Is Sophie A Mary Sue? (Essay)

Final Thoughts

My final thoughts: 4 points for Mary Sue, 1 for Sophie.

By these calculations, Sophie would, according to this essay, be a Mary Sue.

However—I myself am more conflicted on this debate. For one thing, I've literally written a 20-page essay on how Sophie is a Mary Sue. I've researched the facts, I've typed them right here, right now.

But on the other hand, as a reader, I've never considered Sophie's character to be a Mary Sue, except for when I read the first two books. After that, she started getting more flaws and more enemies. She's still a pretty Mary-Sue-ish character, but she doesn't annoy me like she used to. I don't know if this is because she's grown out of her Mary Sue phase, or if I've just learned to deal with it.

What I'm trying to say is, despite all of her Mary Sue tendences, I do not dislike Sophie. She's a good lens to see this world from, in my opinion, and I enjoy her thoughts and relationships and actions and whatnot. I don't think the Keeper series would be any better if it was told from Fitz or Biana or Marella's POVs; in fact, if it wasn't told from Sophie's, I don't think the series would work. Sophie is a vital character to the series, one I can appreciate. That doesn't mean you have to appreciate her, but I want to make clear that this essay wasn't me ranting about Sophie. I really do like her. She may not be my favorite, but she's tolerable (to me, of course).

I know some people hate Mary Sues—and usually, I would be with you there. But I don't hate Sophie, which could mean she's not a hardcore Mary Sue, or maybe I actually do like Mary Sues and I didn't know it. It doesn't really matter. I know Sophie is sort of a controversial character (lately I've been seeing a gazillion Sophie rants), but that's part of reading; there are characters some people really like and others really hate, and at the end of the day we just have to remember that despite our differences, we all have at least one thing in common: our love for the Keeper of the Lost Cities series (or I assume so, since you're on Fandom).

(Also, yes, that was me sneaking in a little life lesson about coexisting despite disagreeing. Feel free to ignore me.)

In conclusion, I have determined that Sophie is a Mary Sue using a website that may or may not be 100% accurate, but I still enjoy her character. Speaking of enjoyment, I hope you enjoyed this essay! Sorry it took so long for me to get it to you! And also sorry for the kind of chatty/rambly style I approached this topic with, but I figured that would be more interesting than me sounding all formal and stuff! I don't know what else to say, or how to end this, so... BYEEEEEEE!!!