Negative Character Arc

Human beings are obsessed with the macabre.  We gravitate to death, disaster and iniquity like flies to honey.  What does that say about us?  Are we hopeless slaves to the forces of darkness?

Well, some would say we are, but I don't think so.  Still, I have to acknowledge that something about human nature revels in negativity.  Even in uplifting stories, I find myself rooting for the protagonist to suffer as much as possible.  I always root for guys like Jason, Freddy, Jigsaw and this thing (okay, that last one's a lie, I'm always on Craig T. Nelson's side).  And like many people, I love the occasional tragedy.

Negative Character Arcs are a bummer, but they are a valid and important artistic choice.  They remind us that we all have a dark side, and it's better to deal with it consciously than let it fester.  For many of us, negative arcs are a means of dealing with our dark side.  And properly used, negative arcs make powerful story arguments.

In her series on character arcs, K.M. Weiland argues for three distinct types of negative arc:

  • Disillusionment: The character believes a lie and overcomes it, only to find out that the truth is tragic and upsetting.
  • Fall: The character believes a lie and clings to it, repeatedly rejecting the truth, and in the end, they come to believe an even worse lie.
  • Corruption: The character believes the truth, but falls prey to the temptation of the lie.

All of us have read or watched stories like this.  The Great Gatsby is an obvious example of a disillusionment arc.  Nick begins the story believing that the rich and fabulous people of East Egg are happy.  At the story's close, Nick has been exposed to the grim underbelly of their world.  The Story Argument here is that worldly pleasures do not always correlate with happiness.  It's a hard truth that most of the world accepts, and Gatsby is a great reflection on that.

Taxi Driver is a perfect example of a fall arc.  Travis Bickle begins the story believing the lie that society is corrupt, and as his observations repeatedly confirm this, he comes to believe the worse lie that it is his duty to violently act out against this perceived evil.  The interesting part about Taxi Driver is that the story does not punish him for coming to believe this secondary lie.  In an interesting twist that makes a thought-provoking Story Argument, Travis's world rewards him for his violence, and sets him free.

Breaking Bad is a perfect corruption arc.  Walter White begins his journey into the world of drugs with the best of intentions: he is sacrificing his own morality in order to provide for his family.  But by the later seasons in the series, it is clear that Walt no longer cares for his family, and has become a slave to his greed and selfish pride.  The Story Argument here is that our values aren't as resilient as we would like to believe.  Even the most mundane person can be transformed into a monster when you give them a little power.

We enjoy negative arcs because they make us think.  Life isn't always peachy, and sometimes we need to confront that.  But if you're going to write a negative arc, make sure the Story Argument says something worth saying.  You can't just rip on society because you're butthurt about not getting a pony when you were young.  Say something impactful that will make people grateful for their comparatively rational, safe life.

After I saw Requiem for a Dream for the first time, I had to take a day to recover.  The feeling of panic and loss of control is so stark in that film, I carried it with me for hours after the film was over.  It took me a while to remember that nothing was actually wrong in my real life.  Of all the movies I've ever seen about drugs, that one made me the most glad that I never got anywhere near heroin.  And the emotional blow it dealt me is the major reason it stayed with me.

Don't be afraid of writing a negative arc.  Just make sure it counts.

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This concludes my series on Character Arc.  For more detailed, step-by-step analysis of writing character arc, I highly recommend K.M. Weiland's series.  But hopefully these ruminations will help you choose a strategy.

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