Putting Characters at Risk

Most stories include conflict and struggle. The character wants or needs something and faces obstacles and opposition. Classically, there are external challenges, like climbing a mountain or dueling with a villain, and internal challenges rooted in the character’s flaws. Flaws are powerful because they can be exploited by the villain and, In meeting the challenges, the protagonist goes through a character arc —learning to manage the flaw or undergoing growth.

While I would argue that character flaws our essential four showing a character changing for the better—except in tragedies—there are other challenges that can drive a story.

I would categorize disadvantages distinct to the character about which he or her can do nothing as vulnerabilities. While they can grow out of it, children are all vulnerable and need protection. They do not have the strength or knowledge or cognitive skills that adults generally do. While societies often make reasonable accommodations for people with physical limits (hearing impaired, limited mobility, genetic variations like sickle cell anemia and Down’s Syndrome, And debilitating diseases like cancer), there are many instances where this can create vulnerabilities. In one of my favorite movies, Wait Until Dark, the villain takes advantage of the protagonist’s inability to see.

People often get reduced to their worst moments in their lives. A mistake can have repercussions even if it doesn't exemplify a moral lapse or malice. This is one reason why the criminal records of juveniles are sealed. But consider a parent whose child is lost because of a moment of distraction. Or a soldier who mishears a command, leading to disaster. Or someone whose slip of the tongue offends a community. Both just judgments and disproportionate judgments can mark a person and mar a reputation forever. A woman in my neighborhood was backing her car down her driveway and a child in a Big Wheel scooted into her path, and he died. She and her family were, thereafter, known for this. Ultimately, they left town to start life afresh.

A wound can also create challenges that are difficult to overcome. People bitten by dogs often have lifelong phobias. Those were abused can have a variety of debilitating responses. It may be difficult for them to connect with others and establish real trust. They also may have associated triggers that cause them to self-exclude or may be manipulated by others. While some of these may be managed with therapy, deeper wounds may be difficult to heal. Worst of all, some people wounded by others may blame themselves and carry guilt and shame.

Society may disadvantage groups of people at risk through traditions, stereotypes, and systems like law. Think of bigotry or the caste systems that reign in schools. Appearances can make a big difference on whether someone and train a jewelry store is immediately offered assistance or followed by security personnel. I know someone who went to a dentist in what he called ”country clothes” hoping he’d be charged less. As it happened, he was asked to pay in advance for the services. Even something like celebrity can lead to inequalities. Not only do they have little recourse when their privacy is violated, but the legal requirements for proving defamation are more onerous.

Beliefs, including codes we live by and how arguments are framed can also push us into bad choices and actions. Everyone, to some extent, is susceptible to propaganda and hoaxes. Our emotions can be manipulated. Humans have cognitive glitches, Such as confirmation bias, that overwhelm critical thinking and logic. None of us ever has the full picture, And the lack of experience and knowledge can shape what we notice and accept.

These are not character flaws and don’t work very well in terms of individual character arcs. But they can be used for heightening conflict and attention. They can make challenges more difficult. In some stories, like To Kill a Mockingbird, they can present social issues in powerful ways. And all of them can be used by antagonists to make the protagonist more miserable. And writers can take advantage of these to make readers and audiences worry more. In fact, it’s usually easy to make this more acute by increasing the gap between the antagonist and the protagonist. Notch up a villain’s power in terms of influence, knowledge, social standing, wealth, alliances, physical ability, and intelligence, and his or her threat to the main character grows stronger. Which may not be great news for the hero or heroine (or us in real life), but it’s wonderful for the writer.