We are looking at the story of Gideon, which is found in Judges 6-8. We will be focusing mostly on chapters 6 and 7, so if you haven’t read those yet, head on over to your Bible and brush up on this story.

If you’ve been following this blog, you know that I talk a lot about the importance of having flawed main characters. Well, in Gideon’s story, we find a man that seems far from the courageous, unflinching, comic-book heroes. In fact, Gideon seems downright cowardly at times. But does this make him any less of a good main character? Well, in today’s post, I’m going to use the story of Gideon to offer a few tips on how to write a flawed but heroic MC.

1. Grounded in the Lie

We talked about this two weeks ago in the post “The Lie vs. the Truth.” For a Positive Change Arc, your MC’s flaws will stem directly from their Lie as symptoms. So if the Lie is “I deserve better,” the symptoms might be self-righteousness, indignation at what they think is “ill treatment,” pride, or disdain for others whom they deem lowly.

Make sure that your MC’s flaws fit the Lie, and that their most major symptoms are directly connected. It would seem a bit out of place if a character whose Lie is “I’m not worth anything” had pride as a flaw.

(Note: Since the major flaws are grounded in the Lie, they will be overcome by the end of a Positive Change Arc.)

In the case of Gideon, his flaws of mistrust and cowardice ties in with his Lie that the Midianites are unbeatable and he is unable to lead.Also, he appears to have risen past these shortcomings by the time we arrive at the Climax.

2. According to personality

This one is a little obvious, but it does sometimes get overlooked. If your character is generally very brash, bold, and outspoken, it probably wouldn’t make sense that one of their flaws is timidity. Now, of course, that’s a little extreme, but I have seen similar things happen in stories before.

Just make sure that their Lie and flaws are in keeping with their overall personality. I do understand that people are complex, so things don’t have to be as they seem. It’s definitely plausible to have a character who is outwardly confident, but inwardly struggles with insecurity. But, generally, the flaws your MC has will be outward, anyway.

The bottom line is that you know your character best, so always be analyzing their actions. Ask yourself if they’re staying in character and, if they’re not, get them back in line.

Gideon’s story portrays him as someone who’d been raised on the fact that he’s one of the “least”. He’s a member of the smallest tribe, he grew up in a poor family, and he was the least in his father’s house. So you can imagine that the idea of him leading an entire nation against a huge army would be quite intimidating to him. He’s very unsure of himself, and seriously doubts that he’s capable of leading, as well as that Israel is capable of defeating the Midianites.

His personality and his flaws really just tie into each other. I mean, if our personalities were only based on our virtues, that would be an incomplete picture of us. Our sinful tendencies stem from the personality we were born with.

(Note: This is not meant to be an excuse to sin. While each of us has different flaws that come from our various personalities, that doesn’t mean we should dismiss our sin as being “just the way we are”. By God’s grace, He will cleanse us from sin, making us new creatures. This means that we will then have the power to rise past our flaws and sinful tendencies.)

3. Not praised

I have read countless books where the characters have many flaws. But instead of being recognized as flaws—instead of them being overcome by the end of the book—I find that the flaws are encouraged, praised, and embraced.

Above all, make sure that your are portraying your characters’ sins as truly wrong. Your audience should know exactly where you stand on certain issues (if those issues are touched on in the story, that is). And while your protagonist’s flaws should be plausible, make sure you’re not excusing their sins.

In Gideon’s story, we know that his hesitancy is wrong because a Flat Arc character is clearly against it (which is a good way to do it, by the way). This Flat Arc character is God Himself. Note that God helps Gideon along his journey to victory over His Lie and flaws, just as Flat Arc character should.

4. Give them virtues

Despite any flaws he might have, the hero is still the hero. So while you should give him flaws, make sure that you distinguish him from the antagonist. This means that he does need to accomplish some good, or at least have the desire to. Otherwise, why is he the protagonist?

For example, in the movie “Finding Nemo,” Marlin is an overprotective father who is quite pessimistic and high-strung. While you might think that he would be the antagonist, blocking young Nemo from going out and exploring the world on his own, he’s actually the MC. And the reason we care about Marlin and his story is because we see how deeply he cares about his son.

And in “A Tale of Two Cities,” we are offered a pretty extensive look at Sydney Carton, one of the supporting characters. Quite frankly, this young man is drunken, lazy, and idle. But we care about him because we know his desire to keep Lucy safe, to make something of his life, and to sacrifice for others.

So, by all means, make your Positive Change Arc hero flawed. In fact, make him very flawed. But don’t forget to give him a few virtues to help the audience empathize with him.

One of Gideon’s virtues is his trust in the Lord. Yes, this trust could definitely use some growth, but he did end up obeying God’s commands despite the odds. He could have easily said “no” at any point and walked away from the battlefield. And, while there was definitely a lot of hesitance, Gideon ended up doing as the Lord had commanded.

I hope these points were a help to you, and will aid you as you write your own flawed heroes. In two weeks, we’ll be back to take a look at yet another character in the Book of Judges.

Comment below what your favorite flawed hero is, and feel free to ask questions!