A character arc refers to the internal growth of a character due to the plot. It’s how a character’s worldview changes as she endures struggles and overcomes obstacles. These arcs often revolve around the book’s theme, and they portray an argument on how life should be lived.
Many writers talk about several types of character arcs, but, to me, most types seem to overlap. September Fawkes argues that there are only four types of character arcs, and I agree with her. Therefore, I’m going to present the arcs as she proposed them.
Four Types of Character Arcs
There are two ways a character’s internal journey can go:
- The character can change her worldview or belief.
- The character can grow in the resolve of her steadfast worldview or belief.
On top of that, the journey can go in one of two directions:
- It can arc positively so the character becomes someone better.
- It can arc negatively so the character becomes someone worse.
Putting these options togethers, there are four types of character arcs: positive change, negative change, positive steadfast, and negative steadfast. Let’s break this down further and examine some examples of each arc type.
Change Arcs
Arcs that change will start with the character having one belief and end with her embracing the opposite belief. In Disney’s Princess and the Frog, Tiana starts out not making time for people because she is chasing her dream of owning a restaurant. By the end of the movie, she realizes the people in her life are more important than her materialistic dream. Tiana’s worldview completely changed, and it’s because of the friends she let into her life that she achieved her dream of owning a restaurant.
There are two ways a change arc can go: positive or negative. The protagonist either becomes a better or a worse person. Let’s look at each change type.
Positive Change Arcs
Arcs that change positively are when the character’s worldview alters in a way that makes her a better person. Some people call this a moral ascending arc. The character will start out with a misguided worldview based on a false belief or weakness. Usually, this stems from the character’s wound, a major negative event from her past. Because of the events in the story, the character learns to move past that false belief and embrace the truth.
These arcs can be transformational where the protagonist is an average person and then, by the end, she is the savior of the world. An example is Harry Potter, who learns love is more powerful than anything else and uses that to save the world from Voldemort. However, positive change arcs can also be disillusionment arcs where the character learns her lesson and embraces the good, but she discovers that reality isn’t all that great. Ender Wiggin discovers this after he’s won the war in space for Earth. The important thing to remember for positive change arcs is that they must leave the character a better person in the end, but it doesn’t have to be a happy ending.
A positive change arc is the most popular character arc type in stories. One famous example is Scrooge, who learns giving is better than greed. There is also Jane Austen’s Emma, where a girl learns that focusing on her own life instead of meddling is a better way to happiness. Other examples include Jake Sully from Avatar, Phineas Barnum from The Greatest Showman, and Edmund Pevensie from The Chronicles of Narnia. Most writers default to this character arc type as it’s the easiest to write in a fulfilling way for the readers. While it is important to have someone’s arc change positively in the story, it doesn’t have to be the protagonist, and it certainly shouldn’t be everyone’s character arc type.
Negative Change Arcs
Negative change arcs occur when the protagonist makes decisions that lead her to become a worse person by the story’s end. These are sometimes called moral descending arcs or corruption arcs. The character starts with a morally sound worldview, but she makes the wrong choices throughout the plot, putting her wants above all else. Each bad decision compounds to form a false belief or weakness that will be her ultimate undoing.
These are often sad or dark stories, and they are very popular for villain origin stories. Usually, unless you are writing a tragedy, this character arc type will be your antagonist’s arc type and not your protagonist’s. In today’s world, everyone wants the villains to have redeemable qualities that humanize them. Showing your antagonist slowly descending into her role through a negative change arc will accomplish that for the reader. Some famous examples are Darth Vader and Elphaba (from the Broadway musical Wicked). One of the more brilliant negative change arcs I’ve seen is in the BBC TV show Merlin where we get to watch Morgana’s slow decent to the dark side.
Steadfast Arcs
Steadfast arcs occur when a character starts and ends the story with the same worldview or belief. They are also called flat or static arcs (and sometimes growth arcs). These internal journeys solidify their current worldview so the characters grow in their resolve. They become more of whatever they already were. There are varying degrees of steadfastness in these arcs so let’s look at those before we move to positive and negative arcs.
