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Essays
Character Arc
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Character Intersects Plot: A Look at Character Arc When does a couch potato choose to leave behind his adoring wife and son for the cold, unforgiving sea to join a war that is not his own? Sometimes the call to a life changing journey is not answered by choice but rather by circumstance. Regardless of the motive or the outcome, the journey’s calls and must be answered. The character, Odysseus, in Homer’s The Odyssey reflects the sacred journey that, according to mythologist, Joseph Campbell, all hero/heroines must travel. The journey is an arc, one of balance, to disorder, and a return to balance that creates growth in the character and moves the story along as well. Odysseus starts out with limited awareness of the impact the Trojan War will have on his life. He moves through the stages of increased awareness, reluctance to change, and overcoming when he is pressured to join the warfleet to Troy. As the story moves, Odysseus becomes more committed to the war and also quickly becomes one of the most respected warriors. Odysseus experiments with his commitment to his journey and prepares himself for the big change. He must deal with the consequences of his actions and rededicate himself to his journey. His final attempt to return home comes when he and his allies battle the suitors. Mastery is achieved when he defeats the suitors and returns home, right back where he started—but changed (Arkwright, et al). These twelve stages of the hero’s journey are implied in every story where the main character undergoes some form of transformation and are the basis for modern day story-telling. From Odysseus in Homer’s The Odyssey to Ripley in James Cameron’s Aliens, character arc plays an integral part in any well told story. Writer, Durant Imboden, of Writing.org suggests that the ideal screenplay should have a combination of both plot and character, indicating that it should have “a plot that’s strong enough to keep the [audience] interested, and characters who are genuine enough to make the [audience] care how the story turns out.” Furthermore, the author suggests that “in any good story, characters grow between ‘It was a dark and stormy night…’ and ‘The End.’” This process of the character’s growth is known as character arc. Similar to the bell shaped curve often illustrative of a story’s plot, the character’s growth throughout the story takes an arc-like curve reaching its climax at the top of the curve and returning to a balanced but altered state at the bottom. Although the graphic depiction of the character’s growth is the shape of an arc, the ascension to the arc’s climax does not necessarily imply the character’s change will be a positive one. Character Pro for Writers’ online Character Development Center stipulates that “the bottom line with character arc is that some established characteristic in a person changes. By the way, this is not always for the better.” Change in a character can be seen in two specific kinds of arcs, according to the development center. A change in behavior is one type of arc a character can take; this character change is the most obvious for an audience to observe because it involves the actual behaviors of the character. For example, a timid character in the beginning of the story can, by the end of the story, stand tall with fists balled and face eye-to-eye a formerly intimidating foe. Another form of change in a character can be motivation. This arc is less obvious, for the character’s behaviors are the same; however, his or her motivation changes. The development center provides Star Wars’ Luke Skywalker as an example of motivational change. He begins his journey by joining the rebel fight against the Federation for revenge; they killed his aunt and uncle. By the end, his motivation has changed. He’s now part of the more universal fight of good vs. evil. He’s also trying to impress the Princess, but mostly, [by the end of the story] he’s joined the rebels in heart and action. His actions are the same, but his motivations have become noble. Screenwriting consultant, Jeff Newman, also adds that a character’s motivational change “could be an emotional or spiritual healing, a symbolic rebirth, the casting off of a potential fatal flaw, obtaining a new clarity of values, or a coming together of outer goal and inner need.” Often, heroes in mythology are called to a sacred journey, one of transformation and transfiguration. The stages of change mythological and modern day characters undergo help to tell a better story. Mythology is often interesting because of the characters, but the how the characters react to changing situations and, in turn, change themselves is what draws us to a good story. Newman indicates: “…a great deal is accomplished by providing a character who grows through a process of learning and change. It lends variety to both character and story, provokes curiosity and anticipation, intensifies conflict and energy, and provides inspiration and instruction for viewers who would themselves like to change.” Furthermore, Newman states that “since it is an ongoing process, [character arc] can provide a cohesive and unifying element to the beginning, middle, and end sections of the story. And it can help integrate story, characterization, and theme.” In agreement with