What are character flaws and what makes a good one?

Question

I mean, what exactly defines a flaw for a character? I know that the character's flaws should have at least some impact in the story, instead of being just a mere detail, but what makes flaw X better than flaw Y? Is it how much it impacts the story or how interesting it is? Diseases or personal problems are considered flaws? Can a character have only one main flaw or should they have multiple? What are the characteristics of a good flaw?

Answer 1

I think it is important to distinguish between a character flaw and a tragic flaw. Every person (and character in literature) has a character flaw because no one is perfect. Someone might be lazy; another person might be hyperactive; and yet another be fearful. And of course, we all have many character flaws that we all work on throughout our lives. A tragic flaw, which is often discussed in literature, is a personality trait that brings about that person's tragedy. For example, Oedipus, in Oedipus Rex, has the tragic flaw of pride, or hubris, in his intellect. He believes he can outwit the Oracle. It is his pride that leads to his downfall. If he didn't think he could avoid his fate through his intellect, he would never have left his home and travelled to Thebes, during which time he ended up murdering his father and marrying his mother.

Similarly in Adam Bede, by George Eliot, Adam's rigidity led to his misery. The interesting think in literature is to examine both the free will of character and the inevitability of their tragedies because of their flawed personalities.