The More People the Hero Helps, the More the Hero Changes

Every tory is about change where the hero starts as one type of person and by the end of the story, changes into a different, hopefully better person. When the hero never struggles to change, you don’t have a story. You just have lots of action, special effects, and A-list stars running around on a set. That’s the fundamental flaw of “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare”.

In “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare”, the heroes all start out as bad ass soldiers and agents and when confronted with masses of enemy soldiers, they mow them down with ease without breaking a sweat. They’re so good and so competent that they’re all completely boring. Even worse, none of them really change at all. They start out as bad ass heroes and they end up as bad ass heroes. The sole purpose of this movie is to show how bad ass they can be.

In every movie, the hero must change, but that change must be meaningful and relatable to the audience. When Luke Skywalker changes in “Star Wars” from a shy, timid farm boy to a competent fighter pilot, we don’t know what it’s like to be a farm boy or an X-Wing fighter pilot. However, we do know what it feels like to be stuck in a boring life and what it might feel like to triumph in a victory. Change is crucial because that’s ultimately what every story is about.

However, the hero alone cannot change and when the hero does change, that change must be relatable to the audience. In “Borderlands”, the hero changes but not in a way that audiences can necessarily understand or relate to. The hero starts out as a bitter, cynical mercenary but by the end of the story, she discovers she’s the chosen one and sprouts fire wings, allowing her to fly.

Huh?

If you know nothing about the “Borderlands” video game that the movie is based on, you won’t know anything about the story background by watching the movie. This makes the hero’s world confusing and makes the hero and her transformation unconvincing and obscure. The hero changes, but not in a way that makes sense or that reveals emotions that audiences can relate to.

Even worse, none of the other characters change in any meaningful way. One character, called Psycho, says nothing until the end. All he does is wield a club and beat up anyone who gets in the way. We know nothing about him, what he wants, or how he changes as a result of the story. The same goes with a little girl who seems to know how to bury explosives in stuffed animals. We know nothing about her or what she wants. The end result is that “Borderlands” is a complete mess.

Now look at “Star Wars” again and see how many characters change because of Luke’s actions:

• Luke changes from a timid farm boy to a strong leader
• Because of Luke’s actions, he helps change Han Solo from a selfish person who only wants money to an altruistic man who helps others without the thought of money
• Because of Luke’s actions, Obi-wan finds finds redemption for helping create Darth Vader

Notice that the more people the hero helps change, the stronger the story becomes? That’s because each character represents part of the story theme and when they change, their emotional transformation helps make the story stronger.

In “The Shawshank Redemption”, the hero, Andy clings to hope and eventually escapes from prison. Yet he manages to change his best friend from prison the most by giving Red hope to get out of prison, and when Red eventually does get out of prison, Andy’s hope helps Red avoid despair and committing suicide (like another freed prisoner had done earlier). Andy gives Red hope for a better life so Red leaves his dull life of insignificance and escapes to Mexico where he reunites with Andy on the beach. That moment captures Red’s final change to show he embraced Andy’s message of hope to truly become a free man.

In “Legally Blonde”, look at how many people Elle, the hero, changes:

• Elle goes from a woman who thinks she needs a man to a strong, independent woman who doesn’t need to rely on a man to define herself
• Because of Elle’s actions, she helps her hairdresser friend, Paulette, get the courage to meet a cute UPS deliveryman in addition to getting her dog back form her ex-boyfriend
• Because of Elle’s actions, she helps a nerdy classmate meet a girl
• Because of Elle’s actions, she helps prove the innocence of a woman accused of murder
• Because of Elle’s actions, she becomes friends with her ex-boyfriend’s fiancé and helps her see that he’s a loser

The more characters the hero helps change, the stronger and more interesting the story. If the hero doesn’t change at all, you already have a disaster on your hands. If your hero changes, but nobody else changes, you have a weak story.

Only if your hero changes in a meaningful, relatable manner that audiences can emotionally understand will your story have a chance. Even better, if your hero changes and changes multiple characters around them for the better, your story will be even stronger.

So make sure your hero changes in a way that audiences can relate to. Then make sure your hero changes multiple other characters at the same time. That’s the formula for writing a great story.

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