Leveraging Every Character to Strengthen a Story’s Theme
I love the craft of story because I get so giddy when things come together. When one technique/idea/theme weaves into another. When there are layers of subtext and meaning. Gives me goosebumps.
Not only are these things fun and part of the magic that is storytelling, but they also make for better stories. Interweaving threads of effective and compelling techniques strengthen, support, and lift a story to new heights.
And that’s what all writers want, right?
These are the things I set out to explore with each of my posts, and today is no exception.
Today I’ll be looking at a specific way to strengthen and illustrate your story’s theme using each of the main characters strategically.
First things first, what are the steps to carry out this storytelling technique?
Identify your story’s overarching Theme (more on this below).
Isolate each of your main characters and ask how they illustrate this idea in different ways.
As an exercise, let’s do step number 2 with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. (Yes, we’re going out of order. Crazy, I know!)
One of the most prevalent (and overarching through the course of the seven books) themes of Harry Potter is the power of love.
So how do the main characters bolster this theme? I’ve chosen the (arguably) 6 main characters of the story and broken this down.
Spoilers ahead.
Harry Potter:
Harry is a living embodiment of the power that love has to protect.
This is illustrated through the literal magical abilities Harry has as a result of the sacrifice his own mother gave (her life) in the name of love.
In addition, as the seed of love was planted in Harry as a baby, he is an embodiment of the power it has to endure rejection. Most notably, through the Dursleys, Snape, Malfoy, and Voldemort/Quirrell.
This becomes even more relevant as the series continues.
We see the love Harry received contrasted with the lack of love Voldemort received as a small boy. They both grew up in homes where there was very little love. But the love Harry received as a baby was enough to make a drastic difference in what he would go on to do.
The power of love stuck a fork in their paths, helping Harry go on to be a savior and warrior, where Voldemort went on to be a villain and terrorist.
Ron Weasley:
Ron represents the power of familial love.
The love Ron grew up with allows him to embrace others (Harry) into that familial love. Because Ron has always been exposed to this concept, he approaches it with an innocence/purity, which is utilized a lot in the overarching story.
(For example, in the last book, when Ron is challenged in new and extremely difficult ways. He parts ways with Harry and Hermione, but the power of his love ultimately leads him back to his friends.)
Hermione Granger:
Hermione exemplifies the power of love without conditions.
She is happy to give her love without judgment or bias (for example, with the house elves, with Neville, Luna, etc.)
She also provides an obstacle/lesson for Harry and Ron to learn this very thing (love without judgment) in Sorcerer’s Stone. They must overcome their bias in order to give her their love.
Albus Dumbledore:
Dumbledore approaches the power of love from a place of curiosity, experience, and wisdom.
For most of the books, we believe that Dumbledore has a detached and scholarly relationship with the power of love.
It isn’t until after his death that we learn just how much he loved Harry (and how much power that love wielded) and about the difficult lessons he learned when he rejected the power of love (his sister died as a result of this, and Dumbledore subsequently gave more love more freely in his life moving forward - his students, co-workers, and others would all attest to this).
Severus Snape:
Snape scoffs at the power of love and seemingly represents withholding it.
However, later in the series, we learn this theme is actually what drove all of his actions. The power of Snape’s love for Lily not only protected Harry, but was instrumental in defeating Voldemort.
Voldemort:
Voldemort openly denies the power of love.
This facet of representing the theme is arguably the most straightforward of any of the characters. Because he rejects the power of love, he loses. It is ultimately his downfall.
At what point in the process of writing your story can you turn your characters into representations for your story’s theme?
The answer is - anytime! In my opinion, you can always take your story deeper.
You can always bolster it by examining yourself, the craft of story, and your own story from new angles, with new understanding and insights. That applies here, as well.
By the end of this post, (hopefully) you’ll have a new insight into the craft of storytelling. So wherever you are in your current story, go and apply it.
Are you in the brainstorming or outlining stage? Great! Then brainstorm/outline how each of the characters you’ve already identified can fit into this. OR come up with new characters that could take your story to new heights.
In the drafting or revising stage? Fantastic. Go back and analyze your story objectively. Get honest with yourself about how your characters exemplify your story’s theme. Take a step back and ask yourself if you’re really, truly clear on your story’s theme.
So let’s go back to Step 1 above (getting clear on your story’s theme).
In my opinion, your theme should be able to be stated in one simple sentence.
This. Takes. Work.
A LOT of work.
In my experience, identifying your theme - the theme that the plot, characters, character arc, and individual story events represent, is a very difficult task.
But once you do, you’ve leveled up your story in a big way.
The problem is that theme is not only elusive, but subjective. Above, I dove into Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, and I approached it from the idea that the theme of this story is about the power of love.
Someone else might come up with a different theme. Are they wrong? Am I? Not if you ask me. That’s the beauty of story.
Every reader gets something different out of it. You know you have a good story when it causes a reader to reflect on themself and the way they see the world.
But YOU should be clear on YOUR understanding of your story’s theme.
As another example, next week I will be examining The Social Network, so I’ve done a lot of work around understanding the nuances of this story. (I would recommend reading the post, because it gives some tips on getting precise and concise with your theme.)
In my opinion (remember, that’s key), the theme of The Social Network is the cost of success.
More specifically, it is asking a question about the cost of success without fully giving an answer.
Is success worth sacrificing relationships? Can you have intimate relationships built on trust AND success? Are contributions to the world worth the sacrifice of personal intimacy?
See? Even after hours of thought and research on this story, I have a difficult time distilling the theme into a simple sentence. But even the vague sentence I was able to come up with - the cost of success - has made me ask thoughtful questions and challenged my view of the world.
All this to say, that the first place to start is really, deeply, intimately, understanding the theme of your story.
Get it down to one sentence. Ask a bunch of questions. And then take your characters and see how they are living embodiments of those questions. How do they represent different approaches or answers to the question your theme is asking? How do they strengthen it?
Once you do this exercise, you’ll have a story teeming with thought, soul, emotion, and beautiful questions about the world.
The fastest way to write a strong story is with an effective outline that plots your novel’s beating heart.
In Outline Your Novel, you’ll learn exactly what these beats are, why they matter, and how to outline them effectively to make your story sing.
