well, if they just happen to be good looking … I’m not complaining.

How about you? Any thoughts on Sawyer or Lost? Or did you have a fave character from the series? Maybe you don’t agree with my thoughts, and that’s okay, I love a good debate! Please share …

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