Bad guys have one job.
They create conflict and force the protagonist to overcome some kind of
obstacle. Often in writing, especially
for children and youth, the bad guy has no real motive. They just want the good guy to suffer. And I admit, there have been the stories when
I’ve created antagonists without bothering to ask what motivates them, why they
fight so hard to thwart the MC.
Last fall, my husband and I went to watch Disney’s Wreck it
Ralph, mainly because my husband loves video games. I was less than interested, but I went to
support him. Within only a few minutes,
I was enraptured. It’s very rare to find
a movie where the main characters’ motives are so clearly stated.
Spoilers ahead!
Each character has one desire, and wants one thing. Each desire directly contrasts everyone else’s,
creating the natural conflict. Ralph
wanted to be with everyone else, up in the penthouse. That cost one medal. Vanellope wanted to race. That cost one coin. Even Turbo had a desire: to be the best racer
ever.
None of their goals were bad, necessarily, but there was
only one coin/medal, and for Turbo to race, he had to keep Vanellope from doing
so.
I watched the movie again recently, and I was struck by the
opening scene. Ralph was a classic bad
guy. If the story had been from the
point of view of Felix, we might not have been so sympathetic to Ralph’s
situation.
In everyone’s story, there is going to be someone or
something that gets in our way. Everyone
has goals and desires that directly conflict.
Two or more people may apply for the same ‘dream job’. There may be multiple people interested in
dating someone. Life is full of natural
conflict, but it’s important for us to always remember that we are neither the
good guy nor the bad guy. We can only be
ourselves and focus on our own goals and aspirations, remembering that everyone
else is doing the same.
Ralph was created to be the ‘bad guy.’ But he learned how to keep that from
controlling his relationships, and his life.
And we can’t allow situations to control who we are.
And as writers, we need to remember that there’s always
another side of the story.
very well said.
ReplyDeletethis is a great movie.. full of moral lessons.
Thank you!
DeleteI like Wreck It Ralph. We just watched it again, and it really surprised me. It is rare that a movie does that.
ReplyDeleteI was really surprised as well. We only went to see it because the hubby is such a fan of video games and we had free tickets to the movies. After that, we just had to get it, because we were both so impressed.
DeleteYes! I agree. You know, I think it's important that we always keep in mind that the things we may take for granted may not be so in other places, and that everything we think is, in some way or another, a subjective idea. Sometimes we need to acknowledge that our side isn't the only side. (; And Wreck-It-Ralph portrays that quite well.
ReplyDeleteI love your blog! And your writing, of course. (:
Thank you! I think you're right. Everything is subjective. The important thing is to remember that everyone has their own point of view.
Delete