static character
What is Static Character? Definition, Usage, and Literary Examples
Static Character Definition
Static characters (STAH-tuhk CARE-ihk-ters) are characters who remain unchanged regardless of plot, conflict, or environment. They experience little to no internal development, maintaining the same characterization they were introduced with.
Static characters can be nuanced, with a complex personality and a rich backstory, or they can be simple, with straightforward characterization and a basic personal history—if one is provided at all. Whether a static character is round or flat, their defining trait is that they don’t change.
How Static Characters Are Used
Static characters can get a bad rap for being too simple or boring. But static characterization is not an inherently bad thing. Too many dynamic character arcs can overwhelm the plot. Plus, static characters are a useful tool for filling a narrative with richly developed personalities, virtues, flaws, and all. This helps secure the reader’s interest and emotional investment. Consequently, static characters serve several roles in fiction.
Protagonists
The main character doesn’t have to be dynamic to be engaging or relatable. There’s an appeal to characters with steadfast convictions or unyielding personalities, and this unchanging nature can become a plot point. This is common in tragedies in which the hero cannot or will not change, causing their own downfall.
Antagonists
Static characters make great foes. Readers enjoy complex villains; a bad guy with a nuanced motive and personality can heighten the tension and hook the reader’s engagement. But a dynamic antagonist can overshadow the protagonist, so writers often keep them static to maintain focus on the main character.
Supporting Characters
A character doesn’t have to change to be interesting. A fool doesn’t need a learn a lesson to add humor or whimsy, for example. Plus, as mentioned, a character might prove more interesting because they don’t evolve. Writers use static personalities to explore why a character remains constant even as the protagonist transforms, which creates an enlightening contrast.
A character doesn’t have to change to serve a purpose either. Static characters often fulfill certain archetypes, like the mentor who dispenses wisdom or key information. A mentor doesn’t need to experience personal growth to play this role. However, flat side characters can bore readers, so writers use layered but static characterization to put a more interesting spin on a traditional archetype.
Static Characters and Other Character Types
Static Characters vs. Dynamic Characters
A dynamic character is the opposite of a static character. Static characters don’t undergo internal growth, no matter the plot or their environment, but dynamic characters are molded by their experiences. The difference between the two is a matter of transformation, with dynamic characters transforming in response to the plot.
Static Characters vs. Flat Characters
If static refers to transformation, then flat refers to complexity. Where static characters are inflexible, flat characters lack depth. Flat characters can be static, featuring both simple and fixed characterization, but some do transform over the course of a story. Their potential for change is what distinguishes them from static characters.
Why Writers Use Static Characters
Writers use static characters for many reasons, especially to support the protagonist. They’re often employed as active agents who influence the plot, either by kickstarting it or by helping the protagonist overcome conflict.
Writers also use static characters to establish foils―characters with whom the protagonist is compared. This creates a revealing contrast between the two characters that highlights the protagonist’s traits, background, or motive.
A story that only features dynamic characters could get unwieldy. So, static characters are an important tool for writing a tight and focused story. They can make a story more engaging and authentic without unnecessary subplots, or they can ensure a story focuses on plot development rather than character development.
Finally, writers can use static characters to play with the reader’s understanding of the story. Although the character remains unchanged, the revelation or exploration of a hidden past can change the reader’s perception of them. This creates a sense of transformation without needing to depict an extensive character arc.
Static Characters in Pop Culture
Pop culture is replete with static characters, many of them iconic.
- James Bond: Despite dozens of films and various portrayals, 007 largely remains the same cool, charming, lethal gentlemen he ever was―though the Daniel Craig films have attempted to enrich his character by adding backstory and continuity.
- Homer Simpson: Serial narratives, especially comedies, regularly feature static characters. For one thing, audiences can be resistant to change. For another, there are endless storytelling opportunities in putting the same personality in a variety of situations. This is perfectly exemplified by the cartoon TV series The Simpsons, especially with the patriarch Homer.
- Sherlock Holmes: Both Holmes are Watson static characters. This actually serves the purpose of each story, which uses a narrative framework built upon their consistent dynamic. Static personalities are common in mysteries and detective fiction, which typically focus on plot reveal over character transformation.
Examples of Static Character in Literature
1. Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird
Atticus Finch is a pillar of morality in this novel. His strong sense of right and wrong guides all his dealings in life, including his interactions with others, his work as a lawyer, and his parenting style. He can spin any situation into a teachable moment to demonstrate the importance of equality, empathy, and courage. Atticus is crucial to the development of his children, especially Scout, a dynamic character who is transformed by his consistent model of ethics and morality.
2. William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet
Romeo is a character shaped by his environment, particularly the feud between the Montagues and Capulets. He is loyal but volatile, impulsive to the end. Despite declaring his love for Rosaline, he forgets her upon seeing Juliet. After learning of Juliet’s apparent death, he immediately resolves to die himself, drinking poison by Juliet’s side just before she awakens. In the end, Romeo dies because of his capricious, impulsive nature.
3. Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
Alice’s characterization is both flat and static. Her backstory is vague, and her personality isn’t particularly complex—two hallmarks of flat characters. She is gentle, polite, clever, curious, and sometimes quick-tempered. At the end of the story, when she wakes up from her dream, nothing has changed; she is still all those things. This lack of depth and transformation is not a flaw. For one, it enables the reader slip into Alice’s shoes. Her simplicity also lends itself to reimagination, which perhaps explains her enduring popularity.
Further Resources on Static Characters
This Masterclass article compares static and dynamic characters in more detail, and provides tips on how to write both.
Learn more about the balance between plot and character with Creating Character Arcs from award-winning author K.M. Weiland.