How bad is your bad guy?
What makes him tick?
Evil for the sake of evil is boring.
Around 4:00 one morning I awoke, thinking about the antagonist in my debut novel (Secrets In The Mirror). Devon is the identical twin to Gavin. He developed malignant Narcissistic Personality Disorder along with other comorbid disorders, is obsessed with his twin, destroying Gavin’s self-esteem, along with his new family, business and reputation. Everyone who has read any part of this novel experiences a visceral HATRED of Devon.
But how does Devon view himself? There’s a human in there somewhere. What does he yearn for, and why? I thought about Chuck Wendig’s take on antagonists – they’re “just people … with wants, needs, fears, motivations. … They’re full-blooded, full-bodied characters.”
The unrelenting toxicity of Devon’s behavior can make for a one-dimensional assault. And as Chuck says, “Evil for the sake of evil is YAWN-TASTIC, SNORE-TACULAR,” so I have taken care to dig deep into Devon’s character, reaching for what drives him. Although he boasts and glorifies himself, demeaning and belittling others (including Gavin), what are his thoughts when he’s alone in the dark? Has he succeeded in fooling himself, as he attempts to do with everyone else?
(I think of our country’s past president, who in Volume I of the Mueller Report, is seen as a man in constant emotional uproar away from the public eye, finally slumping and exclaiming “I’m fucked” upon learning of Mueller’s appointment – thereby recognizing his own misdeeds and vulnerability.)
The twins’ bullying father selected Devon to exalt over his twin as perhaps the embodiment of what his own impaired ego desired for himself ― The best, the smartest, the winner. Which thereby cultivated an unearned sense of superiority in Devon. It can be pretty wobbly – and lonely – up on a pedestal that lacks solid foundation. As a result, Devon has deep fears of being discovered as fraudulent, of being judged or rejected. Of being alone. So all his external behaviors attempt to prevent such a fate. It’s only when he feels most vulnerable, alone, that he stumbles into those fears. Drugs and alcohol help him avoid confronting such thoughts. But when everyone abandons him, time catches up with him and he plummets off that false pedestal, from grandiose narcissism to vulnerable narcissism, … Does he fall to his death? Does he take anyone else down with him … ?
Devon has a personality disorder, but “The exact mechanism by which NPD develops is unknown. Biologic, psychological, social, and environmental factors all may play a role, but further research is necessary to confirm this supposition. Several psychodynamic theories point to an unhealthy early parent-child relationship as salient in the development of the disorder. To date, no genetic links to the disorder have been determined.” Devon’s identical twin – with identical genes – does not develop NPD or related disorders.
While Gavin’s antagonist is his twin, Devon publicly represents himself as hero-protagonist, and realizes too late that his own antagonist lies deep within himself.
What about the antagonist in your work? Does s/he fear anything? What is his/her yearning, what does s/he most desire? Who or what is his/her antagonist? Does your protagonist finally win against the antagonist? Is it a hollow victory, or does your protagonist conquer something within himself in the process of defeating his nemesis? Can your protagonist even be a winner, without an antagonist? What scars are left behind after the demise of the antagonist? Discuss!