Lately my husband and I have become hooked on the cartoon “Avatar.” For those who have never watched it, Avatar is about a boy who is the reincarnated Avatar—a person who has the power to control all four elements (earth, wind, fire, and water). We missed most of the seasons, so my husband went out last night and purchased season one.
As I watched Avatar, I started pondering about the marking that the two main characters have—the Avatar is marked with an arrow on his forehead, while the exiled Prince of the Fire Benders carries a terrible red scar on his face during a duel with his father. Neither the Avatar nor the Prince can hide who they are from others—or themselves. The Avatar’s destiny is to bring an end to the fire bender’s rule to bring peace to the world; the Prince must find and destroy the Avatar to restore his honor and win his father’s respect. The marks they bear are a physical manifestation of the roles they are forced to play.
This isn’t a new concept in literature (or screenplays). Probably the most famous example that comes to mind is Harry Potter. His lightening bolt scar on his forehead is something that he can’t hide, and he can’t escape. Wherever he goes he is “the boy who lived.” As the only Voldemort survivor, Harry is marked to ultimately defeat the evil wizard.
In Joan Bauer’s “Hope is Here” the main character gets a rare opportunity: she gets to choose her own name. She chooses Hope, and thereafter is marked by what the name represents. She lives up to the meaning of her name throughout her childhood and teens. The most memorable act of hope is the scrapbook she keeps for the person that someday will come in to her life and become her father. Does she know that this will ever happen? Of course not. But as her name implies, she has hope that a man will come along who will fill the void. Personally, I think hope is a courageous act. To hope is to put yourself in a position to be hurt if the thing you desire does not in fact happen. Bauer’s novel is not about a character finding the perfect life, but it’s about a girl who at a young age decides she will never lose hope.
Going back to Avatar, I suspect that the Prince in the end will defy his marking and refuse to destroy the Avatar. I think it is interesting to have two characters marked: one must learn to live up to it, while the other must find a way to move past it. I also love that the two characters who have so much in common are set up as rivals—even enemies—at the beginning of the series.
Here’s a writing exercise I came up with based on the idea of markings. I think it could be useful in flushing out a character, and maybe even creating an arc:
1. How is your character marked? It can be a physical manifestation (like the arrow on the Avatar’s forehead) or an unseen marking such as the name Hope.
2. Is it self-inflicted (Hope chose her name)? Or was it given by the gods, so to speak (Harry didn’t choose to have a lightening-bolt scar—it was part of his destiny)?
3. How does your character react to the marking? Does s/he fight it or embrace it? Does this change through the story? If so, what causes the change?
4. Does your character need to get beyond the marking (like the Prince in Avatar) or live up to it (like the Avatar)?
As I watched Avatar, I started pondering about the marking that the two main characters have—the Avatar is marked with an arrow on his forehead, while the exiled Prince of the Fire Benders carries a terrible red scar on his face during a duel with his father. Neither the Avatar nor the Prince can hide who they are from others—or themselves. The Avatar’s destiny is to bring an end to the fire bender’s rule to bring peace to the world; the Prince must find and destroy the Avatar to restore his honor and win his father’s respect. The marks they bear are a physical manifestation of the roles they are forced to play.
This isn’t a new concept in literature (or screenplays). Probably the most famous example that comes to mind is Harry Potter. His lightening bolt scar on his forehead is something that he can’t hide, and he can’t escape. Wherever he goes he is “the boy who lived.” As the only Voldemort survivor, Harry is marked to ultimately defeat the evil wizard.
In Joan Bauer’s “Hope is Here” the main character gets a rare opportunity: she gets to choose her own name. She chooses Hope, and thereafter is marked by what the name represents. She lives up to the meaning of her name throughout her childhood and teens. The most memorable act of hope is the scrapbook she keeps for the person that someday will come in to her life and become her father. Does she know that this will ever happen? Of course not. But as her name implies, she has hope that a man will come along who will fill the void. Personally, I think hope is a courageous act. To hope is to put yourself in a position to be hurt if the thing you desire does not in fact happen. Bauer’s novel is not about a character finding the perfect life, but it’s about a girl who at a young age decides she will never lose hope.
Going back to Avatar, I suspect that the Prince in the end will defy his marking and refuse to destroy the Avatar. I think it is interesting to have two characters marked: one must learn to live up to it, while the other must find a way to move past it. I also love that the two characters who have so much in common are set up as rivals—even enemies—at the beginning of the series.
Here’s a writing exercise I came up with based on the idea of markings. I think it could be useful in flushing out a character, and maybe even creating an arc:
1. How is your character marked? It can be a physical manifestation (like the arrow on the Avatar’s forehead) or an unseen marking such as the name Hope.
2. Is it self-inflicted (Hope chose her name)? Or was it given by the gods, so to speak (Harry didn’t choose to have a lightening-bolt scar—it was part of his destiny)?
3. How does your character react to the marking? Does s/he fight it or embrace it? Does this change through the story? If so, what causes the change?
4. Does your character need to get beyond the marking (like the Prince in Avatar) or live up to it (like the Avatar)?
2 comments:
I made one little edit to this blog after watching "The Storm" Avatar episode. The Prince received his scar from his father--not one of his uncle's.
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