Special Snowflakes – we see this trope a lot in books. Let’s give them a chat day.
Julie:
From Wiktionary: The conviction that one is, in some way, special and should therefore be treated differently than others.
Usually I’m not a fan of special snowflakes, because why? Why does that one specific person have to be so special? Why that person? I’ve griped about this in my wishlist of features in a new series post, because when characters don’t know what they are for forever in a book I get so irritated. And when they find out, and deny it. Because they’re not special enough to be special snowflakes. GAH.
Special Snowflakedom done right? Harry Potter. He is a very special snowflake, and he has a good reason – he’s a Horcrux! Perfectly valid reason to be a special snowflake, and yet even there his friends play huge important roles in the story line.
An example of special snowflake done wrong is Dorothy Must Die. Why her? Why is she the special snowflake, the only one who can defeat Dorothy? No one tells us! Plus, she seems so worthless most of the book. GAH.
Your thoughts on Special Snowflakes? Go!
Lynn:
Special snowflakes, especially in YA, make me feel like a grumpy old person. There is no reason for all these characters to think they are special.
I think Aria from Under the Never Sky qualifies. She goes from living in safety under her dome, to suddenly being able to survive the wilds? Ok, sure, with some trials and tribulations and help. But still. She is definitely not special
Cia from The Testing series is also a special snowflake. She’s literally “special”, being chosen as a testing candidate. And only she can figure out that the government really isn’t all that good. But really, not so special.
I think it’s hard to find a YA book these days that doesn’t have a special snowflake (or a group of them). I mostly know that’s what I’m signing up for when I read a YA book. What I hope these characters show to readers is that everyone is a special snowflake cut out for something — even the most unlikely and average. And hopefully, a young reader will think, “if this lame, average, complaining, underachieving not-so-special but special snowflake in this book can do amazing things, then so can I!”
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I’m actually one of the few people who doesn’t mind special snowflakes in my books. I mean, obviously, I don’t like them if they have no personality or I don’t connect to them, but that’s pretty much any character. I’m fine with the types of books where the “Chosen One” has to save the world—even if it’s not particularly realistic, I’m generally not reading these types of books for realism.
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Ugh, YES! And I hate it when there is this ONE person with no talent or personality and yet this person is the SOLE person responsible for saving the world or overthrowing some evil dictator. I mean, why does it have to be up to just one person?? It’s annoying for sure.
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The worst are special snowflakes who COMPLAIN about being special snowflakes and they spend the WHOLE book complaining. WHY ME? POOR ME! WHY DO I HAVE TO SAVE THE WORLD? NO ONE LIKES ME! I’M SO UNWORTHY AND UGLY!
Ugh, I just read a book I won last year and that’s all the main female character did…complain about being “forced” to help this beautiful, sexy resurrected Egyptian god/prince.
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Ugh I hate that too. Such a useless snowflake.