A-Z List 10: Characters, Starting With Taran from Alexander's Chronicles

The next A-Z List will tackle characters, particularly characters who come from books from previous lists.

The list will look at good characters, bad characters, likable characters, relatable characters, and, hopefully, what makes characters good, bad, likable, relatable...

The first character was created by an author from A-Z List 3: Lloyd Alexander. 

I adored The Chronicles of Prydain books growing up. It is the first series I collected and practically the only series until I started to collect manga. I read the books on a summer road trip from New York to California. I occupied the back of the Volkswagen station wagon, which space my father fitted out with blankets and pillows. I loved it! It was like a tiny RV in a long car. And I read the series. 

In all honesty, I picked up the first book because I was a huge Star Wars IV fan and loved Luke Skywalker. Taran's image on the first book reminded me of Luke Skywalker. 

It turns out, my inspiration was appropriate. Taran is an Everyman. He is young, brash, sweet, earnest, curious, surprisingly (unknown to himself) brave and logical, and hunting for answers. He IS Luke!

Alexander wrote a later series, the Westmark trilogy, in which the main male character is quite similar though the series--and therefore, the possible disillusionment and subsequent growth--is somewhat more somber. But Alexander wasn't afraid to let his good guys question themselves, a quality that shows in The Chronicles of Prydain.

Disney made a movie with the title of the second book, The Black Cauldron. Alexander rather humorously stated that he enjoyed the movie even though it bore little resemblance to his book. The movie is presented in The Sword in the Stone tradition and John Huston--who narrated Rankin's The Hobbit--narrates. The movie does capture Taran to a degree but fails to capture his inherent thoughtfulness. 

However, it is notable that male protagonists in American animation are allowed to be uncertain and a little bombastic: imperfect characters who grow. Female protagonists  seem to be fighting for recognition on two fronts--as women and as characters. Understandable but not entirely interesting. From a storytelling perspective, one may need to go anime for female protagonists with an internal arc.