1000%: JACK TORRANCE!!
As in, The Shining's Jack Torrance.
Anyways, Jack was an alcoholic and he was trying to save his family and redeem himself by taking the job at the Overlook. It just all went horribly wrong...
Not to mention, I've heard the character (in the book, not the movie) depicts King's own struggles with alcohol. Jack is really a heartbreaking character. His struggles and eventual succumbing to alcohol and psychosis (encephalopathy?) are so sad. They leave me wishing that he could have been successful - not least of all for Danny.
See my review of The Shining, here.
All of Stephen King's characters are slightly heartbreaking - which is why I love him. But Carrie from Stephen King's Carrie could be another one, but I'm not entirely sure anyone considers her a villain? I mean she kills everyone, but... *awkward silence*
And Mort Rainey from Secret Window, Secret Garden (Johnny Depp was Mort Rainey in that movie and let me tell you, that movie was perfect). He just loved his wife.... and then killed her.
All these characters clearly are bad guys - I'm just saying, they also had rotten luck and if just one little thing would have been different, maybe they could have had a happy ending. There's a quote about this somewhere from Charles Dickens, but I can't find it - something about but for the blink of an eye or something like that, but essentially it says but for the grace of God, we would have the same fate as they.
Carrie and Jack are excellent choices. I had a lot of sympathy when I read Carrie and The Shining.
ReplyDeleteI've never actually seen more than a couple of minutes of the film version of The Shining. Is it worth watching?
My <a href="https://lydiaschoch.com/wednesday-weekly-blogging-challenge-a-villain-that-i-wish-could-be-redeemed-and-why/”>post</a>.
Thanks Lydia! The film version of The Shining doesn't depict Jack as a good guy at all - he's a bad guy from beginning to end and that's why King disliked the movie. He felt that Jack was a decent guy trying to make it work in the beginning and then everything fell apart. In the movie, Jack Nicholson portrays Torrance as bad all the way through. So if you can see past that part, the movie is good.... The book is ALWAYS better :)
DeleteGood choices.. and now I have to go back and read The Shining!
ReplyDeleteThanks Judy! King is always worth the re-read ;)
DeleteCarrie needed someone to believe in her. She wasn't a villain per se, but she did need some help. Those around her weren't helping. So yeah, I agree. And Jack? He needed to get out and some air, but I agree there, too.
ReplyDeleteGreat minds think alike! ;)
DeleteOh now I feel woefully underread as I haven't read anything of King except for a collection of short stories.
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting my blog and leaving a link.
I think the book gods/snobs side with you and would say it's better to be under-read in Stephen King than Shakespeare, haha. But thank you for visiting as well :)
DeleteI would have liked to see Carrie get a happier ending. It's the only King story I really like.
ReplyDeleteIt's definitely a good one!
DeleteAs a big Stephen King fan, I LOVE your choices!!
ReplyDeleteYay! Stephen King is the best! Love him.
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