Character, Plot, & Theme

Recently in a thread on this forum, a member put forward two potential “driving forces” of a story (plot & character) to suggest where the greatest share of a writer’s focus should be. I then chimed in to say that I subscribe to a theory of three potential driving forces, those being: character, plot, and theme. And in this post I’ll go into more detail about those three, as well as what I view as their hybrids.

(1) Plot-driven: I opted to start with plot because I suspect it’s the most intuitive. In my estimation the overwhelming majority of popular stories are plot-driven. I don’t judge that as a shortcoming; it’s merely a different emphasis. It’s important to understand that plot-driven stories do have themes, and the better ones have compelling characters, but their plot is the real load-bearing structure of their audience’s investment. The central conflict of a plot-driven story is typically well defined, and the expectation is during the story’s climax it (the central conflict) will at the very least be confronted, traditionally overcome.

The following examples are what I judge to be plot-driven stories: Back to the Future, Robert Zemeckis; Star Wars, George Lucas; Elantris, Brandon Sanderson; Salem’s Lot, Stephen King.

(2) Theme-driven: These stories primarily set out to raise or answer an important question (or questions). They are message focused. Similar to plot-driven stories, theme-driven stories can (and usually should) have compelling characters, but the exploration of those characters is less of a priority than hammering home its theme(s).

The following examples are what I judge to be theme-driven stories: Animal Farm, George Orwell; Blade Runner, Ridley Scott; Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury; American History X, Tony Kaye

(3) Character-driven: Any story can (and almost always should) have compelling characters. Distinct, well-drawn characters worthy of our attention and investment. But a character-driven story offers the audience a thorough understanding and exploration of at least one character.

Of the primary three driving types, character-driven stories can be the most difficult to identify. This is because successful character exploratory fiction always produces valuable themes, and this can give the impression that all character-driven stories are also theme-driven stories, and that the two can’t be divorced.

My contention is that the themes of character-driven fiction are usually of a personal (psychological, close social, or familial) nature. So a tactic I employ for differentiating character-driven stories from theme-driven or character/theme-driven stories, is to try and think if the piece has prominent “big picture” (societal, political, moral, etcetera) themes. If it doesn’t, and its themes chiefly revolve around individual human experiences, I judge the piece to be character-driven, assuming it sufficiently explores at least one character.

The following examples are what I judge to be character-driven stories: The Catcher and the Rye, J.D. Salinger; The Sun Also Rises, Ernest Hemingway; The Breakfast Club, John Hughes; Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Edward Albee

~ Going Hybrid ~​

While others may stop at the above three, it’s my contention that many stories have more than one fundamental narrative driving force. Because of this I’ve conceptualized hybrid drive types to better categorize them.

(4) Plot/theme-driven: When done well this drive type has proven to be the best at drawing in a wide audience with an exciting plot, and offering them something substantive to think about and discuss.

The following examples are what I judge to be plot/theme-driven stories: Dune, Frank Herbert; The Matrix, the Wachowskis; Life of Pi, Yann Martel; The Island of Dr. Moreau, H.G. Wells

(5) Character/plot-driven: A drive type that when expertly executed, harder to please critics find themselves in agreement with popular opinion. The critics get the character exploration they need, while the wider audience gets the exciting plot they need.

The following examples are what I judge to be character/plot-driven stories: The Godfather, Francis Ford Coppola; A Song of Ice and Fire, GRRM; Shadow of the Wind, Carlos Ruiz Zafón; Heat, Michael Mann

(6) Character/theme-driven: Intimate character explorations with an important theme or themes, with both forces attempting to have big payoffs for the audience.

The following examples are what I judge to be character/theme-driven stories: A Clockwork Orange, Anthony Burgess; A River Runs Through It, Norman Maclean; The Master, Paul Thomas Anderson; Go Down, Moses, William Faulkner

~ The Trifecta ~​

(7) Character/plot/theme-driven: Very few stories are driven by all three narrative forces seemingly equally. The ones that are aren’t necessarily better than any other story, but they do have more ambitious architecture.

The following examples are what I judge to be character/plot/theme-driven stories: The Killer Angels, Michael Shaara; The Once and Future King, T.H. White; Full Metal Jacket, Stanley Kubrick; All the King’s Men, Robert Penn Warren

All of the above material is merely something I’ve expanded on from others in order to make useful distinctions between stories. I don’t in any way believe it to be a revealed truth, and I’m fine with any and all opinions about it, no matter how critical.