Society affecting characters
28 posts in this topic.
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My characters are not often exposed to any form of 'society'. They're too busy running around in the jungle getting eaten by dragons and other such things. Very limited social situations.
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Goldenheart, that would be a "society," in a way. I mean, is that how their tribe lives, or is it a bunch of people from a different society that got stuck in these woods being chased by dragons? The answer to that would change the way they view and react to their situation.
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True, very true. I've the ongoing downfall of making all my characters act the same, since they all come from the same place. Their prominent attribute is saying 'oh dear' when things go wrong. At present they are all very dull people. I'll have to work on that, won't I?
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Goldenheart wrote:True, very true. I've the ongoing downfall of making all my characters act the same, since they all come from the same place. Their prominent attribute is saying 'oh dear' when things go wrong. At present they are all very dull people. I'll have to work on that, won't I?
That's really interesting, I think! It could lead to this whole societal attitude of a stiff upper lip or whatever, but obviously people feel emotions even if their society tells them they shouldn't. (Think about honor suicide; to people really want to kill themselves, or do they do it because they have to?) In the US, men aren't "supposed" to talk about their feelings, because it would make them "unmanly," or something. However, they still have emotions, so you've got this weird man vs. society thing going on and ... can you tell that this is something that really interests me?
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Evelyn
- She is the Youngest niece of the last King & the sister of the should be King.
Scarlett
- She was kidnapped so that her brother would be the last King.
Reuben
- He was supposed to be King after his Uncle died, but refused when he found out what really happened to his parents.
Nana
- All her children had to scatter or join the war.
Great Uncle Jeri
- Was supposed to take over after the King died, but then Boniface decided to take over and banish Jeri.
Damian
- He is one of Nana's children, appointed to be Evelyn's guardian. Evelyn knows him as her cousin-in-law.
Oliver
- His mother was pregnant with him when she was kidnapped. He should have been only two years younger then Ev and Scarlett but when he was returned to earth it was three earth years later and he was only a newborn. (the worlds have kinda a Narnia thing going on there.)
Boniface
- He thought it unfair that he would never inherit the Kingdom, so he married the eldest female & only child of one of the other possible ruling families; hence, he became next in line for the thrown - and he did love her before he was corrupted by her family. -
Well, let's see. Half the story is in 1940s rural America, and the other half is in modern, urban America.
So, in the past:
Eric and Sarah. They are in love.
In a manner of speaking. But Eric being a young white boy and Sarah an older, married, black woman, society is completely against them, and so they have to hide their relationship. This really fuels the whole story, since the cover up leads to mistaken identity and accidental murder and...yeah. -
Madalina
Well firstly Madalina wants to grow up to be a working Maiden but because of the time period, her mother is disgusted at this prospect she tells Madalina that she cannot work when she grows up. This makes Madalina more resistant to commands, more independent, and sarcastic she speaks back to her mother and other figures of higher authority all because of the fear of her mothers wishes coming true if she gives in.
Athelia
The closest body of water to their home is next to a Navy base her husband is a fisherman and therefor has to go there almost everyday this worries her so much she becomes over protective of her children, trying to prevent Madalina from thinking about getting a job and not wanting her children to get strange ideas in their heads. All this is also caused by the prejudice and Sexism of the time period that i mentioned above
Aimi-Lee
She's to young to know why her mother worries so much but she can process that she does and this worried Aimi-Lee as well when people sound or look even the slightest bit worried she becomes extremely fear full -
The main character is a product of two societies; he grows up as the son of a witch, and he is essentially being raised to be her servant and lover (...), as well as an occasional source of ingredients, hahahaha, but when he is, oh, fourteen or fifteen, he escapes to country to the north and across their equivalent of the Mediterranean, where he scrapes a living for himself in the ancient, decadent society of Demair and eventually rises into the high society through a clever combination of what little witchcraft he picked up in his mother's tender care and the mechanical toys there; the birds he creates are kind of a metaphor for his own split nature.
So uh. That didn't really answer the question, but I don't feel like actually analyzing him because it would only depress me. -
This'll be very fascinating.
Nendo's not so affected by the rules of society as some of the other characters are, being a street boy; however, he does have the usual prejudices of an Aetan, such as thinking women are lesser than men and believing in a literal interpretation of the planet's opening myth. He's more open-minded than most, but accepts that the nobles are paramount (even though he dislikes them) and is quite horrified to discover that Darian's a woman acting like a man. Really, in the end of the novel, Nendo repudiates most of what Aetan society stands for and decides to join the Coalition with Luanna...
Tey is affected more by the society than Nendo is, being a closeted homosexual in a world highly intolerant of different sexualities. He's not exactly aware that he's gay at the start of the novel, but feels there's something not quite right to his feelings for Nendo. He struggles with his homosexuality for much of the novel, feeling it as something completely wrong--it's Jyuna, who with his existentialist philosophy, helps Tey accept himself for who he is. And then they fall in love. <3
Luanna was born in the main Coalition and is arriving on Aeta only on a diplomatic trip. Thus, she has an outsider's perspective of Aeta. She's rather disgusted by the society she sees, thinking it backwards, and is especially bothered by the society's repressive views on gender and its xenophobia. As she becomes the target of the villainous group, only for being a female foreigner and thus upsetting Aeta's status quo, Luanna realizes even more her outsider status.
