The beauty of innocence, introducing Eddie

The beauty of innocence

An innocent in a story is someone who is pure, honest, kind and possibly naïve in the world. They have simple beliefs at heart, are likely optimistic and have a literal understanding of right and wrong. Think of Dorothy in the Wonderful Wizard of Oz and Forrest Gump. Both of these characters have an innocence at heart that helps steer them through their respective stories, make friends, have significant life changes thrust upon them and enables them to achieve their goals (in Dorothy’s case to return home, for Forrest Gump to live a simple and authentic life).

Introducing Eddie

Eddie, in the Word Guardians series, is very much an innocent. When we meet him, he’s in magical disguise as Wesley, having had this thrust upon him because of the misguided actions of his father, Detective Wheeler. Eddie’s under some form of control by Penn and, later, Orfeo, and the relationship seems to be very much that of villains controlling an innocent. I’ll leave it to you to decide though, after you’ve read Book 1. All I’ll say is that it’s not quite as it seems (see previous blog Who is the mysterious Penn for more insight).

Later in the story, Eddie becomes free of the magic and helps Yas, becoming friends. In Book 2, that friendship becomes a source of jealousy for Sam, who thinks that Yas is more interested in Eddie than him. The innocence that Eddie portrays doesn’t enable him to recognise or understand that dynamic, so he becomes wary of Sam for a time. At the end of Book 2, we see that Eddie has found an unorthodox friend in Akoni, Yas’s stepbrother who helped the Controllers at the expense of his adopted grandfather and himself. The relationship continues into Book 3 (again, I can’t say more without plot spoiling), but the two of them help each other. Akoni’s darkness and previous problems become lighter with Eddie around, and Akoni helps Eddie see the naivety in some of his world view.

So, is Eddie an innocent?

Yes, Eddie is a gentle character who certainly starts out with the beauty of innocence. He’s caught up in life circumstances that he didn’t ask for and his innocence helps him remain true to his authenticity, no matter the situation. He also learns a lot about himself and others along the way, arguably moving him away from the classic definition of that role.

So, who is he? Ultimately, I’ll leave it up to you to decide. To find out more, read the story of Eddie woven through the first three books of the series. Click the button below to view the books in your usual Amazon store (all the books in the series are available in paperback and kindle editions).