Quot Harden Character

5. As members of the audience, we are quick to identify with and make bonds with the characters presented to us. Characters are usually written to be likeable and relatable to audience members in order to make the story more believable and to create a connection between the viewer and the character. This can cause us to view the events of the story in a different light than we would have had we not connected with the characters in it. Usually, the character we identify with most is our protagonist, often the “good guy.” In most genres, his or her actions are supposed to eventually lead to the best possible outcome for those involved given the circumstances and despite the obstacles, and we root for this character hoping he or she will achieve

Monk and peace activist Thích Nhất Hạnh says that “Watching a bad TV program, we become the TV program. We are what we feel and perceive. If we are angry, we are the anger. If we are in love, we are love. If we look at a snow-covered mountain peak, we are the mountain,” (Hạnh 13). Hạnh is saying that by interacting with media, we internalize the messages it sends, but this includes the deviant and corrupt ones. Modern media is filled characters that commit violent, brutal, criminal, and other “bad” acts for the purpose of the audience’s entertainment. Frequently, we are led to believe these acts are necessary for the greater good. Because we identify with these characters, we can end up supporting actions we wouldn’t normally agree with in the real world. While we may consider certain behavior as immoral, the emotional connections we develop with characters cloud our judgement similarly to how it would with a friend or someone we

Like Ethan, Maximus has fought in battle, even rising high in the ranks to General and leading the Roman army against German tribes. Paralleling Ethan’s return to his brother’s home as burns, killing his brother and his brother’s wife and son, Maximus returns to find his home burned down and his wife and son murdered. Seeing Maximus break down causes the audience to feel for him and possibly relate to his heartbreak and loss. After he is captured by slavers, he is forced to become a gladiator and take part in combat for entertainment, and realizes this will give him a chance to get close to Emperor Commodus, the man who gave the order to kill Maximus’s family. Fueled by his yearning for revenge, Maximus is able to overcome his reluctance to becoming a gladiator. Due to his military training his combat skills are exceptional and his desensitization to violence and murder allows him to kill his opponents without hesitancy. The audience, who is now emotionally invested in Maximus and seek justice for his family, root for him as he fights to the death. Though he wins every tournament and is eventually able to confront and kill Commodus, he has killed many gladiators to do so. In order to avenge the deaths of two people, he kills many more who took no part in the emperor’s order. Though Maximus is a violent killer, the audience supports