Secondary characters done right are the
ones who aren't just there as part of a story, aren't just there to
"support" the protagonist . . . and aren't obviously appearing to
fulfill a function for some purpose ordained by a writer in another
universe. These characters breathe. They feel. They
have independent emotions and they don't behave as if they're less of a
person just because they have less time on stage. They feel like they
started living when they were born, not when they walked into the
protagonist's life.
One of my favorite secondary characters is Butler from the Artemis Fowl series
by Eoin Colfer. Butler supports his underage charge, Artemis, through
thick and thin, and is probably the best bodyguard in existence (for a
person who really needs one). He's actually come very close to death
more than a dozen times while protecting Artemis, and he doesn't just
protect him physically—he supports him in all his ridiculous evil genius
schemes, and his actions are inspired by love for his charge just as
much as they are inspired by his sense of duty.
But
besides just being a great bodyguard and a loyal protector, Butler has
depth. His family has protected Artemis's family for generations. (His
sister, Juliet Butler, is similarly trained, and later protects
Artemis's little brothers, among others.) Artemis didn't know Butler's
first name until he really almost died because of a promise he made.
He's also fiercely protective of his little sister even though she can
take care of herself. He's a layered dude and an inspiring (if imposing)
character. I love what his protection allows Artemis to do in the
stories, and I love how he develops certain relationships with the other
characters that also braid loyalty and compassion together with
competence and badassery. (And the jokes about him being too big to fit
in certain cars, chairs, and rooms are delightfully visual and fun for
the younger kids who read the books.)
I love Butler. I wish I had one.
Another secondary character I love is Bailey from The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares.
Okay, so Bailey's "job"—in a book where Tibby is the rightful main
character of her storyline—is to inspire Tibby to care about the right
things and do some tearjerking. She's supposed to do this by being a sad
girl with cancer whom everyone figures will die at the end and exists
primarily to teach everyone about the preciousness of life. Too bad
Bailey had other plans.
Bailey
is inspirational partly because she isn't trying to be. She isn't what
you'd expect. She and Tibby pretty much detest each other and develop
what could only be described as a grudging respect for one another. It
was so amazing to see that Bailey's gruffness and unpleasantness
continued to be part of her personality even after she warmed to Tibby
and tried to emulate her—because after all, her life is about her,
and she doesn't want anyone's pity friendship. In stories containing an
inspirational kid with cancer, usually they're angry at the world
because of their disease and experience a personality overhaul when they realize their time is limited. Bailey isn't like that. She's her. She's not just a kid with cancer.
I loved seeing her wear those magical pants.
When
I write, I try my best not to stick supporting characters into the mix
just to do their thing and leave. I don't want to make them unique by
tacking on a catch phrase or a quirky behavior. I want readers to
understand them as complex people, with evidence that they have opinions and preferences and
life stories that aren't part of the book. I want them to be as fully
formed as any main character—and I want them to be fleshed out enough
that if the story happened to be about them, there'd be enough material
there to make it interesting. Stories in which the "secondary character"
is the protagonist, like Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire or Book of a Thousand Days
by Shannon Hale, are especially wonderful in this way. They show us how
the supporting character can be the whole show in the end.
Not familiar with either one, although I've always wanted to read the Artemis Fowl series. I think we could all use someone like Butler in our lives.
ReplyDeleteI figured I didn't want to highlight the ones many people would point out from more popular and well-known stuff like Harry Potter or The Hunger Games. I super recommend Artemis Fowl!
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