I’ve noticed recently that I’m a fairly trusting reader. By that, I mean that if a character (especially a narrator) tells me something, I believe them. I’m good at catching twists in a plot, so in a way I can spot when things aren’t what they seem. But if one character, for example, describes another character to me, I’ll accept that–and sometimes I think it causes problems.
I’ve just been reading a book with two first-person narrators, going back and forth. At first, they don’t like each other when they meet. I noticed that when one narrator described the other one as annoying and stuffy, I started seeing him that way–even though I’d liked him perfectly well (and hadn’t had that impression) before she described him. The trouble arises because, as I read on, I do think, intellectually, that she was wrong, and she even changes her opinion–but I’ve incorporated her initial impression into my impression of the character, and I have trouble getting rid of it.
Another, perhaps more illuminating example, from a different book: a ten-year-old girl, narrating, meets an adult man and describes him as old. Years pass, they’re friends, she realizes as she gets older that he was probably only twenty or so when she met him. But I’ve been picturing him as old, and I have a terrible time trying to get rid of that impression now that I’m learning new information. Which made the whole thing fall a little flat when they eventually got together romantically–the age difference is big enough, and I’m saddled with an impression that it’s much larger.
I heard in a writing class once that having one character say something about another is one of the best ways to reveal things about that second character (and the one doing the describing, for that matter). But it gets more complicated with a character who’s mistaken, or even lying. How does a writer, or a reader, handle that?
It makes me think, as a writer, that if you want to pull a twist on your reader, it’s better to do it by leaving out information than by telling the wrong information. I read another book recently where a supporting character named Jamie seems to be male–then turns out to be female. I don’t mean she was in disguise. All the characters who knew her knew perfectly well she was a girl, but the author kept the reader from realizing it through very clever writing–and careful avoidance of personal pronouns. And that worked. Even though I was imagining Jamie as male, when she turned out to be a girl no one had actually told me otherwise, and I could appreciate the twist. If another character had told me something about Jamie that needed to be re-thought, I think it would have been harder.
Anyone else want to weigh in? Do you believe what characters tell you? And can you change your impressions when they tell you something new?
Tales of the Marvelous 
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I tend to trust the narrator’s facts, because the narrator is a stand-in for the author, and the whole point of fiction is to make believe that the facts, as the author reveals them, are true. Plot twists that involve characters who are not as they seem should be accomplished through listing only certain facts and omitting others. The gray area has to do with perceptions that are in the eye of the holder: tall, nice, old, friendly, and so on. But a good writer shouldn’t use adjectives like that much anyway. Don’t tell me that a character is friendly; show him or her behaving in a friendly manner. If I find out later that the incident was true, but that the point-of-view character lacked certain facts that would have shown that the friendliness was feigned, that makes for a good twist.
Great point that some of the impressions that I have trouble with probably shouldn’t be directly described anyway! Although part of my problem is when one character misinterprets/misrepresents another character. Although perhaps good writing could show a character one way, or even the narrating character reacting as if the first character is a certain way, while still making it clear that it’s the narrator’s perception, rather than an intrinsic truth.
I try to be objective about the way characters describe things. I mostly accept what they say, but do realize that what I’m hearing is just their perspective. Like when reading Harry Potter, I swear all of the Slytherins are described as butt-ugly. But I like to think otherwise, because after all, Harry doesn’t really like Slytherins and we are getting the story from his point of view. So maybe their features are exaggerated or completely made up. Maybe their attitudes color Harry’s perception about the way they look. It happens.
I think you just made me view Slytherin in a whole new way. Fascinating point about Harry’s lack of objectivity! I always thought being a bit nasty was a prerequisite for being in Slytherin, but I could definitely see Harry’s perception coloring his description of their appearances. After all…why should nastiness (or ambition or obsession with pure blood) have any connection to ugliness?
I’m with you – first impressions of a character tend to stick with me pretty strongly. It’s had to change opinion through the book. I think it’s a good point that it’s better to leave out information and reveal it later rather than by telling the wrong information which later the writer wants to change. The reader may not go along with that and then the story falls flat. Good observations!
First impressions do stick with me–which can be a problem when the first impression is misleading, or even when a character is meant to change! I have seen skillful authors pull it off, but it can be tricky…