Mary Sues: When to Lose 'Em and When to Use 'Em

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MARY SUE

An idealized character, perfect in every way.  A character who is always right, with no great faults, and many friends.  Any character who is not fond of the Mary Sue is most likely the enemy.  Often, a Mary Sue is an author avatar, thought not always.

If you are unfamiliar with Mary Sues, here are some quick pointers on how to spot them.

a)  If their physical appearance resembles you (the author), or if it resembles what you wish you look like.

b)  If they have an insane amount of talents, or master new talents with ease and speed.

c)  If they are loved by everyone, except their enemies

d)  If the sun shines brighter, and the birds sing louder, and the flowers bloom when they enter an area

e)  If they are always in the right, and never make a mistake that drastically affects their life, or other's lives.

Now, almost every author is aware of the dreaded "Mary Sue", and each author does their best to avoid them.  However, despite their best efforts, even the greatest of authors have had their Mary Sues.  

Why is this?  I believe it is because everyone of us desires to be just a little bit better than what we are.  Every human being on the planet wants to be the best at something, to be loved, and respected...  and those of us with an inclination toward writing have a chance to make ourselves just that- whether it is done consciously, or unconsciously.  

Unfortunately, when readers encounter Mary Sues (or their male form, Gary Stus), they find that the characters are difficult to identify with, because of their perfection.  Let's face it- no one likes the know-it-all, overly virtuous person who stubbornly inserts themselves into your life "for the better"!  

Every author knows this, and yet somehow, Mary Sues are some of the most commonly seen characters in fiction- especially in fanfiction involving OC's (original characters).  

But ladies and gentleman, authors and readers, I present to you a revolutionary idea:  Mary Sues are not always bad.

Yes, I said it!  I believe that, contrary to popular belief, Mary Sues do have their place in literature.  

To illustrate my point, let me list some examples of Mary Sues from popular and professional literature.

#1:  LUTHIEN TINUVIEL

Story:  The Silmarillion

Author:  J.R.R. Tolkien

Image created by Moon-Blossom

When Luthien is first described in the book, it literally says that when she dances, spring begins.  Luthien has no apparent faults, and is loved by all of her kingdom.  When Beren first sees her, it is love at first sight.  With all of her powers and skill, Luthien makes for a definite Mary Sue, in fact- I think she's the most obvious Mary Sue I've ever seen.  

And yet, Luthien still manages to be an awesome character!  Despite her perfection, she has readers rooting for her all the way.  The woman is up against tremendous odds, and yet she still manages to pull through triumphantly.  She is no damsel in distress, waiting for Beren her lover to rescue her.  When her father locks her away at the top of a towering tree (Rapunzel, anyone?)  She casts a spell to make her hair grow long enough for her to climb down.  She then proceeds to weave it into a cloak of invisibility and goes to rescue Beren on her own.  When she and Beren take it upon themselves to live up to her father Thingol's dare and steal a silmaril from the dark lord MORGOTH's crown,  Luthien uses her magic to disguise herself and Beren as a vampire and a werewolf, respectively.   She then proceeds to sing such a beautiful and enchanting song that she manages to send Morgoth, the manifestation of evil itself, into an enchanted sleep!

Why can Luthien be a Mary Sue and still manage to be awesome?  Because she has her place.  When a person reads a fairy tale, (especially one as  complicated, dark and grand as The Silmarillion), they aren't doing it for reality, they're doing it to escape reality.  Becaue each of us desires to be better than we are, it's fun to imagine ourselves as the incredible Luthien Tinuviel, or if we happen to be male, as her brave and devoted hero Beren.  

We feel for them as they struggle through trial after trial, fearlessly sacrificing everything for a love that will bridge the gap between men and elves.  As long as a Mary Sue is kept sympathetic to the audience, I think that they can work.

#2:  Super Man

Story:  Super Man (Comics and Movies)

Creator:  Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster

I think that everyone knows who Super Man is.  He's the first person that everyone thinks of when they hear the word superhero (others may include Batman and Spider Man).  

He's the man from Krypton sent to earth to escape the destruction of his planet.  Being in our atmosphere gave him an amazing (and confusing) set of powers- including, but not limited to:  laser-vision, X-ray vision, flight, super-strength, super-speed, indestructibility, a memory-wiping kiss, ice-breath.... oh, the list goes on and on.  Super Man is just ridiculously powerful.  In fact, his only weakness is Krypntonite, fragments from his home planet, ironically.  

But don't worry, when readers and viewers get tired of seeing him beat his evil enemies to a pulp, we get to watch him go into his secret identity, Clark Kent, the mild-mannered reporter that has become the arch-type for all super-hero secret identities.  We get to meet his beautiful love interest, Lois Lane, who seems to be caught between loving him, and his alternate identity Super Man.  Oh... the trauma of love triangles...

Even though Super Man is an undeniable Gary Stu, people have known and loved him since his first days in the comics in the late 1930's.  Why?  Once again, because he is relatable.  Everyone has a secret desire to be heroic and powerful, and lets face it- every girl wants a hero to love her, right?  Super Man gives us something to aspire to, as well as some great adventure stories to enjoy.

I could list others, but I feel that my point has been sufficiently illustrated.  There is a time and place for Mary Sues, and a way in which to successfully use them.  

Now if the character is completely one-dimensional, with no enjoyable or relatable qualities at all, then it's time to dump them.  If the story hinges on their being like this, in might be time to rethink the story as well.  All characters, even Mary Sues, need to be sympathetic and able to be enjoyed by the audience.  

One sure way to test your character's relatability is to allow others to read about them.  Not just one person- multiple people.  Get their responses to your character.  Can the reader identify with them?  If not, can they still be enjoyed?  If not, it might be time to either scrap the characer, or re-work them from the beginning.

Still, I think that as long as Mary Sues/Gary Stus are kept relatable and reasonably realistic, it's not too terrible to have them in your stories.

Some ways to do this are:

a)  Give them a few faults or vices to bring them down to earth.  Make sure that these faults are reasonable faults that normal, everyday people would have and relate to.

b)  Make sure to show that they are not always perfect, or the best at everything they do.  Make sure that from time to time, they fail- because if they don't, what would be the point of reading/watching the story?  

c)  If they happen to be an author avatar, and their struggles in the book are wish-fulfillment for you, make sure that their victories can appeal to anyone.

So if you've been realizing lately that your Main Character is a Mary Sue, don't be disheartened!  There are still ways to turn in around, and make them into an enjoyable character without completely re-writing them.  There is a time and place for Mary Sues, just as there is for almost everything else.  :)

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For more fun stuff on Mary Sues and writing tips, Spring Hole is a great place to go.

If you're worried about a particular character, or multiple characters, run them through this test!

Mary Sue Test

Do you know of any well-placed Mary Sues in fiction?  If so, let me know about them in the comments! Do you agree with my assertion?  Do you think I'm completely wrong and need to re-think my life?  Either way, I'd love to hear about it!  

Yours,

Emmarayn Redding

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(Disclaimer:  I do not own the images used in this post.  All credit goes to the artists and the copy-right owners)