Newman’s ideas, creator of a series of writer’s workshops, Lynda Simmons, contributes a screenplay’s ability to “keep the tension high and conflict going” to character arc. She adds that a character’s growth begins on page one. Based on the backstory of the character, his or her needs and behaviors have developed as a result of past experiences. These current needs and behaviors tie together with theme to move from one scene to the next and make for a more significant and important story (Newman). In his book Screenwriting from the Soul, screenwriter and USC professor, Richard W. Krevolin, states that a story’s character arc satisfies the basic needs of humans, as Freud theorized, to return to the state of comfort, security, wholeness, and closure we once felt in the womb. He also states, “that being said, you and your characters will be judged not by whether you achieved closure, but by how you and your characters acted over the course of your struggle” (106). So, in essence the most important part of the character’s arc is not the outcome but the journey. A character’s growth not only addresses our basic Freudian needs but also offers the ability to improve ourselves vicariously. As humans, it seems, we are flawed. Early, sacred texts and mythologies often discuss our imperfections and incompleteness. We are driven by a sense of need to either complete ourselves, as we perceive ourselves lacking, or to address our imperfections, whether we admit to them or not. Jeff Newman, suggests that “most of us want to change—to be different or better than we are, to one degree or another. Seeing characters who change, and observing how they do it, can give us hope that we, too, can change—and sometimes even offer a kind of road map as to how to do it. Or, if we witness character declension, it can serve as a cautionary example.” In accordance with the stages of the mythological hero, Newman, suggests that the character’s transformational journey happens in stages, sometimes with regression, but ultimately moving toward a change in the character. He offers this guidance regarding the change process of the character: “Not all at once. And not all at the end.” In general a character’s arc will follow the same progression as the plot’s points. By the end of Act I the character will have changed only a little. Through Act II, the character will usually face more conflicts, tests, or obstacles, and therefore, will grow—either for better or worse. By the end of Act II or the middle of Act III the character will have changed significantly. He indicates that, generally, the last major “spurt of character growth” comes at about the second plot point toward the end of Act II and may be a “significant realization, a self-revelation, or a change of heart (mind).” Newman adds that by no means do the changes in a character have to take place in a consistent, steady pattern. Like most people, the character may take a few steps back before moving on again. Some insights will be more significant than others to the character. Therefore, character growth should follow a mixture of slow gradual change intertwined with no change and a few points of “substantial change due to events or interactions which lead to sudden insights or progress.” The author also states: “What doesn’t happen is to have the character change all at once, near the end. Or at any one spot, for that matter. It’s a process. It’s a throughline. It’s an arc.” James Cameron’s character, Ripley, from the movie Aliens is an example of a modern day character arc. She starts out denying the impact of her internal demons and feeling apathetic toward others, and much like Odysseus, she moves through the stages of a hero’s journey, of a character’s arc, from limited awareness as a dock worker to mastery by blowing up a planet. Ultimately her internal need to face and subdue her demons is met, and her apathy turns to nurturing. While changing situations can be entertaining, watching a character undergo change provides a screenplay’s answer to the audience’s question, “So what?” A better story is told because of the changes Ripley undergoes. And, ultimately, because of character arc, the audience cares more about both the character and how the story turns out. Karen Walker 4 October
2003 Works Cited
Arkwright, Tony, Jutin Eichenlaub, John Ramsey. “Odysseus’ Hero’s Journey and Character Arc.” Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey Page. Think Quest Internet Challenge Library 1998. 21 September 2003 <http://www.thinkquest.org/library/IC_index.html>. Imboden, Durant. “Character Arc.” Writing.org. 1996. 21 September 2003 <http://www.writing.org/html/a_char_arc.htm>. … “Character vs. Plot.” Writing.org. 1996. 21 September 2003 <http://www.writing.org/html/a_char_vs_plot.htm>. Krevolin, Richard W. Screenwriting from the Soul. Los Angeles: Renaissance Books, 1998. 105-111. Newman, Jeff. “Hollywood Story Notes for New & Famous Films: Guide Sheet.” Story Notes.net. October 2000. 21 September 2003 <http://www.storynotes.net>. Simmons, Lynda. “Character Arc.” Writers Workshops: Writing Conflict. August 2002. 21 September 2003 <http://www.herbertholeman.com/writer/chararc.php>. “What Exactly is Character Arc?” Character Development Center. Character Pro for Writers. 2003. 21 September 2003 <http://www.characterpro.com/devcenter/ whatisart.html>.
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