The more I study classics, the more I see the Human NEXUS at work in the creation and portrayal of the characters.
In my opinion, there are four major factors that are like the legs of a stool for fiction to sit upon. These four factors are plot structure, character building, world building, and prose style. If one of these legs falls short, the other three will still hold up the stool if they are done well enough. I’ve heard this said with the perspective that if your story is good enough, readers will forgive you for other shortcomings in your writing.
Take Treasure Island. The prose and the way the characters speak is not in a style that readers of today appreciate. The world building is familiar to us, since most of the story takes place in settings we are well familiar with by now. Therefore, some might roll their eyes at it a little, thinking it boring, old, and stale. This is why some modern adaptations have changed the setting entirely, like putting it in outer space. But the plot is exciting, and the main characters are varied in their motivations and stay true to those motivations.
I’m not talking about the motivation of their end goal to get the treasure. I’m talking about what drives them forward, how they process what motivates them. Here is where the Human NEXUS comes in handy.
Let’s examine Long John Silver. In many movie adaptations, he is portrayed as an undercover ‘good guy’ or someone who likes Jim deep down inside, and is inspired by his innocence and goodness. Sometimes he’s even portrayed as a kind of mentor to Jim. But in the book, every character who knew him well feared him. The more dangerous they were, the more Long John Silver terrified them.
He was affable. He was complimentary. He had a way of making anyone feel important and valuable. He could inspire everyone to work hard and do a good job.
So what was it about him that these dangerous men were so terrified of?
He could convince anyone he wanted to stab you in the back, while getting you to let your guard down, making you an easy target. The entire time he was around, you had no idea if you were going to be attacked, and which direction a possible attack might come from.
These are the skills and strengths of what Chris Behnke calls an Influencer. Except in this case, they are skills and strengths used for evil purposes. Long John Silver is no ‘good guy’ by any definition, no matter how any of the movies choose to portray him.
Now let’s take a look at the main protagonist. Jim Hawkins is the hero of the story. He is young. He is brash. He jumps into situations without thinking things through, determined to make something happen, with little more than faith that it will turn out well.
Because he acted impulsively several times, he saved everyone. He impulsively grabbed a wrapped bundle from Billy Bone’s chest, and found the treasure map. He impulsively decided he wanted an apple, so he sat in the bottom of the barrel and overheard Long John Silver’s plot to mutiny. He impulsively jumped into the boats and went to shore with the pirates, and met the marooned Ben Gunn. He impulsively left the safety of the stockade and took over the ship from the pirates.
Most people nowadays teach their children that being this impulsive is wrong, that only bad things happen to those who don’t stop to think things through. But these are all the skills and strengths of what Chris Behnke calls a Driver.
The book did not soften the trials that Jim faced because of his impulsiveness. Several times he nearly died. So readers can understand that there is definitely a price to be paid. But Jim worked through all of them through sheer grit and determination, always pushing forward and keeping momentum toward the goal he had set his eyes on.
Other characters embody other aspects of the Human NEXUS. Dr Livesy is a Solutionary, always solving problems as they arise. He even provides cures for illness to the mutineers. Captain Alexander Smollett is a Stabilizer. He makes certain that everyone is treated with justice, and can foresee problems before they arise. He demands that everyone work in a way that is beneficial to the entire team and mission. To put forth a pun, he keeps everyone on an even keel.
Every classic I’ve read so far that is popular more than a hundred years after it was penned have this in common. They have characters that embody varying aspects of the Human NEXUS. A lot of modern fiction will have a majority of the character embody only the parts of the NEXUS that the author themselves operates in. Thus, a lot of modern fiction is lost in the morass of available works, and fall into the shadows of mediocrity. While these old stories still live and breathe with vitality in the imaginations of modern audiences.
Their prose may be outdated. Their world building might be stale from the passage of time. But the plot is still excellent. And the characters are built so well that they are still alive to this very day.
That, my fellow authors and readers, is what incorporating the principles of the Human NEXUS can do for fiction.
If you want to read an updated version of Treasure Island, with illustrations for each chapter, pick up an ebook copy here. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DRZZX57H
To learn more about the Human NEXUS, and what it can do for your life and your art, take a free version of the profile test, or enter coupon code ROlson10off for a discount on the paid version for all the information it can provide you. https://thehumannexus.com/ref/271/
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