Writing Children’s Books: Creating a Worthy Adversary
Think of your favorite movies. Chances are, what you remember most are the two forces vying for your attention: the main character and the antagonist.
We have written a lot about the development of the main character, or protagonist, in these pages. But unless that character has a formidable opponent, he’ll never get a chance to be a hero. A compelling antagonist is vital to the success of your story.
First, let’s clarify the terminology. Many books on writing use the term “villain” for the antagonist, but I find that limiting. It implies an inherently evil nature. “Antagonist”, on the other hand, is simply an adversary. It is a person or force that works against the protagonist in some way. The antagonist’s job is to put obstacles in the path of the main character. One-dimensional antagonists are boring and awesome. If a character is completely bad, the reader will quickly figure it out and anticipate every plot point. Shades of gray are much more interesting and actually create more plot tension. If your antagonist occasionally has a conscience and tries to do the right thing, then every decision is a surprise to the reader. Now, if this character has had problems in the past that the reader finds sympathetic, then the reader might understand some of the antagonist’s actions.
In the vast majority of children’s books, the reader experiences the story through the eyes of the main character, whether it is written in the first or third person. So each character in the book is filtered through the perspective of the protagonist. The reader only sees the antagonist as the main character sees them, which may or may not be accurate. The reader’s information changes when the protagonist’s perspective changes. For example, a character may hate her stepfather because he is not her dad, but when the stepfather helps her out of an embarrassing situation, this perceived antagonist becomes an ally.
The antagonists need to adapt to the story. It’s up to you to show your readers why your main character is struggling against this particular obstacle. In the Dr. Seuss classic How the Grinch Stole Christmas, the protagonist is actually the least likeable character in the book. He is fighting the joy of celebrating the Christmas holidays. If readers didn’t believe there was something about the Grinch that made him incapable of joy, and didn’t sympathize with the Grinch and want him to change, then the idea of not embracing a day of gifts and celebration would be inconceivable.
With picture books and easy readers, the antagonist is usually concrete and easily identifiable. It is a specific person or event. As readers mature, antagonists can become more abstract and complex. Often what the protagonist is fighting against is really something within herself. In last year’s Newbery winner The Higher Power of Lucky, Susan Patron crafted the uplifting story of a 10-year-old girl who bounces between her (mistaken) belief that her guardian was planning to put her in an orphanage and eavesdropping. 12-step meetings in the hope of finding his own “higher power” to give him strength. Jerry Spinelli’s haunting middle-grade novel Writer takes place in the fictional Waymer, where the annual Family Fest includes a live pigeon release. Ten-year-olds are enlisted to wring the necks of injured pigeons. Palmer dreads his upcoming tenth birthday, torn between wanting to fit in and revulsion at the thought of killing a bird. The antagonist here is twofold: the pressure to participate in the upcoming Family Fest and Palmer’s certainty that he will be the villain if he relents.
Finally, don’t overlook a classic antagonist: nature itself. As an external force beyond the protagonist’s control, nature can be a fascinating enemy. Gary Paulsen’s novel Hatchet is a perfect example. Twelve-year-old Brian is left stranded alone when the plane he’s traveling in crashes in the Canadian wilderness. With nothing but an ax and his wits, city-raised Brian must survive until rescued. He soon learns that nature does not care about his presence. Sometimes benevolent, sometimes violent, nature has its own agenda and is ultimately indifferent to whether Brian lives or dies. It is this nonchalance that has hooked readers for years, making Hatchet’s antagonist one of the most memorable of them all.