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Question: What makes "evil", well, evil!?
A person who is evil is bad, mean, heartless, and likes it!.

I don't think so!. I believe evil is self justified in some way!. So now I want help to redefine "pure evil"!. What makes a reader hate a villain!? How is it that the mention of that persons name make the reader sick to their stomach!. What makes them seem so vile and evil that you want them to die!.

I want a villain that is so evil my readers will hate me for it (not really)!. I want him to be so dark that it makes you sick, yet I want him to be redeemable!. I want all hope around him to be lost yet I want people to have hope for him only so that I can make the betrayal all the worse!. Please help me!. I do NOT want examples in any way, shape, or form!. I want explanations!. Please and thank you!Www@QuestionHome@Com


Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
I don't believe that a person can be completely evil through and through!. Like you said, "evil" is always self justified!. My personal belief is that an act can be evil but not a person!. To me, an evil act occurs when someone is hurt for no other reason than inspiring pleasure in the one that is doing the hurting!. No purpose is ultimately achieved!. Yes, there is a reason that this act inspires pleasure in the person!. There's always a reason, but it is still evil!.

With this definition in mind, I think the worst villains are ones that are shown to the reader to be completely capable of mercy, kindness, etc!. They are shown to know the difference between right and wrong but somehow justify doing wrong!. also, I believe that charming villains are the most likely to get the response you desire!. We want them to turn good so badly because they are can be so likable, but we want them to die in the end because their acts are so incredibly evil that we can't stand for them to exist in our world!.

To me, an ultimate villain does not only break the body, but also breaks the mind and spirit!. It is not enough to have conquered someone in one way!. It must be complete and lasting!.

I hope this helps!. Www@QuestionHome@Com

The villains I hated the best in stories were the ones that had a streak of hope running through their characters!. Something in the villain's past or currrent life that makes him less than pure evil!. The worst villains are the ones that we can identify with, the ones we can almost imagine ourselves becoming if we were in his shoes!. I tried to not use any actual examples, just like you asked!.

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Well, try attacking it from the other direction!. What makes a hero so good!? Why are people inspired by him/her!? Now take the opposite and you have your villain!. Most people identify selflessness as the primary heroic attribute, hence a villain would have to be selfish!. An individual that acts solely for their own purposes without regard to the consequences on other people, society, or the world!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Too much of goodness all around makes anything else seem evil!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Every Villain Is Lemons!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

One who kills a lot of people/abuses animals/children and does so with no remorse!.
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I think that it is very possible to break away from the stereotypical, cliched "villain" while still retaining his evil traits!. Villains can gain the sympathy of readers when they are humanized-- that is, when it is revealed that some kind of personal tragedy has marred this character!. However, the villains can simultaneously deflect this sympathy and seem completely despicable when they react wrongly to the tragedy!.

It's kind of hard to explain what I mean!.!. let's say you wanted to name your villain Charlie!. If there was a traumatizing event in Charlie's life, readers might be more willing to feel sorry for him!. There's your "hope" factor; readers would say, "But Charlie *was* good at one point in his life! Remember how he was before [traumatizing event goes here]!?"

But let's say that instead of being heroic and triumphing over this adversity, Charlie decides to give in and becomes evil!. Charlie does exactly what the hero would not do!. He succumbs to man's "fallen" nature, and *seems* like an inherently bad person!. This is where the hate factor comes in!. Readers would be inclined to think that Charlie doesn't really deserve sympathy, due to either the severity or frequency of his evil deeds!. They would say, "Well, he should have reacted differently to [traumatizing event]!. That is why he is the way he is!."

I know that is a very winded explanation, but I hope that it helps you in some way! I like the way you think!.!. I'm a struggling writer too, so cheers :)Www@QuestionHome@Com