In storytelling, few arcs are as gripping—or chilling—because the Corruption Character Arc. On this arc, characters don’t simply fall, they select to fall (though, in fact, they don’t usually consider it like that). Whether or not pushed by worry, pleasure, or want, they commerce their integrity for a Lie, believing it can give them what they need. Even when that is true, the price is an ever-deepening descent into self-delusion and, typically, self-righteousness.

In at this time’s breakdown, we’ll discover craft this ultimate entry—and in some ways most insidiously harmful—within the triad of foundational Detrimental Change Arcs. In case you’re writing a narrative a couple of character who chooses the mistaken path and justifies it each step of the way in which, this publish will supply insights into making a devastating Corruption Arc. All through this month, we’ve been trying underneath the hood of the three foundational Detrimental Change Arcs.

We’ve already explored how the Disillusionment Arc bridges the Optimistic Change and Detrimental Change Arcs by forcing characters by a revelation of the thematic Reality that’s so highly effective it’s unsure whether or not they may embrace it in a manner that’s finally redemptive or will succumb to the bitterness and resistance that may result in ever-deepening detrimental spirals.

We’ve additionally explored the Fall Arc—wherein characters refuse to take that journey into the Reality in any respect, as a substitute doubling down on mistaken perceptions in a manner that requires an preliminary Mislead be bolstered many occasions over with additional Lies, main the character to a way more benighted state than that of the start.

At the moment, we culminate with the Corruption Arc, which presents because the mirror reverse of the Optimistic Change Arc. In a Optimistic Change Arc, characters will evolve their perceptions of themselves and the world from a restricted Mislead a extra expanded Reality. Oppositely, in a Corruption Arc, the character will start in a comparatively privileged and enlightened perspective, solely to compromise this place by a failure in vigilance towards the at all times current risk of self-delusion. From there, they might effectively spiral ever deeper into the darkness.

In This Article:

The Corruption Arc At a Look

Character Sees Reality > Rejects Reality > Embraces Lie

The First Act (1%-25%)

1%: The Hook: Understands Reality

The protagonist lives in a Regular World that permits for and even encourages the thematic Reality. Consequently, the protagonist begins out with an understanding of the Reality.

12%: The Inciting Occasion: First Temptation of Lie

The Name to Journey, when the protagonist first encounters the principle battle, additionally brings the primary refined temptation that the Lie may be capable of serve the protagonist higher than the Reality.

25%: The First Plot Level: Enters Beguiling Journey World of Lie

The protagonist is confronted with a consequential selection, an enticement out of the First Act’s protected, Reality-based Regular World into the Second Act’s beguiling, Lie-based Journey World. Not realizing the hazard, the protagonist is lured by the Door of No Return by the promise of the Factor the Character Desires.

The Second Act (25%-75%)

37%: The First Pinch Level: Torn Between Reality and Lie

The protagonist is torn between the previous Reality and the brand new Lie. The Lie proves itself efficient in shifting the character nearer the Need. However the character wages an inside battle in shifting additional away from previous convictions and understandings of the world.

50%: The Midpoint (Second Plot Level): Embraces Lie With out Totally Rejecting Reality

The protagonist encounters a Second of Reality and faces the Lie in all its energy. The character acknowledges the Need can’t be gained with out the Lie. Though not but keen to completely and consciously reject the Reality, the character makes the choice to completely embrace the Lie.

62%: The Second Pinch Level: Resists Sacrifice Demanded by Reality

The protagonist is “rewarded” for utilizing the Lie. Constructing upon what was discovered on the Midpoint, the protagonist will begin implementing Lie-based actions in combating the antagonistic drive and reaching towards the Need. The Reality pulls on the character, demanding sacrifices too nice to provide. The character begins resisting the Reality increasingly adamantly.

The Third Act (75%-100%)

75%: The Third Plot Level: Totally Embraces Lie

The protagonist totally rejects the Reality and embraces the Lie. The character acts upon this in a manner that creates a Low Second for the world (and for the character morally, if not virtually). The character is now keen to knowingly endure the results of rejecting the Reality in alternate for the rewards of embracing the Lie.

88%: The Climax: Last Push to Achieve Need

The protagonist enters the ultimate confrontation with the antagonistic drive to determine whether or not or not the character will acquire the Need. Unhampered by the Reality, the character pushes ahead ruthlessly towards the plot aim.

98%: The Climactic Second: Ethical Failure

The protagonist makes use of the Lie in an try to achieve the Need. The character might acquire the Need and stay mindless to the evil engendered by these actions. Or the character might acquire the Need solely to be devastated that it wasn’t value what was sacrificed. Or the character might fail to achieve the Need and be devastated by the conclusion that the sacrifices to the Lie have been fruitless. A method or one other, the character definitively ends the battle with the antagonistic drive.

100%: The Decision: Aftermath

The protagonist should confront the aftermath of all selections. The character might flip away from the Lie, admitting errors and accepting penalties. Or the character might callously forge forward, intent on persevering with to make use of the Mislead additional self-serving ends.

