Greatest Characters Ever Written 6

"Archie Costello" ; 1974 ; Robert Cormier

If you love evil villains who display cool and calculating demeanors, who might be slightly demented, who you never quite know if they're really insane or if they're just insanely intelligent...then you need to experience Archie Costello. From the first time I read this novel (I was twenty-two; my aunt gave this book to my brother, warning him not to allow me to read it, so it was shelved in my mind for years until I finally came across my brother's copy and guilty consumed it in three sittings), I wanted to be Archie...even with his bullish nature and downright cold heart (however, the author makes you like him as much as the protagonist), I wanted to feel as in control as him, to view the world with such clear and precise vision.

I think I now view the world as Archie does, but without the affinity for causing others needless pain (especially if they don't deserve it and would be innocent victims of my raging wrath.) Although I probably had similar views as a youth, I never entertained them, possibly too afraid to express them to the people in my world for fear of being ostracized (I rarely tampered with limits as a young adult); however, I can still relate to how Archie must feel, lonely and always questioning why certain non-traditional or unpopular or non-conformist thoughts enter his mind, seeing and experiencing the world in such a different manner as everyone around him. I'm pretty sure I can state I've retained a more caring, sensitive, and understanding nature than Archie's character, but I know I see the world in a much darker light than I did as a child.

NOTE: The only way to fully comprehend what I'm attempting to relate here, you must read the novel; Archie is a complicated entity, not easily explained in the scope of a blog post. I am in no way an evil villain, or a bully (bullies are my third least favorite types of people in the world) but I admire intelligence and awareness, even if those qualities are employed with negative results.

I could not uncover a visual image of how the author intended the character of "Archie" to appear, so I have provide the film version of the character, wonderfully, deceitfully, and manipulatively played by Wallace Langham; although the movie depicts the novel rather accurately, they destroyed the final scene by having the "hero" prevail...

Archie doesn't choose black marbles...he just doesn't. 

(I know this image has Archie choosing a white marble, but he is forced to choose "two" marbles, per "The Vigils" code, and so the next one he chooses in the movie is black.)

If you've never read this novel as a young adult or have never seen the film, I suggest you read the novel first; it's still relevant today, much more nowadays with its bullying theme, but it also provides a more realistic representation of the situation in our culture today, as well as a much more poignant message to the young adults of our time who feel they can't rise above the bullies in their life. Also, it reminds people that bullying has been a problem for a very...very...long time...and it probably won't be solved with a few slogans or programs inundated into our schools at a pressing pace.