Placing challenges and hurdles that opposes the Protagonist's life safety, life goals, and aspirations allows the reader to empathize with the character's plight. No one ever did this better than Margaret Mitchell in her book, Gone With the Wind. (I'll present examples from the movie adaptation of her novel because most of us have seen the movie and frankly I don't have time to read the book again.)
In the beginning, Scarlett O'Hara, the coquettish female protagonist's only problem is deciding which eager admirer she'll allow to run for a sweet treat at a plantation gathering. Beautiful young women in pretty dresses and handsomely attired gentlemen present a heavenly society where slaves do the drudge work and the gentry live like royalty. This places the protagonist on a high pedestal and makes the coming events poignant.
As events unfold, Scarlett's life changes and she's forced to adapt or perish.
These events include:
1. When wooden-headed Ashley Wilkes chooses Melany as a bride, Scarlett feels jealous even though she could have any man for her bridegroom.
2. Georgia declares secedes from the Union and the Confederacy declares war.
3. Most of the young men go to war. Ashley leaves and asks Scarlett to look after his wife.
4. Melany is pregnant. Scarlett is forced to be mid-wife when the doctor is over-burdened with war-wounded.
5. The Yankees attack, Atlanta. Scarlett is forced to flee.
6. After returning home to Terra, she finds:
a. her home in shambles,
b. her mother dead,
c. her father demented,
d. most of the slaves are gone
e. food is scarce, hunger forces her to grovel for food in the meager garden
f. Tarra is threatened when she lacks the money to pay the elevated taxes inflicted by the victorious Yankees.
As the author adds layer after layer of events and circumstances, Scarlett O'Hara's must draw from inner strength to endure the hardship and survive. The reader identifies with Scarlett's situation because the author (and movie director) establishes a spectrum of emotional links. These include, fear of the unknown, fear of not being loved, fear of being isolated and helpless, fear of starvation, and fear of death.
Learning from the masters help us to formulate fully developed characters and plots and this provides a better story from our primary critic—the reader.
Placing challenges and hurdles that opposes the Protagonist's life safety, life goals, and aspirations allows the reader to empathize with the character's plight. No one ever did this better than Margaret Mitchell in her book, Gone With the Wind. (I'll present examples from the movie adaptation of her novel because most of us have seen the movie and frankly I don't have time to read the book again.)
In the beginning, Scarlett O'Hara, the coquettish female protagonist's only problem is deciding which eager admirer she'll allow to run for a sweet treat at a plantation gathering. Beautiful young women in pretty dresses and handsomely attired gentlemen present a heavenly society where slaves do the drudge work and the gentry live like royalty. This places the protagonist on a high pedestal and makes the coming events poignant.
As events unfold, Scarlett's life changes and she's forced to adapt or perish.
These events include:
1. When wooden-headed Ashley Wilkes chooses Melany as a bride, Scarlett feels jealous even though she could have any man for her bridegroom.
2. Georgia declares secedes from the Union and the Confederacy declares war.
3. Most of the young men go to war. Ashley leaves and asks Scarlett to look after his wife.
4. Melany is pregnant. Scarlett is forced to be mid-wife when the doctor is over-burdened with war-wounded.
5. The Yankees attack, Atlanta. Scarlett is forced to flee.
6. After returning home to Terra, she finds:
a. her home in shambles,
b. her mother dead,
c. her father demented,
d. most of the slaves are gone
e. food is scarce, hunger forces her to grovel for food in the meager garden
f. Tarra is threatened when she lacks the money to pay the elevated taxes inflicted by the victorious Yankees.
As the author adds layer after layer of events and circumstances, Scarlett O'Hara's must draw from inner strength to endure the hardship and survive. The reader identifies with Scarlett's situation because the author (and movie director) establishes a spectrum of emotional links. These include, fear of the unknown, fear of not being loved, fear of being isolated and helpless, fear of starvation, and fear of death.
Learning from the masters help us to formulate fully developed characters and plots and this provides a better story from our primary critic—the reader.
All the best,
David