And They Hummed of Mystery: Gale Hawthorne

When There's No Room Left on the Dreamboat

3:01:00 PM

Relationship status: Mentally dating at least twelve fictional characters.

Whether it's Peeta, Mal, Arin, Noah, Jason or any others making up the fine selection of YA boys, our hearts have been captured by sly grins, high cheek bones, and a curated combination of chivalry, snark, and vulnerability. The YA boy is one of young adult literature's greatest and most adored ingredients for a successful story. They carry a lot of weight on their shoulders, with a goal to deliver the swoon factor while also providing the depth required to make us care about more than just appearance and flirtation. They're easy to fall for when they're perfectly crafted by an author who knows what she's doing.

So what makes a good YA boy?

(Besides the hair)

I guess it depends on what you're looking for.

Warning: I might spoil a few things, so if you're not caught up through season 2 of The 100 or haven't concluded The Hunger Games saga (what the hell are you waiting for?), beware.

There are some classic traits that seem almost universal for everyone's favorite YA boys. They can be kind, loyal, strong, and on and on and on. Basically, they tend to become human wish lists for what we hope we'll find in a real life partner.

For me, I've always found myself a bit partial to the more broken and complicated members of the YA boy hall of fame. Despite my obsessions, I no longer seek out a vision of my future relationships in the pages of the books I read. I'm looking for characters that challenge me and make me think. My love for Gale Hawthorne is no secret and my recent binge watching of The 100 had me immediately drawn to the soft eyes of Spacewalker Finn Collins. These two famous YA boys have their faults, especially when they become soldiers in a war much bigger than the both of them. Gale has been vilified by putting Katniss Everdeen in a difficult position by declaring his love for her in the midst of the stressful aftermath of her winning the Hunger Games. The same can be said for Finn and his relationship with Clarke Griffin. However, their major downfalls come with the way they are lured in by violence brought on by a need for vengeance. We should hate Finn for what he did to those Grounders, right? And whether or not you believe Gale played a role in killing Prim (I'll fight you on this until the day I die), he certainly had a significant fall from grace in the eyes of Katniss and of readers.

Now, obviously I'm not saying that any of these actions were justified or sensible. Especially these days, killing isn't the right answer, no matter how angry the world has made you. Let me just make that disclaimer before I tell you why I love these two characters.

It's because they're real. This has come up a lot in my previous posts regarding feminism and romance, and it applies just as equally to any love interest presented in these YA stories. I do not want a dream boy, because that is all they are meant to be: dreams. No matter how perfect a relationship is, it's never going to be like the products of fairy tales and epic romances. Real life just works out differently, especially in the reality of this age group.

These boys are teenagers, and real teenage boys are barely ever going to have the right thing to say and they definitely aren't always as noble as we think they should be. I'm not hating on an entire demographic here, but it's the truth more often than not. Their brains aren't even fully developed yet as they process all of the madness happening around them, whether they're in a war torn world or just a grimy old high school. Gale's brooding over his feelings for Katniss is a part of his adolescence, and he hasn't learned enough about love and relationships yet to understand how to properly handle it. We can't react to him the same way we would if he were twenty-five or forty, because his mind just isn't at that final stage of growth yet.

Finn makes an immature decision to pit Clarke and Raven against each other in their love triangle, but that's what a lot of teenagers would likely do, even if they didn't mean to. The maturity level isn't quite where it needs to be. We all remember the day we realized that other people existed and that our actions affect more than just ourselves. It's not a switch that flips once you turn eighteen, but a revelation that comes with life experience and emerging adulthood. Finn's is a tough situation and just because we can clearly see the flaws in his actions doesn't mean he knows how to fix them or even understand them. I can map out solutions as a viewer and as an adult, but I certainly wouldn't have been able to do that so easily when I was his age.

Story lines like these make it easy for readers to flock to characters like Peeta Mellark, who is Gale's counterpart in the HG love triangle and also a boy with beautiful words and a cherished innocence. There isn't really anything too complicated about Peeta's character and his only real personality conflict is forced upon him by The Captiol's hijacking. Otherwise, it's pretty straight forward. He loves Katniss. Always has. Always will. Smart. Strong. Sweet. That's pretty much it. Most everyone I talk to all but drools over the boy with the bread because he is the embodiment of so many ideal attributes that make up that magical dream boy. Tell me how much you love me. Make sacrifices for me. Read me poems and paint my face on a cupcake.

