Show Character Depth by Challenging Their Moral Beliefs

When we start brainstorming a character, we usually focus on their traits—qualities, flaws, quirks, habits, likes, and dislikes. Then we dig deeper, building out their backstory: who influenced them, what experiences shaped them (the good and the bad), and which emotional wounds still linger. All of this helps us understand who they really are, what drives them, and how they’re likely to behave once the story kicks into gear.

But how often do we think about our protagonist’s morality? It’s easy to just make the assumption that he or she is “good” and leave it at that.

And, for the most part, the protagonist is good–that’s why he or she is the star of the show. The protagonist’s moral code dictates which positive traits are the most prominent (attributes like loyalty, kindness, tolerance, being honorable or honest, to name a few) and how these will in turn influence every action and decision.

Most people like to believe they know right from wrong—and that when it really matters, they’ll do the right thing. At their core, people are generally good. Unless someone’s a sociopath, they’re not out to hurt others. Sure, harm sometimes happens anyway, but most of us want to add to the lives we touch, not take away from them.

To feel real on the page, our characters should be the same. They need strong beliefs and a sense of right and wrong they trust completely. But just like in real life, morality isn’t always black and white. It lives in the messy, complicated shades of gray.

In the movie Prisoners, Hugh Jackman’s plays Keller, a law-abiding, respectful man and loving father. But when his daughter is abducted and the police are ineffective at questioning the person he believes to be responsible, he is forced into a moral struggle.

Keller needs answers, but to obtain them, he must be willing to do things he never believed himself capable of. Finally, to gain his daughter’s freedom, he kidnaps the suspect and tortures him repeatedly.

In each session, Keller battles with his own humanity, but his belief that this man knows where his daughter is outweighs his disgust for what he must do. It is not only Keller’s actions that make the movie compelling, it is the constant moral war within the grey that glues us to the screen.

Extreme circumstances can cause morals to shift.

What would it take for your “moral” protagonist to make an immoral choice?

• Is your character honest? What might push her to lie about something important?
• Is your character honorable? What would force him to act dishonorably?
• Is your character kind? How could life break her so that she does something maliciously hurtful?

When a protagonist steps into a gray area and questions what’s truly right or wrong, readers can’t help but be pulled in.

YOUR TURN: Have you built in situations that force the hero to evaluate his morality? If not, what can you do within the scope of your story to push him into the grey where he must wrestle with his beliefs? What event might send him to the edge of himself, of who he is, and possibly force him to step across the line dividing right and wrong?

Tools to help you understand your character better:

The Reverse Backstory Tool: Hit all the highlights on your hero’s backstory reel, including his Emotional Wound & The Lie He Believes About Himself

The Character Target Tool: Set the path of your hero’s positive traits, spiraling out from Moral based attributes

The Character Pyramid Tool: Plot your character’s flaws that stem from a Wounding Event &visualize how these flaws present as behaviors & thoughts

If you need more help understanding your character’s moral traits and how to use them in the story, try the Positive Trait Thesaurus. Happy writing!

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