Literary Lyric Essay

The most well-written characters in literature are often incoherent in their actions. This adds a degree of realism, since the actions of real people can be frequently erratic; it’s just one of those flaws that makes us human. Our inconsistency comes from having more than one force influencing our actions. In literature, it is almost always caused by a character’s emotions interfering with their focus on a central motive, and it usually has its consequences.

    

A fantastic source of character development through unpredictable behavior is Lisa Ko’s 2017 novel The Leavers. Although both protagonists — Daniel Wilkinson (formerly Deming Guo) and his mother Peilan — could be incredibly illogical at times, the best examples came from Peilan. The very conception of Deming is, in fact, a gamble; in a moment of weakness, Peilan sleeps with her neighbor, Haifeng, to prove to herself that she’s “cool enough” to hang out with her friends from Fuzhou, both of whom talk frequently about their sexual partners. In hindsight, Peilan must have conceded that her actions were in no way worth the consequences. Her primary objective in going to Fuzhou was to gain financial independence and explore the world, a plan with no room for a child. If she had been thinking clearly at the time, she would have recognized the immense potential threat her choices had to her motive, but a surge of desire to fit in caused her to make a mistake and cost her her dreams of success.

One of the novel’s primary plot points is the emotional turmoil Peilan puts Daniel through when they reconnect years after her deportation (for more on the mental and physical damage deportation has on families: https://www.communitypsychology.com/effects-of-deportation-on-families-communities/). Although her primary purpose at that point in the novel was to preserve the lifestyle she had created for herself after being deported, she obviously couldn’t help feeling strong attachment towards her son. Part of her likely desperately wanted to see him in person again, despite the risk of losing her husband and the emotional and financial stability that came from him. The path she chose was a compromise between the two: she continued to keep Daniel’s existence a secret from Yong, but spoke to him over the phone intermittently. This overcomplicated secrecy was a source of tremendous frustration for Daniel, since he couldn’t tell whether she wanted him or not. The pain and anger Daniel suffered from the convoluted situation he was put through was an unintended consequence of Peilan’s dilemma. 

This realistic and powerful method of character development is found not only in literature, but on screen as well. Of course, when speaking of character development, it would be inexcusable not to mention one of the most highly rated TV dramas of all time, Breaking Bad. While the show has countless examples of counterintuitive character behavior, perhaps the most brilliant ones are caused by Walter White’s destructive tragic flaw: his pride. In the episode “Shotgun” (S4 E05), his brother-in-law, a DEA agent, informed him that the man he believed to be Heisenberg was found dead, unaware that Walter was the infamous meth kingpin the whole time. Walt, already tipsy after a few drinks, became increasingly frustrated at the fact that another man was getting the credit for his work as Hank continued to admire the genius of the supposed Heisenberg, and eventually casually suggested that Hank’s man might not have been who he thought he was, and that the real mastermind could still be out there (https://youtu.be/H0RFVwQtUv4). If Walter could have kept the law off his back for the rest of the show, it could very well have ended differently, but through one simple, prideful error, Walter reinvigorated Hank’s pursuit of Heisenberg, which eventually cost him his meth empire and either claimed or destroyed the lives of nearly everyone connected to him.

Although letting emotion interfere with one’s judgment can make for interesting characters, the results are evidence that we, as people, should try our best not to replicate this behavior, even if it is one of our fundamental traits (https://hbr.org/2015/05/dont-let-emotions-screw-up-your-decisions — this article includes a real-life study of emotional clouding and its effects). Giving in to raw emotion can cost us goals, relationships, even lives. Learn from the pain Peilan inflicted on Daniel, from the death and destruction Walter’s choices caused. The next time you find yourself swelling in anger at something someone said, make an effort to stop and think whether what you’re about to do is worth it, how it can interfere with your personal goals or with the lives of those around you.