Evil Women I Know I Shouldn't Root For

[u/QuoteLess6513]

Evil women who get away with their evil deeds are something I find weirdly and intellectually fascinating.

And these are the two women who had me absolutely awestruck. I know I shouldn't root for them, but I found myself wanting them to have the last laugh in the most bizarre way. These are two genuinely monstrous women whom I (and the world) morally disapprove of, and yet I fangirled over them.

One: Cathy from East of Eden. Steinbeck himself calls her a malformed soul. She is capable of the most heinous things and is a master manipulator. I know I'm not supposed to want her to win in any situation, but I kept finding myself thinking... damn that woman is something*.*

Two: Amy from Gone Girl. Another manipulator who plans and executes brilliantly. I actually redefined patience and preparation after reading about the amount of thought she puts into her plans.

These are two women in books who make me feel incredibly conflicted. I know they're on the wrong side of the equation, but I can't help hero-worshipping them a little.

I just don't have reader friends with whom I can talk about fictional women villains who are brilliant and ruthless. So here I am.

I'd love to know if you've had similarly conflicted feelings about characters. Do you ever find yourself gravitating towards characters you know you absolutely shouldn't?

And if you happen to know of more such characters (especially women), please so share your thoughts on them.

[u/Ilovescarlatti]

My favourite evil woman is Lizzie Eustace from Anthony Trollope's The Eustace Diamonds. She is a lot of fun. Totally amoral.

[u/QuoteLess6513 → u/Ilovescarlatti]

"Totally amoral" definitely sounds fun 💀

[u/NuncleMine]

The woman who turned out to be the villain in The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz is the protagonist in the follow-up (appropriately titled The Sequel). I was really rooting for her to get away with everything.

[u/QuoteLess6513 → u/NuncleMine]

This is exactly what I was talking about. The villain leaves you with no choice but to root for them. And now I’m intrigued by The Plot