Back in September, I spent three solid days shamelessly glued to the PlayStation with Uncharted 4. For those of you who aren’t gamers, Uncharted is a series of role-play action-adventure games featuring Nathan Drake—a wisecracking hunk of beefcake with a penchant for treasure hunting and getting himself into gun-fighting pickles. One could argue that video games can hardly be counted as ‘Book Chat’ material but the Uncharted franchise is so beautifully story-oriented that I’m letting this one slide.
The latest instalment (Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End) has the main protagonist, Nate, following the trail of real-life pirate Henry Avery, and his colony, in search of a ‘treasure of a lifetime’, all in the name of saving his long-lost brother, Sam. It’s a mashup (as always) of Indiana Jones and Die Hard (but with an even better storyline) and Nate is ridiculously easy on the eye—not to mention a stickler for an impossible mission.
Which got me thinking (not as rare an occurrence as you’d think): Nate’s flaws are plenty but they make him doubly attractive—and relatable—particularly handy since we can’t possibly relate to his knack for hurling himself willy-nilly off cliffs and the like.
So I decided to make a list. (I love a good list.)
Here are five of Nathan Drake’s character flaws commonly found in a host of other fictional characters from books, TV, and film.
1. OBSESSION
Number one on a LOT of lists, the flaw of obsession is hardly uncommon. Whether it’s a thirst for revenge or a fool’s errand in pursuit of riches or power, characters whose obsessions take command of their lives are aplenty. Nathan Drake is no exception. In earlier games, his reckless need to beat his opponents and uncover the mystery of whatever lost treasure he’s tracking drove him to extremes. In Uncharted 4, he’s finally out of the thief game, living a normal and oh-so-mundane life. This time, the lure of the treasure is second in line to the need to play the hero—and bail out his brother. Nonetheless, the obsession fogs his view, clouding his judgment in more than one instance, and leading him to do things he shouldn’t. Like lie. And steal. And murder people left, right, and centre…
“Let’s see… I ruined my marriage. Drove my best friend away. And now my brother’s gone missing. On the bright side: at least there’s no one around to call me an idiot.” — Nathan Drake, A Thief’s End (Naughty Dog)
Oh, Nate… You idiot.
2. ARROGANCE
So, obviously Nate is a… superfly guy. I know it, you know it, he knows it—and boy, does he milk it. His arrogance gets him into bigger trouble fifty percent of the time but more often than not, it’s his arrogance that gets him out of it in the end. Also, it’s charming as all hell.
3. OVER-PROTECTIVENESS
Of course, we all want someone in our lives willing to go the extra mile to protect us and make us feel all warm and cosy and secure at night. But when said person begins omitting truths (blatantly lying) and manipulating events to try to protect us, it can be, quite frankly, annoying. I’m more than capable of deciding whether to risk getting myself killed or not, thank you very much, Nate. I don’t need you to decide for me just to play the big hero… Oh wait, that wouldn’t be ALL bad, I guess… (well, there goes my girl power.)
4. SMART ASS-ery
The line is: ‘No one likes a smart ass,’ but I beg to differ. I LOVE a smart ass, but I should point out that this pertains only to the fictional world. Nathan Drake is a one-liner genius, resorting to quick wit and one-uppers against his foes even in the face of mortal peril.
Flynn: “Found the ships though, didn’t I?”
Nate: “You couldn’t find your ass with both hands.”
— Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (Naughty Dog)
5. GREY MORALITY
This is by far one of my favourite character flaws, whether it’s in a book, film or any other media. It’s so deliciously complex, and builds intrigue and excitement around the character. When it comes to morally grey characters, we find ourselves succumbing to their plea, empathising with their cause no matter how ludicrous, and no matter the cost. We tend to overlook their (often) criminal or unjust behaviour, making up ridiculous excuses: ‘I know he just killed nearly an entire army, but he HAS to save his brother, dammit!’ (Me, on Nate.) These folk really know how to spin our moral compasses.
Other morally grey souls we make excuses for:
Damon Salvatore from The Vampire Diaries
https://vampirediariesguide.com” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>Source
Last time, I swear.
And there you have it. My list of character flaw observations to justify the hours spent lost in the world of Uncharted when I should have been writing.
It was completely worth it. 🙂
What are your favourite flaws? Who are your favourite flawed characters? Who did I leave off the list? We all know who I didn’t leave off the list. (Still not sorry.) Let me know below in the comments.