Sure. Fine. Nobody wants to read YA books full of dickish teenage boys that reflect every bad relationship that every high school girl has ever had and vice versa. If we had to be completely realistic in our writing of teenage boys, it would be a whole lot less enchanting than anything on the book shelves. This can be said for a lot of the aspects that make up YA. Reading is an escape and it's a way for us to create worlds where that kind of Peeta/Katniss romance isn't as far fetched as it feels while our exes haunt us and dating terrifies us. (I can't just be speaking for myself, right?) However, as readers, we can't immediately turn characters like Finn and Gale into villains because of their very human mistakes or because they get in the way of the story's core romance. It's not black and white, because villains and heroes aren't as separate from each other as fiction has lead us to believe. Did we forget how much blood is on Clarke's hands? Katniss's? They are still lovable and hopeful when the smoke clears, so why all the hate for these damaged YA boys? It's because of characters like Peeta, whose near perfection makes it impossible for anyone else to stand a chance.

You can't help but love Peeta. He's the dream boy.

And yeah, I understand why Katniss could never be with Gale after what happened. I understand why there was no place for Finn in the wake of his massacre. It was an inexcusable act that ate away at him and his death was the only path his character had left to take. And even with the countless Liam Hemsworth posters taped to my bedroom wall, I wouldn't be able to carry on a romance with either of them after so much hatred had made its way into their hearts. In that kind of situation, I would definitely have my own issues to work out too, because who knows how I would react if my life was turned inside out by war?

But as a reader, I was entirely enthralled with the complexity of the two of them. They were so much more than just extensions of the main heroine's story. Their darkness made them not only more human but also more fascinating. These are the kinds of characters that I want to keep reading about because they reflect the real flaws of mankind and also of youth. They aren't villains. They aren't dream boys. They're just people who did good and bad and lost the ones they loved.

Maybe if I was fourteen again, I would have a little more adoration for the Peetas of YA. However, maybe I never should have had the idea of the dream boy in my head in the first place. Because even the most kind and gentle of souls have their flaws. Teenage years bring about muddled decision making and impressionable minds that are easily swayed and manipulated. Finn and Gale, despite the trials of their lives that forced them to grow up too fast, were children failed by the destructive worlds around them. Not everyone will remember them as heroes, but they deserve to be remembered for more than just the dark sides of who they became. Complicated and broken YA boys may not get the girl in the end or win many hearts, but they give an undeniable depth to the story and are daring in the honest way they are portrayed. There will always be dream boys in YA to sail us into a happy ending, but the Finns and Gales deserve redemption too.

books

Boys in Books are Better

10:25:00 PM

Don't deny it. We've all had mad crushes on the boys we read about in YA. They're mysterious, poetic, loyal, and they can add a lot to a good story. These days, as gender roles are tested and love is redefined, male love interests are becoming more diverse, more interesting, and more complex.

Looking back on the ever long list of YA novels and series that I've read, there have been so many beautifully crafted YA boys that are impossible to forget. It goes far, far beyond the way the author describes their ocean blue eyes or their gently tousled hair.

And here are some of the best.

Number One:

Gale Hawthorne

The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins

I was all about Gale as soon as he showed up in the beginning of The Hunger Games. He was clever, honest, and served as a rock for the people who loved him. He's an easy guy to overlook as a third of a complicated love triangle, but let's be real. Gale is one under appreciated character. One thing that drew me to him immediately was the way Katniss Everdeen described their friendship. She tells the reader that he is the only person with whom she can be herself around. He understands her and they create a little world where they can escape from the struggles of their lives.

Gale is a quiet kind of strong, doing what he needs to do in order to protect the ones he loves. He takes on this burden at a young age, enduring hardship while helplessly watching injustice surround him. He is resourceful, self sacrificing, and brave. When Katniss is sent off to the Games, Gale is the one who cares for her family. When the Capitol bombs their district, it is his quick thinking that saves more than nine hundred people.

But Gale is also flawed. After years of harboring anger and hatred towards his oppressors, he becomes misguided when it is all finally put to use. Eagerly taking on the role of a soldier, Gale adopts an eye for an eye method of handling a war. However, there was so much of it he didn't understand. Tired of living in a broken world, he just wanted to be a part of the revolution. He wanted to make a difference. He just got lost along the way.

For me, Gale's story is heartbreaking, especially the way his life long friendship with Katniss slowly breaks apart. He loved fiercely and was solid in his loyalty. He was a protector and a friend, trying to find his place in the world. After the fall of the Capitol, I'd like to believe he found some peace.

Number Two:

Jason Kerwin

Magonia by Maria Dahvana Headley

When it comes to romance, it takes a lot to make me swoon. Do people still say swoon? Anyways, Jason and his love for Aza Ray Boyle in Magonia were mesmerizing. I cried. Yes, I cried over a teenage love story and it wasn't even a John Green book. This is serious.

