I've experienced several stories recently where the main characters do not change at all throughout the story. And, they've all been disappointing. I think it's because we naturally expect, quite reasonably, that the events of the story will have an impact on the characters. When that doesn't happen, it's like nothing mattered and we're left hollow. Poor choices mean bad things happen, and great choices mean good things. Audiences want the catharsis of result; it's satisfying and wraps up the story.
We hear the phrase "character arc" a lot in these types of discussions. What's it mean? Basically, it means characters grow and change during a story. Perhaps their priorities diverge, their internal motivations alter, or their beliefs change. If you took the characters from the end and put them into the beginning again, those characters wouldn't behave the same way. Why? Because they've changed. It's part of the entertainment of any story. We hear the phrase, "the journey is more important than the reward," and it's true in virtually every aspect of life, even our entertainment.
When characters feel real, we go through their circumstances with them, and as they change ... so do we. If we truly relate to characters, we live vicariously (look it up, it's a good word to know). Entertainment like this is special, because it has the capacity to expand our lives, our experience, our viewpoints, and provides new ways of seeing the world. Yes, entertainment has that incredible power, so use it wisely and carefully. "With great power, comes great responsibility." - Uncle Ben, Spiderman.
- M
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