I love uncomplicated heroes as much as the next guy. They are so easy to root for. They make us feel comfortable and cosy, and restore our faith in good. They treat everyone fairly and are celebrated as such. However, this kind of "pure" good while definitely has its place in storytelling, also feels very fictional to me.
In MXTX's books, heroes feel real because the way they're treated in the story is rooted in reality.
Heroes are likeable only as long as they're useful either to those in power or the populace or their actions are in harmony with the general beliefs of their society.
The ones in power/authority obviously have their reasons to exploit a well-intentioned character. As long as the hero is aligned to their motives, it's fine. Once that stops being the case, if they're powerful, they're a threat. Like what happened to Wei Wuxian. If they acted against those in power, they're villains. Like how Hua Cheng was perceived by the Heavenly Officials. (There were other reasons too obv but I'm only focusing on this one).
As far as the masses are concerned, they're not playing any active role in the story. But they feel entitled to judge the actions and limitations of a hero and therefore, have influence over them. In case of Xie Lian, it led to his kingdom losing faith in him which consequently led to him losing faith in himself (among other reasons). For Wei Wuxian, it led to his reputation being solidified as an evil cultivator.
There's something about the otherness and discardability that comes with choosing to be a hero in her books that I really like. As the story progresses, qualities in a hero that were once celebrated are flipped around and become reasons to condemn them. Meanwhile the plot itself is pushing characters towards moral ambiguity. Then, there's the isolation that comes with being an exception (the only one who cares/ who can do anything about it) and above all, there's the difficulty of executing justice without any support. Especially when what's right to the hero doesn't feel right to the society.
Given all of this, it's very easy to turn against them. It's almost like people are waiting for heroes to fail. There's a fine line between bravery and foolishness, and that line is "success". If you succeed, you're a hero. If not, well, you're not worth anyone's time except to disdain and mock. Only those directly saved by their actions support heroes in her work.
Usually in stories with uncomplicated heroes, they are placed on a high pedestal and are able to deliver on those expectations. That's what makes them heroes. There's an inhumane pressure to be perfect that is being met by these characters. I think, this kind of heroism can only manifest when societal effects are disregarded. It's given that whatever heroes are doing is for greater good and therefore, society supports them.
That's not happening in MXTX's books (Yin Yu wished). Since all of her characters are multidimensional, they have strengths and weaknesses. When cards are stacked against them... they fail. Irrespective of how well-intentioned they were, what matters is the results of their actions. Heroes are not an exception to the rule that you're only liked and supported by the society until you serve a purpose/deliver success. Until you're unproblematic and aligned to societal values.
What she has focused on is an aspect that's often overlooked i.e. how general sentiment in the society is not particularly conducive to straightforward heroism. Simply because this kind of heroism requires absolute purity that just doesn't exist in humanity. The conditions that need to be met to be an unproblematic hero also don't exist. It's a paradox because what's right has no clear definition and can be molded in any shape that's convenient while simultaneously virtues lie on a binary of good and bad and there's only one right way to be a hero.
All of her heroes are flawed (which is awesome!!) but they are so obviously heroes because they've chosen to be heroes not because they exhibited some unrealistically perfect sense of rightness. A realistic hero may only save one person. They may only make one person feel better. But they're not less of a hero because choosing to be kind when there's no reward or reason and trying to do the right thing is good enough.
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