Character Transformation

 

Most of us have watched many movies and TV shows and read a good amount of novels. In most fictional stories, there is always this character who possesses a negative vibe. They are always trying to inflict danger upon the main character. They try so hard with scheming and plotting and sometimes get what they want, i.e., emotionally or physically destroying the main character. They are deeply hated by every other character as well as the audience. There is a saying, "paapon ka ghada bhar jana". That happens, and they get a dose of their own medicine, or some might say it has something to do with karma. They realize all the wrong they’ve been doing and transform into a better person. They get better and try to make up for the things they have damaged and destroyed. Usually, the bad guy is either dead or transformed into an ally. And the story gets a happy ending; everyone is happy. Unfortunately, it’s all fiction. Never in my life have I witnessed this kind of character transformation happening in the real world. All these fictional stories give us hope that someday someone will change and improve. Most of us cling to that hope and keep our fingers crossed, believing that, just like in fictional stories, our goodness will reflect upon the bad guys and they will change. It is a false hope. In reality, what happens is that every negative person you come across puts your patience to the test. Some of us bend our knees to them, and some of us become what we hate. We are forced to be the bad guy because of the bad guy.

My favourite quote from The Dark Knight would sum it up: “You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.”

When I first heard this line, I couldn’t make sense of it. But gradually, as I witnessed stuff happening around me, it all made sense. It might seem like a simple dialogue, but the deep meaning it holds is a harsh truth that can be realized only after a battle within oneself. In reality, everyone is left with only two choices: die fighting the evil or become the evil.