The Pen & The Sword: A Discussion Book

|Discussion Article| Redemption Arcs

There's nothing I love more in a story than a good redemption arc. A shady character who has struggled with the questionable morality of his/her actions fights to correct past mistakes and is determined to be on the good side.

These characters make some of the most relatable and compelling characters, but they are particularly difficult to write correctly and convincingly, and for good reason. Very few writers have done the horrible things that their redemption characters have, thus making it hard to get into the mindset of one completely rewiring his/her brain and making up for his/her past mistakes in a way more meaningful than just putting a Band-AID on a bullet wound. But, hey, glass half full, even if most of us haven't tortured and persecuted innocent people simply trying to live their lives in peace, we all have done things that we regret.

How many times have you tossed and turned in bed, not able to sleep because you're thinking about something you regret saying or doing six years ago? Or ten years ago? Twelve? And then you make a scenario in your mind where you sincerely apologize or make up for your mistake in some way, wishing with everything you have that you could make that a reality, but can't, or are just too afraid to. These are the feelings you need to channel when writing your redemption characters. Except here's the difference between you and your character-- your character has to go through with it. People love a redemption character because they are inspired by how he/she does the apologizing and making-up-for-it that the rest of us are often times too afraid to do.

But here's the catch--you can't make it easy. For your redemption character to truly redeem him/herself, he/she has to struggle. Redemption is hard. We're not talking about stopping a bad habit like cracking your knuckles or biting your nails. This is a complete change of mindset and morals--completely rewiring the brain! It's setting up boundaries and having a determination not to cross them. It's forgiving yourself for past mistakes and learning to move on from them, but still not treating those mistakes casually, lest you be blindsided by circumstances and fall into the same rut again in the future. It's about becoming a new person, and that is incredibly hard to do. Think of it like climbing a steep sand dune. The ground is loose beneath your feet, and it seems like the harder you try to move forward, the further back the sand pulls you. Sometimes you lose your footing and stumble. Maybe you slide back, or are pushed back by people higher up on the dune. Sand blurs your vision and stings your exposed skin as you slowly, ever so slowly, pull your way to the top of the dune.

If you need an example for a redemption arc done right, look no further than Prince Zuko from Avatar: The Last Airbender (Note: Spoilers for the show ahead. If you've not watched the show (you need to), it'd be best to not read more until you have (Seriously. It's worth it)).

I have an entire series of essays I've written about this show, and I could go on for literal pages about it, but for the sake of not losing the interest of readers, I'll boil it down to the good stuff with a comparison of a few of Zuko's lines throughout the show to showcase his progression:

"I don't need any calming tea!"

"I want my honor. I want my throne."

"I don't want to make a life here."

"I used to think this scar marked me--the mark of the banished prince, cursed to chase the Avatar forever. But lately, I've realized I'm free to determine my own destiny, even if I'll never be free of my mark."

"You have no right to judge me, Uncle. I did what I had to do in Ba Sing Se, and you're a fool for not joining me."

"No, I've learned everything! And I've had to learn it on my own!"

"We've created an era of fear in the world. And if we don't want the world to destroy itself, we need to replace it with an era of peace and kindness."