No one relates to the Joker.
People like to say they do, they like to think they do, they like to post that stupid picture where it says something like: being an adult means understanding the Joker was right.
But it’s not true. No one relates to the Joker.
It annoys me when people say they relate so much to the Clown Prince of Crime, because I’m sorry, unless you are a sociopathic clown who enjoys laughing at things that should horrify you, you do not relate to the Joker. People who say this to me almost never share any trait the Joker has, doesn’t share the Joker’s ideology past some surface level opinions, and doesn’t want to kill everyone.
No one relates to the Joker.
But many, many people understand him.
There is this notion in writing that characters need to be relatable in order for audiences to latch on to them. I think this opinion is right in the sense that a relatable character can get people to continue the story, and to even fall in love with the story.
However, I also think this opinion is wrong in the sense that you need a character to be relatable for people to latch on to them. That’s not true. There are plenty of vile characters people latch on to, people who are not vile themselves. And that is because people understand that character, even if in reality, if they were to meet, they’d never agree with them.
Cersei Lannister comes to mind. As does Thanos and Walter White. These characters are not people others aspire to be. Or, rather, these characters are not people whose personalities or lives anyone wants to have. We love them because they make stories interesting, because we want to know what they plan to do next, but we’d never do what they think of doing. And if we do, people would hate us for it – and in a lot of cases, rightly so.
Characters do not always need to be relatable. But if they are not, they need to be understandable. In fact, I’d argue that making a character understandable is compulsory, and making them relatable is a secondary goal – not necessary, but a bonus if you can swing it.
You cannot relate to a character if you cannot understand them. No character who has ever been described as well-rounded has not also been understandable. That’s why they are well-rounded; we know what drives them, how it drives them, and why it drives them. We can see how every action they take and every line they say leads back into that driving force. We think they are well-rounded because we understand who they are, and can link everything back to that understanding.
Having relatable characters is great. I think that keeps people coming back to the book. But having understandable characters is necessary. Because that keeps people from putting the book down entirely. So, when you write the next great novel, the next bestseller, ask yourself: what can I do to make people understand where this character is coming from?
If you can answer that question, it will be far easier to make them relatable.
Thanks for Reading, Fellow Writers!
If you enjoyed the article, don’t hesitate to share or leave a comment!
And remember, every great story started with just one line.
Professional Amateur Writers 
That’s a great way at looking at characters. Much better than my usual way of writing cardboard cutouts lol. I got a long way to go to catch these nuances and apply them to my manuscripts. Thanks for sharing!
LikeLiked by 1 person