Do you think it's possible for a character to be completely irredeemable?
I think it’s possible for a story to write a character as completely irredeemable, because if you’re writing a story with the world view of pure good and pure evil, then the evil end would be irredeemable. There are a LOT of stories like this.
I think in real life, no one is actually irredeemable. But there are many people who do not attempt to be redeemed. Who do not try to change. Who do not care about hurting other people. Who do not want to be good. Who prefer to be self serving.
So. Like. People always have the possibility of being redeemable, but some people don’t want to be redeemed. They might say they want to be better, but they make choices and act in a way that prove they don’t actually intend to bother with changing. Because it’s hard to make the right choice. They could always change, but it can be very unlikely.
So what do I mean? A show like The 100 is more realistic in it’s portrayal of psychology and morality than a show that paints things in terms of black and white, so I think this show does actually think that all people are redeemable… but not all people will choose to be redeemed. Not all people consider their wrongdoings to be wrong. Not all people are concerned with the harm they cause others. Not all people are willing to change. Some people would rather excuse their actions with a “I did it for my people,” than they would make the choice to do better and redeem themselves. This is actually a rather major theme in the show.
They are redeemable. If they say they want to do better and they do better, they are redeeming themselves. If they say they want to do better and they continue on causing harm, then they are not redeeming themselves. Words don’t matter, actions do.
I know some people think some characters are absolved with pretty apologies, but I personally don’t consider apologies redemption. I need to see acknowledgement of wrong doing, making amends to fix the harm caused if possible, and a tangible change in behavior to ensure the bad behavior does not continue. If you say you’re sorry and then keep doing the bad thing, you don’t get a redemption, because being sorry doesn’t stop the harm. So, you are redeemable. You choose not to change. Therefore you are not redeemed.
