There are three main types of character arcs: positive, negative and flat/static. This is the third of three blogs that will analyze these types of character arcs. (Warning: spoilers ahead.)
Flat or Static Character Arcs are those in which the character does not change substantially one way or another. They remain who they are from beginning to end. Their core beliefs don’t change. Their purpose remains constant. They are those characters who are full and complete from the start and who can be relied on to be who they are no matter what.
Typically these characters are surrounded by others who change. They serve as a catalyst for change. They lead by example. Their beliefs affect others and are the reason others change, usually for the better.
They often come up against resistance from others who challenge their beliefs, but they are steadfast no matter what. They may struggle with outside influences, but they do not change the essence of who they are. They know the value of being themselves and holding their beliefs and see no reason to change.
You often find flat or static character arcs in detective novels (Miss Marple, Poirot, Sherlock), children’s books (Elephant & Piggie, Winnie-the-Pooh, Paddington), rebel story lines (Katniss, Princess Leia), and super hero stories (Wonder Woman, Superman). These characters are who they are. Always. Winnie-the-Pooh will always be a bear of little brain who loves honey and his friends. Superman will always try to save the world. Katniss will always fight against the corrupt Capitol.
The way these stories work is in how these character change others and in how they resist outside influences to change them. Here are some examples of that:
Katniss in The Hunger Games
When the trilogy begins, she dislikes the Capitol and their corrupt rules and governance. That never changes throughout the three books. But those around her do change. Her strength of character reveals the truth to others. It encourages them to rebel. It rallies the Districts to rise up. She is the catalyst to change though she never changes herself or her beliefs. They are constant. One could even argue that her circumstances from the beginning to the end remain constant. She does not end up anywhere better than when she started her journey, though she changed her world and experienced love and loss.
Aang in Avatar: The Last Airbender
Aang is who the monks raised him to be from the time when Katara and Sokka find him in the ice to the end. He struggles against those who want him to change—those who want him to kill the Firelord Ozai. Former Avatars in the spirit realm urge him to embrace violence. His friends wish that of him too. Through it all, he struggles with and resists against that option. In the end, he finds a way to win without compromising who he is and has always been. He ends up the same as when he began, not without struggle or a journey or growth, but never straying from his beliefs and who he was raised to be. That is the strength of his character. (I do highly recommend watching this series for any who have not. It is incredibly strong in storytelling and character.)
James Bond
While Bond goes through many trials and missions, he remains Bond. James Bond. We know what to expect. We know what kind of man he is. This is what makes him a static character in many ways. No matter what happens in the course of a book or movie, he doesn’t change fundamentally.
Princess Leia from Star Wars
From the first time we see Princess Leia in the hologram R2D2 plays, we see her strength. She is the ultimate rebel. She is the person who always knows what to do and how to do it. She’s the voice of reason. The voice of the cause. The General who leads the army. She experiences ups and downs, but remains true to her cause and mission no matter what. Her character is set from that first scene through the current movies. Others change around her. She does not.
Flat or static characters are the bedrock characters who hold the truth, cause, mission, purpose of the book. They are the characters who act like the sun to the other characters who are like the planets—moving and rotating and changing but always revolving around the flat character. They are the center of the cast. They drive the throughline of the story.
Knowing what type of character arc you are writing will help you develop the plot. Using different types of arcs for various characters will lend depth to your work.