Four is more than “man candy,” says Veronica Roth

The LA Times Festival of the Books was underway this weekend and Veronica Roth was in attendance alongside many other well-established writers.  Speaking at the event, Veronica went into detail about creating strong-minded characters like Tris and Four.

Here are some excerpts from the LA Times Article:

At the core of her series, Roth said, is a reversal of the typical character arcs of males and females. Traditionally, female characters keep things, such as family, together. Male characters go through a journey of becoming a fully formed adult. Instead, in “Divergent,” Tris is becoming her “fully realized self.”

“To really embrace who she is, find her strength and see what she really believes in,” Roth continued. “Tris’ voice is hard, direct straightforward and repetitive — like a man’s.”

Four, the male, speaks “poetic stream of consciousness, and he doesn’t hold things back,” Roth said. “It was like a playground for my mind.”

Veronica went more in depth into Four, explaining how she worked to make him more than just “man candy”–but an actual well developed character.

Four, the male partner-in-crime for Tris, was purposely well-balanced with the heroine.

“I didn’t want one person’s strength to require the sacrifice of the other,” Roth said. “I think there can be two strong people but they have to be complicated people. I think it’s important to show he’s a human being, not just man candy.”

Veronica also had something to say about J.K. Rowling’s character, Hermione, saying that her name should be pronounced “Her-My-One.”

Click here to read the full article from the LA Times.