This week’s article is kind of a follow up to last week’s. There I brought up a technique used in Treasure Island to create a difference between protagonists and antagonists. Using that, you can have flawed ‘good guys’ and likable ‘bad guys’ without confusing which is which.
If you haven’t yet read that article, you can find it here.
As another example of this technique, the movie version of The Lord of the Rings does the same with the characters. The biggest difference between these movies and Treasure Island, is that in the movies some of the characters are pressured and pulled toward siding with the ‘bad guys’ of the story.
For review, we will examine this through the lens of the Human NEXUS, as described by Chris Behnke. The four motivators are Driver, Influencer, Solutionary, and Stabilizer. Each of these four have both positive and negative traits.
The Fellowship that sets out from Rivendell has two members of each of these four motivators, and Gandalf is a balance mix of all of them.
A Driver is someone who will change course on a dime, as needed, to move forward toward a goal. They use sheer grit and determination, no matter how difficult the road becomes, to get to the goal at the end of that road. Because of the forward momentum they thrive on, and their ability to veer and alter their direction on demand, they make quick decisions, and speak bluntly. Due to this, they may sometimes seem rude, or short with others. They’re often not trying to be, they’re just trying to get to the point and stop wasting time with frivolous words.
The two Drivers of the Fellowship are Frodo and Gimli. When Sam hesitated to ask Rosie to dance, Frodo pushed him forward. When Elrond announced the ring must be destroyed, Gimli immediately took an axe to it. When Sam was trying to warn Frodo about the dangers of trusting Gollum, Frodo rudely cut him short and stomped away. When facing a battle with overwhelming odds against them, Gimli jumped in, sometimes quite literally. Sheer grit and determination got Frodo to Mount Doom. Sheer grit and determination kept Gimli going at the same pace as Aragorn and Legolas when chasing the captive hobbits across the plains of Rohan.
The negative of the Driver is that they will intimidate. Frodo did start intimidating others, such as Sam or Gollum. But only after the ring was digging in and taking hold of his will. Only after he was being drawn toward evil, no matter how hard he fought against it. Where else do we see intimidation used? The balrog roared at Gandalf and cracked his whip before starting across the bridge. Sauron intimidated anyone who looked in a palantir, to the point that the Steward of Gondor went insane, and the head of the Council of the Wise turned to evil. The Witch King carried with him a sort of fear spell. Every time he flew overhead on his fel beast, all beneath him cowered in terror. The negatives of the Driver are all displayed in the antagonist characters.
Let’s look at some of the others. Samwise and Legolas are both influencers. An influencer will create deep connections. They inspire and empower others. No matter how much grit and determination he had, Frodo would not have made it to Mount Doom were it not for Sam supporting him. Gimli would have fallen from sheer exhaustion had Legolas not encouraged him to keep up.
The negative of the Influencer is manipulation. Nowhere do I recall seeing either of these characters doing this in any form. However, there are plenty of ‘bad guy’ characters that do. First and foremost, there is Smeagol. He manipulated Frodo, lying and tricking him to lure him into a death trap. Another example is Wormtongue. The way he had King Theoden wrapped around his little finger with the power of his words is very much a display of this kind of negative power.
For Solutionaries, we have Merry and Pippen. As the name suggests, a Solutionary finds solutions. They seek understanding, are curious and inquisitive, and will test the boundaries they are set just to see how something can work. In the Shire, it was Merry who quickly grasped an understanding of the danger of the situation with the ringwraiths, and provided solutions like taking the ferry. When Pippen left for Minas Tirith, Merry reminisced that he got Pippen into all kinds of trouble, but always got him back out of it again. This desire for understanding is probably why Pippen was curious enough about the skeleton in Moria, touching it and accidentally knocking it into the well. It’s also why he picked up the palantir. It’s also why he was able to figure out how to leave a token for Aragorn to find, proof that he and Merry were alive after being taken captive. It’s also why he was able to figure out how to climb up to the watch tower and set it to light, saving Minas Tirith by calling for aid from Rohan.
The negative of a Solutionary is sabotage. While both Merry and Pippen screw up, colossally at times to disastrous effect, they don’t do it on purpose for the sake of deconstructing the efforts of those around them. Gollum excelled at sabotage, using his alternate ego Smeagol to do so. He even sabotaged Sam so effectively on the stairs above Minas Morgul that Frodo turned him away. The Mouth of Sauron (seen only in the extended editions of the movies) was also a sabotager. He showed them Frodo’s mithril coat, attempting to sabotage any hope they had for success.
Finally, we have Stabilizers. These are Aragorn and Boromir. They seek to create safety and justice for all those around them. Aragorn tried to turn away from his destiny of becoming king (in the movie version only, not the books), because he feared he would create instability the way his ancestor Isildur had. Boromir’s life revolved around creating safety for Gondor and Minas Tirith. Stabilizers find injustice offensive. Thus, Aragorn tried to lure Sauron out of the Black Gate by crying out that justice must be done. In the extended editions, there is a scene where Boromir is offended by his father’s unjust treatment of his brother.
I can hear it now, people are saying, “Now wait just a moment. Boromir turned into a ‘bad guy’ and tried to take the ring from Frodo.” Let’s examine the negative side. Stabilizers withhold. That might not seem like such a bad thing on the surface. But it can be insidiously destructive. Saruman withheld information from Gandalf about the movements of the enemy, about his possession of the palantir, about the army he was breeding. When he recruited the wild men to attack Rohan, he reminded them of what had been withheld from them. Another example is Denethor, the Steward of Gondor. He withheld his armies, causing Faramir to lose the defenses at Osgiliath, and then riding to his near-death to try and retake it. He withheld orders for his armies and citizens to prepare for an attack. So what was it Boromir did that was so horrible? After a few months of being influenced by the evils of the ring, he reacted to what he saw as someone withholding the one thing that could stabilize his kingdom and save his people from destruction. Was he wrong? Yes. Was he a ‘bad guy’? No.
Gandalf, being a near perfect blend of all four motivators, could take up an entire article all on his own. So we will cover him at another time.
For now, go back and re-watch the movies. Look for other signs of the four motivators in the characters. See how the ‘good guys’ stay in the positive traits, unless they’re being influenced or tempted by evil. See how the ‘bad guys’ operate almost entirely in the negative traits.
To learn more about the Human NEXUS, and which type is your strongest, go to Chris Behnke’s website and take the Human NEXUS test. Take the free version for a short synopsis, or enter code ROlson10off for a discount on the paid version for all the information. Tell us if knowing what motivates you reinforces your writing process, or if it helps you to readjust.
For even more information, or assistance in using this system for character creation, join the newsletter. As a bonus, you’ll also receive a free short story that takes place early in the life of one of the main characters in my fantasy novels. If you have any topics you would like to see in future articles, email us with your suggestion.
Follow us at:
website: https://rebekaholsonventures.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/
X: Rebekah Olson @Author_R_Olson
Truth Social: Rebekah @RebekahOlson