The Hidden Secrets Behind Why Some Characters Stay With Us Forever
We can compare The Da Vinci Code and its protagonist, Robert Langdon, to Indiana Jones, whose quests are fun but not nearly as deep or complex as Robert Langdon’s. We want to go on Indiana Jones’s adventure because we want to hang out with Indiana Jones — he’s an iconic character! We take the Da Vinci Code adventure for the sake of the quest itself; any character could serve as a guide.
If you’re thinking about developing an iconic character, first ask whether it’s appropriate for your story. For example, skilled detectives might be interesting and likable, but they’re rarely iconic, because in the mystery genre, we’re reading to solve the mystery more than we’re reading to spend time with a particular character. For example, I like Harry Bosch just fine, but I didn’t read Michael Connelly’s books so I could spend time with Harry. I read to find out who committed the crime and how this mystery would be solved.
