Change and growth in a your fiction characters

FICTION WRITING LESSONS, December 2006

CHANGE AND GROWTH IN CHARACTERS: IS IT MANDATORY?
by zentao

Contrary to popular misconception, the main character(s) does not have to "grow" or "change." In this discussion, rather than cite the usual classics, I purposely cite works and their characters I hope are popular enough that most who read this will recognize — books made into movies, famous television series, and stand-alone movies. Before we begin, let's first define character growth verses character change:

Growth presupposes a pre-existing foundation upon which to build.
Change is moving in a different manner than one has habitually and/or traditionally demonstrated.

Now, back to the question: Is it mandatory that a character grow or change?

Let's start with LotR (Lord of the Rings).

Frodo does not change or grow in LotR, not in book one, two, or three. He stays "Frodo," despite all the dastardly things that happen to him. Samwise, the secondary character, doesn't grow. He changes, but only in that he owns bravery already innate to him. Pippen, a tertiary character grows, but doesn't change.

Rowling's Harry Potter doesn't grow or change. He makes discoveries about himself, but he doesn't grow or change. He stays himself, growing neither wiser, nor more street smart. He doesn't change, but remains the innocent, good guy geek, super sorcerer who doesn't know his own powers.

Let's take Silence of the Lambs. Who is the main character in that work? Really. Who is the story about? Is it the woman detective? No. She is the vehicle through which we watch the main character and his effect. The main character and hub of the story is Hannibal Lector, and Hannibal does not change or grow, neither one, in Silence of the Lambs.

NO, A CHARACTER DOES NOT HAVE TO CHANGE.

Whether a story is plot-driven, character-driven, or both, a main character doesn't have to change or grow. Yes, characters can change and/or grow in any of these kinds of stories, but whether they do or don't depends upon the character, the story, the plot, and the author's choices.

Often it is the fact that the character does stay the same that is the whole drive and foundation of a work or series of works — the thing that makes a book, its story, as well as subsequent sequels a success. (Prequels, usually released after some or all of the initial success of a series, will often go back and show what caused the main character to decide to control their destiny. In them, the character will change and/or grow to become who they are in the series.)

Characters who don't change or grow are the stuff of series. A few commercial examples include the Harry Potter series, Mrs. Polifax series, Keith Laumer's Retief series (more obscure), Star Trek's Doc, Kirk, Spock and Scotty, Next Generation's Jean-Luc Picard, Battlestar Galactica's Commander Adama. Characters who don't change or grow are, likewise, the failsafe foundation of more than many epic novels. Legends of the Fall and Lonesome Dove are examples of relatively popular epics that were excellent books and movies, both. Let's examine Lonesome Dove. The main character does not change or grow. He remains the same personality and handles problems the same way throughout. And Legends of the Fall? Same thing. The character who the story is about does not change or grow, and it is that fact which founds the whole premise and theme of the work.

How about the children's classic, Black Beauty? Does the main character change or grow? No. That's what is so virtuous about him.

Ted Grosch, a member of my professional writers critique group said this, and it bears repeating:

"There’s a whole genre of fiction where the main character doesn’t change or grow much, and that is in the detective/sleuth mystery genre. The detective is there to solve the crime, and do little growing along the way. Take Rex Stout (Archie Goodwin), John D. MacDonald (Travis McGee), Janet Evanovich (Stephanie Plumb), Lee Child (Jack Reacher). I cited series novels that I’m familiar with, but this applies almost across the board to this genre, whether it’s a series or not. If the sleuth is an amateur, then there is room to grow, but this applies especially to characters who are professional detectives who do this all the time and anything but small character growth would not seem realistic."

Enough said? No? All right. Let's pursue it a bit further then.

Here is A rule (Note I said "a rule," NOT "the rule" because there are always exceptions.):

IF the character is controlling his destiny, he doesn't change or grow...usually...unless the change/growth is to succumb and become subservient and submissive (Literary works will do this, works often considered to have a sad ending — tragedy.). If the character is being controlled by destiny, then s/he usually does change or grow, becoming someone who decides to take control of his/her destiny.

REMEMBER THE READER

Your story audience is "The Reader," and the reading majority is reading for escape and entertainment. Entertainment readers are seeking worlds and answers that allow them the fantasy of believing that "They Can Do It Too" and "It Is Possible." In commercial fiction, readers want someone they admire, not someone who offers them what frustrates them most about themselves — the inability to control their lives and destinies.