This book itself is beautifully unique, and Jason is a huge part of that. The chapters that he narrates are unlike anything I have ever read. Every word breathes such an authentic life, capturing pain so perfectly that I felt like the pain was my own.

And here's the thing: Jason is a big weirdo. He doesn't walk through the halls and draw in the attention of every girl in school. He's rebellious and angsty, but not in a way that makes him desirable to a wide crowd. He's just Jason, living to please no one. That's what makes him perfect for Aza, a dying girl living in a world where the air she breathes is her worst enemy. Their friendship is so endearing it almost hurts to read about it because you want them to be together so badly. One of my favorite things about Jason is that he adores Aza no matter what. He sees her as strong and perfect when, by the world's standards, she is as fragile as they come. He looks past what no one else can and sees who she really is beyond the death that constantly threatens her.

And he believes. Even when the odds and facts stack against him, he believes in Aza's life and his love for her. He's afraid, broken, and devastated but he refuses to give up. Isn't that what love is, when you break it down to the core of it?

Jason's journey is the kind that you feel honored to be a part of. I don't know what's in store for him and Aza Ray in the sequels to come, but I know I'm going to love finding out.

Number Three:

Todd Hewitt

The Chaos Walking Trilogy by Patrick Ness

I still haven't read the third book, but Todd and Viola are some of the best YA characters I have ever encountered. With Jason and Gale, we get to hear about the life long friendships that have been developing for years before we show up. In this trilogy, we get to see it all happen. We get to be there as Todd goes from a confused, scared boy to a man on the brink of war and falling in love. His character arcs and developments are fascinating, especially when it comes to what he learns about killing and violence. Todd has a purity about him that is tested constantly throughout the endless troubles he and Viola face. He has to see the absolute worst of humanity. He has to stand toe to toe with indomitable enemies while discovering the true horrors of the world he lives in.

But it is his friendship with Viola that really drives his growth forward. You can witness the way he starts to care for her, and she for him. They challenge each other, argue, fight, and bicker, but they become something so much more than just allies marching through a war zone. Todd may not understand love or grasp what it all means as the feelings creep up on him, but he would die for Viola. And, even more importantly, he would live for her. With her.

Todd's courage comes from the need to go on. He is not a killer, even if the anger he feels leads him towards that direction. He is a hero even though he never intended to be.

Number Four: Noah Shaw

Mara Dyer Trilogy by Michelle Hodkin

So. It needs to be said. Noah Shaw is hot stuff.

Okay, moving on. This story is dark, diving into a deep good versus evil theme that takes two characters and combines their lives on a twisted journey of supernatural oddities. Noah Shaw starts out as a dreamlike piece of brooding perfection, cigarette, British accent and all. He wastes no time with pleasantries, with a blunt case of honesty and a wicked jawline.

But then, another side of Noah comes to life as he falls helplessly in love with the ever destructive Mara Dyer. Their relationship is never easy, as she'll likely drain the life out of him every time they touch. However, Noah looks past all of the weird that surrounds her. He barely bats an eye at the danger she presents to him.

There's something desperate about him, something that draws him to her and won't let him walk away. It's love, and it's something more. They spend so much time protecting each other and forgetting to breathe around each other that the few times they do get to spend together are so perfect for building tension and leaving the reader wanting them to make it.

In the end and always, Noah makes his own destiny. He loves scarcely, but also madly. He is strong in knowing who he is and who he wants to be.

Number Five: Finnick Odair

The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins.

Suzanne Collins knows what's she's doing.

Everyone loves Finnick. We first meet him as a man in a mask of charm and arrogance, trying to please the Capitol in order to protect the one he loves. As we get to know him, we learn of the depths of his suffering and anguish, and he becomes someone who we want to love and fight for. Finnick isn't a part of the major romance in the trilogy, but his relationship with Annie is not to be overlooked. It is a precious love, holding strong even through the years of torment brought on by their participation in the Hunger Games. Finnick would do anything for Annie, and he did.

One of my favorite things about Finnick is that we get to see him at his lowest of lows, losing his mind down in District 13 when he knows the Capitol has Annie as their prisoner. The man who paraded around half naked, offering Katniss a sugar cube, is broken down to a shell of that man clinging to sense under the ground. And even after he is reunited with his love, he doesn't hesitate to help the cause to change the world, heading into the Capitol in hopes of finally finding freedom.

So few deaths have affected the YA community as much as Finnick's. It was tragic, maddeningly swift, and seemingly useless. However, that is the sign of a truly great character. We continue to mourn him every time we read those tragic words or watch the fateful scene through our finger tips. Finnick died with courage, fighting for a future in which his son and his wife could be free.