Darian, too, is majorly affected by the society because she is a woman masquerading as a man. Not out of choice; she was brought up as a boy to ensure the succession to the Miria family. As a man, Darian enjoys freedoms that women are denied on Aeta, and thus enjoys it much, though at the same time she feels conflicted over her feminine identity. As a magician and a noble, her position in Aetan society is very high, leading to her being unintentionally patronizing and arrogant at times. Her relationship with the much older Masudo also defies standard Aetan conventions, since she's an unmarried girl and he's old enough to be her father.
Masudo is less affected by Aetan society than the other characters, because he is a time mage and grew up in the time mage's more insular society. Thus, he sees some aspects of mainstream Aetan society as ridiculous, especially the gender discrimination (in time mage society, men and women are equal). He is also a noble, too, and thus tied to the Aetan mainstream. His time mage upbringing has given him a strong sense of loyalty to the group, and a sense of fighting for the greater good.
Jyuna is affected by society in that he's notably chosen to reject society. Sick of Aeta's chafing conventions (and the fact that he's gay in an intolerant culture), he's chosen a decidedly existentialist worldview: "I give meaning to my existence." However, he can't repudiate what he acquired from his upbringing amongst the Sikh-like people of the planet's south; he's a strong warrior with a lot of pride, as most of his people are. In fact, his pride is what led him to leave them in the first place, since he felt his village had become a tourist trap and his people had lost their ethnic pride and dignity.
Karash is again affected by society by being an outsider; in his case, a nomadic Wanderer. He lives in Theratolia's run-down foreigner district and perceives the xenophobia and ethnic strife rife on the planet. However, Karash is also an outcast from Wanderer society, because he refused to marry at sixteen (the age most marry in Wanderer culture) and thus left to pursue his own dreams. His patriarchal views on women (that Wanderer society instilled in him), lead him to much trouble when he discovers Darian's gender...
Idach is affected perhaps the most of all the characters: His literal interpretation of Aeta's founding myth has left Idach with an abiding hatred of all things Coalition, and a nostalgic desire to return Aeta to the way it was before the Coalition arrived. Very conservative and inward-looking and bound by standard Aetan conventions. He loathes foreigners and indeed all things different (including time mages), and wishes to purge Aetan society of all its "degenerate" influences. -
Anna
It's definitely the money obsession that affects her the most. She grew up with pirates, thinking that you can buy happiness. So she grew up with this crazy selfishness that changes all her decisions in the future. She doesn't care who she hurts to make money.
Tom
It's the "free romance" that kind of wormed itself into his brain. He mostly tries to be an "independent thinker" but he's all for the "I do what I want, and don't you try to stop me" lifestyle that he picked up from his pirate friends.
Joe
He grew up in quite a different society from the other two, one where all you had to do was succeed in school and go to a nice college. He was always a "mama's boy", and fairly well-off, too, so he had a bad reaction to harsh life at sea. He's used to the easy life that his parents were able to provide him. He still clings to his young idealistic ideas about a perfect life, while his new life continues to scare him out of his wits and become quite the 'fraidy-cat. -
Anna
She grew up in a comfortable home with everything she always needed and a very good education. However, she is against all the prejudices and stereotypes of society. Her opinions often cause her to disagree with other people, especially with her mother.
Trudy
Ever since she married her social status improved and she's been more and more concerned about what people will think of her and of "fitting in". She's very easily influenced by what others do if they are the majority and she wants to be liked by everyone.
Lucy
She always belonged to the working class and due to the way she used to be treated at school and by people in general, she expects other people not to care about her. -
Hm...
Tickoo-
Tickoo really has no trouble with the society. He's been raised in it, after all. He looks forward to the day when he leaves his mother, thinking it'll be an adventure. However, like most kids, he doesn't want anything to change. He wants things to stay the same.
Sashi-
Sashi doesn't really care what the rules are. He doesn't pay much attention to his mother, and always seem to get himself into trouble. The society doesn't exist in his mind. He lives in his own world...
Ratenok-
Ratenok is a hard case... he was raised in the nomadic lifestyle like every other cat, and only once has he gone against it. He was the father of Tickoo and Sashi. After they were born, he insisted he stay with their mother, for he truly loved her. He was forced away when humans invaded their home. Ever since, he has followed the rules of society.
Bonzu-
I have nothing to say about Bonzu.
He's the old dude, the one who knows the society laws like the back of his paw. He'd never stray from what he's learned. -
I didn't post on the other topic because my story is set in the USA nowadays but I think society affects my characters because most of them are from a low social class (including my main characters), so it's not that they are extremely poor but they're not rich either.
About Mary Jane in particular, she's American but both her parents are Mexican so sometimes she doesn't know exactly where she belongs.
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