CHARACTER CHARISMA

When a story's main character is driving destiny, when he or she moves decisively from the onset, regardless of circumstances that happen, the only change that happens is tactical, not personal. The main character is tested, but always responds boldly, for good or ill, by decisive action, and the reader, whether they like the character or not, respect the character for their purpose and decisiveness. (Darth Vader in Star Wars I draws because of this quality.) What the reader develops is empathy, respect, and admiration for a hero who is, from onset to end, decisive and controls his/her own destiny. Where stories of this kind can fail, of course, is in following or mimicking cliché, dwelling too much on character-as-hero/heroine so to become a farce (two-dimensional archetypical heroes/heroines, i.e., she-men, he-men), or failing to be able to build a bad guy and circumstances equal to and more capable than the protagonist(s).

On the other hand, most formula fiction that uses character change or growth has the character being kicked around, folded by life's circumstances. Then that character gets fed up and changes — rallies — and takes control of their lives, takes responsibility, and makes decisions. Writers trying to write this "change/growth" formula often fail to pull it off believably or without resorting to mimicking another story or clichéd events. Why writers fail is often because they aren't familiar with the subliminal elements required to successfully write it, namely what actually happens within a person to cause them to alter their approach to life and its circumstances (character psychology).

Again, I'm going to use a cinematic story that almost everyone has seen. Let's go to the stories in the Matrix series. In that series, the main character grows, though he doesn't change. He is driven to and, finally of his own accord, embraces his own innate rebellious, individualist nature — his penchant for not taking the obvious path, not accepting the obvious answer, his innate temptation to break the rules, and his skill in making a new alternative choice that no one sees or agrees with. His teacher, on the other hand, is the archetypical father-god who never changes. Neither does the woman who becomes the hero's lover change.

Notice that when a story has a character being driven by destiny or circumstance rather than driving it, then the change/growth that occurs in that character (if it happens...and it usually does in such an instance) occurs at the turning point. He/she will begin to control his destiny with decisiveness to either win or fail, but at least will change to have a say in what happens. This makes for a successful story at its conclusion for the entertainment reader, regardless of whether the main character(s) succeeds or fails, lives or dies, wins or loses. Usually, however, this story is exceedingly difficult to set up originally enough to maintain reader interest before reaching the Turning Point, and devices such as "chase scenes," being stalked, the character suffering any manner of torture or ill-circumstance and crisis is used to drive the book rather than solid story. Simultaneously in these works, the writer has to cultivate reader sympathy for the character, rather than empathy, respect and admiration, and gaining reader sympathy is harder to do.

DEMONSTRATING FAILURE TO MAINTAIN CHARACTER CHARISMA

Again, because we are such a media-driven audience, I am going to use a cinematic story that most everyone knows.

A member of my family is a Johnny Depp fan. Last night we watched Pirates of the Caribbean 2. In Pirates of the Caribbean 1, Johnny Depp plays Captain Jack Sparrow, a pirate IN CONTROL OF HIS OWN DESTINY — in other words, no matter what happened, he ACTED, not REACTED, to circumstances in which he found himself. In the second story, bad writing changed the persona of Depp's character, Sparrow, to become a defensive character, one who was being controlled by destiny and, therefore, REACTED to circumstances. The second movie failed until very near the end when Sparrow, for no reason whatsoever, again became someone who ACTED, not REACTED, to circumstances in which he found himself, in control of his destiny rather than being controlled by it. PotC 2 was, in essence, a flop because the writers failed to maintain what made Sparrow admirable, respected, and charismatic to story watchers.

With the heroic and epic drama, even those which, like PotC, contain a lot of humor, readers want hero/heroine to be a man or woman who is an individualist and has intestinal fortitude. They don't want the guy or gal who just doggedly "keeps on keeping on" or continually waffles or subordinates when the boss or mom-in-law keeps kicking them in the slats...not unless that character turns around and CHANGES or GROWS to become someone who, for valid reasons, decides to take control of their destiny after one kick too many...but an author has to do it right, believably, or it's a flop. Pay very close attention to human psychology and create believable and supported changes (substantial basis.)

AGAIN, ALWAYS REMEMBER YOUR READER, ESPECIALLY IN COMMERCIAL OR ENTERTAINMENT FICTION

Entertainment readers do not want stories to remind them too much of their own inability due to life circumstances to stand up and go toe-to-toe with their tormentors. They would prefer not to identify with a Limp Dick or a Waffling Wanda who demonstrates getting along in life by bending over and taking it up the "poop chute," where compromise is the rule — someone much like themselves (and most all of us) in many if not most life situations, manipulated by existence rather than manifesting their own destinies. What the reader wants is to vicariously identify with someone who says, "No!" to the boss or mom-in-law, who walks out and succeeds on their own without the shackles of subservience. Whichever book you write, where the character grows and/or changes (for better or for worse) or where the character is someone who controls their own destiny, make sure that you abide by the needs of the story's readership.

Making sense yet? No? Well, think about it, and always remember that uniqueness and originality of plot, character and story is key, coupled closely with style, voice, and tone.

Lesson TOC (Table of Contents)...4

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