On one side of the scale, there are characters who grow a lot in their steadfast beliefs and worldviews. These characters are usually early in their journey and are being tested to see if they will hold to their beliefs. For instance, in Disney’s Hercules, he starts as a young man determined to be a hero and each trial only strengthens his resolve. He doesn’t change his belief that he can be a hero, but his idea of how to be a hero evolves and matures. His internal journey is dynamic even though his character arc is steadfast. The important thing to remember is doubt. Your character needs to struggle with doubting her worldview and maybe even acting against it once or twice. Just because she starts and ends the story with the same beliefs doesn’t mean she can’t waiver or stray in the story’s middle.
Now, looking at the other side of the steadfast arc scale, you have characters who virtually never seem to change. Examples are James Bond, Indiana Jones, Miss Marple, and Perry Mason. I’d argue, though, that each plot point where they behave in the same predictable way strengthens their resolve to be that type of character. I view these characters as a mature version of the more dynamic steadfast characters. Those ones are coming into their own while these more static characters have already passed that point and are very stuck in their ways. It would be like if a story was written about Hercules decades later when he knows he’s a hero beyond a doubt and continues to act that way, proving himself right over and over again.
Now that we’ve examined the sliding scale of steadfastness in character arcs, let’s dive into positive and negative arcs.
Positive Steadfast Arcs
Positive steadfast arcs occur when the character starts with an accurate worldview and keeps it in the end. There may be doubt and trials along the way, but she will not change her beliefs. Mulan is a good example of this arc. She starts out determined to save her family and, despite many trials, she succeeds in saving them and her people. She had her doubts, but she held true to her beliefs in the end. Same is true for Captain America. He was determined to fight for his country, and he saved the world in the end. An example of a more static positive steadfast arc is Sherlock Holmes. He doesn’t change a lot, but every case he solves grows his resolve in his beliefs of deduction.
Here’s a tip if you want to give your protagonist a positive steadfast arc: make a supporting character have a change arc. You can use your protagonist’s steadfastness to encourage a positive change in the people around her. I’ve noticed that most stories pair a steadfast arc and a change arc together. In Frozen, you have Elsa (Positive Change) and Anna (Positive Steadfast). Moana had Maui (Positive Change) and Moana (Positive Steadfast). In Beauty and the Beast, there is Belle (Positive Steadfast) and the Beast (Positive Change). If these children’s movies can keep the attention of youngsters, then the combination should work just as well for adults.
Negative Steadfast Arcs
Negative steadfast arcs will start with a character believing a false belief or lie and end with her still clinging to it. These are also called fall arcs. Despite challenges and other characters encouraging her to embrace the truth, she will stubbornly refuse to let go of her beliefs. Every decision will solidify her destruction.
The movie Thor shows this arc for Loki. He starts out with a desire to make his father think him worthy of the throne, and it snowballs until Loki hurts everyone he loves just to sit on the throne. Despite his family and friends trying to show him reason, Loki refuses to let go of his false belief. Another example is Magneto from X-Men. The man is so fixated on mutants ruling over the humans that he hurts his truest friend while pursuing his dream. In Wuthering Heights, Heathcliff and Catherine are both negative steadfast arcs. Heathcliff’s pride leads to a destructive vengeance, and Catherine’s greed leads her to a loveless life. With two negative steadfast arcs, the book makes for interesting reading but a very tragic story.
Final Thoughts
There are four basic character arcs: positive change, negative change, positive steadfast, and negative steadfast. While positive change arcs are the most popular type, it’s important to include some of the other arcs in your story. Change arcs and steadfast arcs (both positive) pair well together for your protagonist and sidekick, while negative steadfast or negative change arcs are typical of your antagonist or villains.
However, just because this is the proven way doesn’t mean you can’t branch out and try different arc types for your protagonist (Wuthering Heights proves you can do something different and still please the readers). The important thing is to understand the character arc types and their purposes so you can use them in effective ways. Just remember, in the end, everyone wants to feel a sense of fulfillment so make sure your character arcs deliver complete satisfaction.
Thanks for reading!
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