It Begins With a Lie: The Ethical Weak spot on the Coronary heart of the Corruption Character Arc

All character arcs begin with a Lie the Character Believes. This can be a mistaken or restricted notion of actuality.

The Lie may very well be:

• Merely a lack of awareness (e.g., overthrow the dangerous man).
• An outright delusion (e.g., “I’m the neatest individual in any room”).
• A perspective held about one’s self that’s both incorrectly constructive or incorrectly detrimental (e.g., “I’m a sort individual” or “I’m nugatory”).
• An over- or underestimation of others (e.g., hero worship of a flawed chief or demeaning put-downs of sure individuals).
• An expectation of how the world works (e.g., “the deck is stacked towards me” or “I should have the foundations bent for me”).

Regardless of the case, the problem to this Lie catalyzes the start of each sort of character arc—besides the Corruption Arc. As an alternative, the Corruption Arc begins when a personality is in some way tempted towards a extra constrictive perspective. On the floor, in fact, this doesn’t make sense. Why would anybody who consciously holds a comparatively expanded perspective be silly sufficient to willingly step right into a extra restricted manner of being?

The reply is as previous as time and in some ways boils right down to a Lie of its personal: the characters imagine they’ll use the Lie for their very own functions with out permitting it to deprave them. Hubris is at all times an element.

Generally, hubris could be the most important issue, in that characters really feel so safe of their presently constructive worldview that they imagine they’ll threat taking a short lived step again into the shadows.

Different occasions, the first motivator could also be excessive stakes that trigger characters to really feel they’re with out selections; they perceive they aren’t selecting an choice that aligns with their integrity, however they select anyway as a result of they “must” and since, once more with a measure of hubris, they imagine they’ll flirt with this seeming shortcut and nonetheless return with their integrity in tact. These characters make the basic mistake of believing that as a result of they see some Reality, they’re able to seeing all of it. They imagine they’re able to shining a light-weight by the darkness they willingly select to navigate looking for a treasure they want.

For Instance:

Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars believes the Lie that energy can forestall loss, main him to embrace management as an ethical justification. He additionally tends to conflate energy with knowledge, overestimating his means to wield energy effectively.

That is what makes the Corruption Arc some of the advanced character arcs. Why? As a result of daring the darkness looking for a therapeutic treasure can also be the guts of the heroic Optimistic Change Arc, wherein characters threat the whole lot—together with integrity and perspective—to hunt a greater manner of being. In essence, that’s what Corruption Arc protagonists additionally do—or no less than that is what they inform themselves they’re doing. The distinction is that when the character is offered with the selection between want and Reality (i.e., energy and integrity), the Corruption Arc character’s means to acknowledge or honor the latter will more and more fail.

The polarity of humility and hubris are current in each Optimistic Change and Corruption Arcs. Historically, Optimistic Change Arc characters (notably Hero archetypes) begin out with a sure measure of hubris (a type of the Lie), which they need to alternate for humility as they progress the trail. Whereas Corruption Arc characters additionally start with no less than a hidden measure of hubris, they may finish, no less than within the summary, in downfall and humiliation.

For Instance:

Macbeth believes his future entitles him to energy, which permits him to rationalize betrayal and homicide.

In the end, what the Corruption Arc reveals us is the excessive value of failing to carry our earlier successes—whether or not materials or non secular—with the kind of humility that safeguards our features towards our personal capability for delusion and regression.

The Fall Throughout the Corruption: Buying and selling Reality for Energy

Simply because the Disillusionment Arc could be acknowledged as an abbreviated Optimistic Change Arc (stopping quick earlier than it’s clear whether or not the character will be capable of combine a harsh Reality right into a higher good), the Fall Arc (which we mentioned final week) could be acknowledged as an abbreviated Corruption Arc. On this case, the Fall Arc represents the latter a part of the Corruption Arc, after  characters have adopted the Lie and now should work double-time to bolster that Lie with much more Lies.

You’ll do not forget that the Fall Arc reveals a personality who refuses to just accept the problem of the Reality and from there devolves right into a a lot worse Lie, all in an effort to guard that preliminary (typically fairly small) Lie.

The Corruption Arc begins earlier than this level, revealing a personality who seemingly has extra psychological or ethical capability for recognizing comparative Lies and Truths. This can be a character who has achieved some stage of non-public integrity, which has now introduced them to a spot of testing. The central query is whether or not they may compromise their understanding of their very own private Reality (aka, their integrity) in alternate for a measure of energy.

For Instance:

Walter White in Breaking Dangerous begins manipulating, mendacity, and killing as he clings to energy, convincing himself it’s for his household—when it’s actually about ego.

