Characters are what make a story. Sure, plot and setting contribute, but without the characters, all we would have is an empty field or an abandoned city. When reading, people want to relate with the characters, feel what they feel, know what they know, experience life along with them. For me, a great setting and a good storyline are great things to have in a book, but without a character I can relate to and love, the book is useless in its purpose. A character becomes unique to a reader when the author takes the time to get to know the character, to introduce him/her to the audience and build them up to a believable person rather than merely an splash of ink on a page. The characters are needed to make the story believable and real to the reader, in order for the readers to live the story along with the characters. When Foster says "Difference...is rich with possibilities", he is absolutely correct. A character, in order to be memorable, must stand out in some way, whether it be glaringly obvious or startlingly miniscule. And the character does not have to speak to every reader. Oftentimes a character may be so subtle in his/her ways that it takes a special kind of reader to relate to and understand said character. A good character is vital in order for the text to hold any sort of literary merit. The traits or habits of a certain character can symbolize any number of things or hold importance that a mere object could never possess. Literary merit stems from a combination of elements, and well developed characters are a vital component of that development.
I have read so many books, mostly fantasy, over my lifetime that there are a plethora of characters I could name that were memorable for me, but there are a number that stand out more than the rest. Tamora Peirce writes young adult fantasy books, centered around young female leads, and though her writing is amazing, she is not a terribly popular author. But for me, her stories were invigorating, inspiring, emotional, memorable, and remain so today, as I reread her old books and continue to purchase her new books years after being introduced by my 7th grade reading teacher to her work. Her characters, though, make the books, even more than the fantastic adventures and breath-taking settings of the stories. (Trying to pick just one or two here...). In her second story arc, she introduces a character by the name of Numair Samalin, a great mage and soon-to-be teacher of the main character. Numair was everything I could want in a character: caring, emotional, held a few secrets, had a mysterious past, passionate, well-schooled, possessive of great power, handsome but not overly so, subtle, smart...the list goes on. But Numair was without a doubt my favorite character. When she brought him back in later story arcs, my breath sped up and I would get very excited. When he was proclaimed dead in book 3, I wanted to destroy the royal palace along with Daine, his student, though we later were told he wasn't actually dead. My point is, a great character is one that stirs the emotion up inside, provokes those emotions which aren't prevalent in everyday life, and can make me feel something I wouldn't normally feel. A character I can love with all my heart and be disappointed when the story is over and be far to excited when I learn he is getting his own story arc. Characters like Numair are worth discussion because the story would not be the same without them. I still would have loved the books, but only because she has so many other characters worthy of nearly the same praise Numair received.
Without characters that felt real, reading would be far less of an escape and far more of a chore for readers everywhere.
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ReplyDeleteI wholeheartedly agree with how you said that characters speak to different readers. My favorite books are ones where I can relate, empathize, and grow with the character. Character development is crucial to a character feeling real to the audience, for, as you said, reading would not be near as enjoyable if characters feel unauthentic. Without solid development of a story's characters, it will not flow and will be painful to read.
ReplyDeleteAn author who I believe masters the skill of character development is Toni Morrison. There was not one character in her novel "The Bluest Eye" that did not tug on my heart's strings. However, if she had not done such a marvelous job allowing the reader to get inside the character's minds, pasts, and feelings, the book would not have had the same affect on me.
I remember that Stephen King wrote in his book On Writing that he didn’t write plots or settings but wrote characters. He said that he would present them with a situation and write how he thought they would act. To him it was all about the characters.
ReplyDeleteA good example of how powerfully characters impact a story is The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. While there certainly is a plot, the book mainly focuses on how the story affects the five narrators- it is much less about what happened in Africa and more about how what happened affected the characters.
I do believe that for literary works characters are a major contributor to well written story and that it only adds to the readers experience. However, we are different in some ways. I do not think every story needs a character that the reader connects with and feels how they feel. Sometimes a meaningful story is simply enough.
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite authors, Kurt Vonnegut, writes amazing stories that usually convey large messages that are hidden underneath bizarre, wonderful and raw stories that do not always have a memorable character that the reader connects with. In "Breakfast of Champions" Vonnegut writes a satiric story about politics, sex, war and pollution and helps the reader evaluate each one to help discover the truth. In the book the main characters, Kilgore Trout and Dwayne Hoover, seem to revolve around the story rather than having the story revolve around them.
When addressing whether the book has purpose or not referencing the idea of you personally connecting with a character is an aspect that I had never really contemplated on prior to reading your post. I find myself completely agreeing with you on that if you never make a connection or feel for a specific character then the book seems to fall short. I find it extremely important for characters to draw your attention and emotion. Thinking of characters that stand out for me brings me to thinking of Belly, Conrad, and Jeremiah in Jenny Hans series, "The Summer I Turned Pretty." She provided many details in the thoughts, experiences, and pasts for each character, leaving me to believe that I really did know these fictional characters. I too believe that the characters make or break the story; without the connections to them, the story never reaches the expectations of the readers that need fulfilled.
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