by Charlotte Bennardo
It seems our world is defined by contrasts. Night vs. day. Drought vs. flood. Rich vs. poor. Young vs. old. Good vs. evil.
Photo by Robin Schreiner: https://www.pexels.com/photo/black-spiral-stair-2438212/
But they are absolutes, and if any rule of life is true, it's that there are few absolutes. Night in one part of the world occurs at the same time as day in another, while there are places that are in between the two. Our bodies feel solid, with its bones and muscles, yet we are mostly water. Our laws include "Do Not Kill", yet there are exceptions for war, self-defense, and legal punishment.
In pondering this theme, I tried to think of absolutes. I couldn't find any. Even the laws of physics may now be changing based on what scientists are discovering as we venture farther into space via craft or telescope, like the possibility of not one single universe, but many.
Our characters should be a reflection of this contrast and our own personalities. No one is purely evil or purely good (setting aside any religious aspects). I consider myself a good person, but there have been times when I've been rude, mean, uncaring. I've gotten a speeding ticket. Now look at serial killer BTK. No one will argue that he isn't evil incarnate the way he bound, tortured, and killed people. Yet, he volunteered at his church, was a Boy Scout leader, and cared for his children. Never cheated on his wife. (I read his daughter's memoir, A Serial Killer's Daughter: My Story of Faith, Love, and Overcoming by Kerri Rawson.) To the world at large and his family, he was a good man; yet we now know him for the evil person he truly was.
So characters in our stories, no matter the age, must reflect this dichotomy that is ever present in our lives: we all live with a duality in our nature, good vs. evil. Even Darth Vader had some good in him, as Luke Skywalker tells us. It may be buried deep, forgotten, but it is there. Adding just that bit of light into a character makes them more relatable to us, because we all know (or should know) that we are not perfect and carry our own darkness. I think of ruthless punishments when I hear people abusing children, animals, and vulnerable people; I want the abusers to hurt like what they've done. It's yin and yang.
There is an indigenous story about an elder telling a child about the two wolves that live inside each of us, one evil and dark, the other good and light. The child asks which one is stronger. The elder replies, the one that we feed. We and our characters must choose which one, but there are always the two.
Charlotte writes MG, YA, NA, and adult novels in sci fi, fantasy, contemporary, paranormal and romance genres. Her latest YA fantasy novel, The Excalibur Vow, just released. She is the author of the award-winning middle grade Evolution Revolution trilogy, Simple Machines, Simple Plans, and Simple Lessons. She co-authored the YA novels Blonde OPS, Sirenz, and Sirenz Back in Fashion. She has several short stories in various anthologies. Having finished her MFA, she's applying what she learned and is working on several children's and adult novels, and other short stories. She lives in NJ with her family and floofy cat Mink, a squirrel in the backyard tree, and a visiting pet rabbit Bad Bunny.
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