What at all times makes this invitation to energy tempting is that it’s, primarily, a shortcut. Regardless of the sensible mechanics of the plot, we all know this can be a shortcut on a personality stage as a result of it prompts the character to take the “straightforward route” in defiance of a deeper sense of non-public proper and mistaken. At some stage, the Corruption Arc character will at all times know this, and in additional nuanced tales, will typically be proven to battle with it. Briefly, they make an knowledgeable selection. They don’t seem to be ignorant about what they’re selecting. They perceive it’s towards their deepest self, and so they perceive the potential for untoward penalties to themselves, or extra seemingly, to others. They do it anyway.

From there, the characters’ journey will start to reflect the Fall Arc. In an effort to defend this one out-of-integrity selection, characters start justifying their actions with an ever-deepening slide into delusion. From believing they “had no selection” or “nobody would get damage,” they may start to undertake views that insist “they have been in the fitting” and even “they have been performing in everybody’s finest curiosity” or “they knew higher than the ignorant lots.”

For Instance:

Gollum in The Lord of the Rings slowly abandons his id and humanity, letting the Ring reshape his very soul for the sake of possessing it.

Within the Finish: Self-Delusion and the Mass Unfold of the Lie

The tragedy of the Corruption Arc is its excruciatingly sluggish slide away from wholeness into delusion. Corruption Arc characters fairly often finish by reaching their objectives. Due to the satan’s deal wherein they promote their souls, they might effectively acquire super energy and affect inside their private spheres. Ultimately, some characters might retain sufficient sense of their private Reality to get up to the horrors they’ve wrought in their very own lives and others, wherein case the victory for which they’ve sacrificed a lot will show horrifyingly empty. In different tales, characters will finish by totally embracing their new Lie-based id. Not solely will they develop into the monster they initially believed they may resist, they might even totally condone what they’ve develop into.

For Instance:

Michael Corleone in The Godfather exemplifies a Corruption Arc character who justifies his more and more immoral actions by convincing himself they’re crucial for safeguarding his household. He finally turns into totally immersed within the darkness he as soon as resisted. By the top, Michael’s self-delusion is so full he not solely believes his selections are justified, he additionally pulls others into his ethical decay, perpetuating the destruction of these round him.

These Corruption Arcs that don’t finish with the characters reaching a redemptive sense of humiliation at what they’ve develop into will as a substitute finish with the character in a state of grotesque self-righteousness. They may justify their selections by any means crucial, irrespective of the results heaped upon others. Just like the Fall Arc, the Corruption Arc character’s self-delusion ultimately could also be so full and compelling that it additionally warps the notion of others, pulling them down into the darkness as effectively.

For Instance:

By the point we meet President Snow in The Starvation Video games, he’s wholly consumed by the assumption that worry is the one manner to make sure social stability. He’s satisfied himself that this Lie just isn’t solely crucial however noble. He enforces it with ruthless propaganda, manipulation, and loss of life. He’s not simply corrupted himself; he’s constructed a complete system on his delusion.

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The Corruption Arc reminds us that character arcs aren’t nearly change however about selection. Of all of the Detrimental Change Arcs, the Corruption Arc could be the most haunting. It doesn’t occur to the character; it occurs as a result of of the character. The central hazard isn’t ignorance and even resistance to the Reality, it’s the aware resolution to show away from it. When well-written, these arcs supply a number of the most compelling, nuanced, and tragically human tales. As writers, exploring this arc challenges us not simply to grasp the psychology of our characters, however to confront the darker prospects inside ourselves.

In Abstract:

The Corruption Arc is a strong exploration of a personality’s aware option to embrace a Lie, regardless of understanding the Reality. In contrast to the opposite Detrimental Change Arcs, which regularly contain ignorance or self-deception, the Corruption Arc is chilling exactly as a result of it requires consciousness. The character sees the Reality, however chooses to not comply with it. This makes the arc uniquely tragic, because it dramatizes not only a character’s fall, however the ethical failures main as much as it.

Key Takeaways

• The Corruption Arc facilities on a personality who is aware of the Reality however intentionally endangers it.
• This arc is outlined by aware ethical compromise in pursuit of energy, safety, or different private objectives.
• The arc often begins from a spot of power or readability, making the autumn extra impactful.
• In contrast to the Disillusionment Arc (which entails a painful however genuine awakening), the Corruption Arc is in regards to the willful embrace of the Lie.
• This arc creates deeply human and emotionally resonant tales, particularly when the character’s motivations are comprehensible and even sympathetic.
• Writing a Corruption Arc challenges authors to grapple with the complexity of selection, consequence, and morality.

Need extra?

In case you’re intrigued by the emotional and thematic energy of the Corruption Arc, you’ll discover much more in-depth steering in my e book Creating Character Arcs. It walks you step-by-step by craft compelling transformations—Optimistic, Flat, and Detrimental—and seamlessly weave them into your plot. Whether or not your characters are resisting change or spiraling towards it, the instruments inside will make it easier to deliver their arcs to life. It’s out there in paperback, e-book, and audiobook (together with its companion information the Creating Character Arcs Workbook).

Wordplayers, inform me your opinions! Have you ever ever written a Corruption Character Arc or thought of one to your protagonist or antagonist? Inform me within the feedback!

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