Post History

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/q/37776
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

[A while ago](https://writing.stackexchange.com/questions/36944/avoiding-darkness-induced-audience-apathy), I asked if there any possible way for my series to avoid causing [Darkness Induced Audience Apathy](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DarknessInducedAudienceApathy). A well thought-out response stated that unless I give my readers a reason to care about my protagonist, they won't give a damn about the conflicts he's involved in (due to his existential nihilistic worldview and selfish nature) and will [outright](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/EightDeadlyWords) [despise](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BaseBreakingCharacter) [him](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DesignatedHero).

What I forget to mention was that I plan having my protagonist undergo a character arc over the trilogy where becomes significantly less selfish and eventually abandon his nihilistic philosophy. It's also revealed through a series of flashbacks that his behavior stems from his early years where he was raised by abusive parents, forced to fend for himself on the streets, fell in with a gang of seedy people just to stay alive and was betrayed by someone who he was very close with. And unlike many fictional works that portray nihilism in a negative light, the protagonist's nihilism revolves around the fact that he believes that his life is meaningless due to lacking of clear purpose.

But when all is said and done, I feel that he's nothing more than a soulless archetype (along with every single character in my trilogy) and comes across as a grating character, despite having a good reason to justify his behavior. In short, how can I make my protagonist more likable and somewhat redeemable?

Original score: 9