Backstory Pt 7
In Part 6, we explored how a character’s job might affect their reaction to an abusive spouse. We created these four scenarios:
1)How would the woman's job as CEO of a company affect her reaction?
2)How would she react if her job was that of a janitor?
3)Same scenario, but she is a scientist?
4)What if she is unemployed?
In the example, the woman’s husband is abusive and it has been established that she has lived with the abuse long enough that her reactions are practiced.
But if we slide the fact that she is CEO of a company into the mix, it changes things. A CEO would be confident and, more than likely, financially set. She is used to dealing with people on a daily basis and, more than likely, to getting her way. This changes the entire scheme of the scene. First of all, I can’t imagine a woman with such self-confidence coming under the iron fist of an abusive man. Second, abuse often extends to finances. If the woman is financially set, I doubt she would allow her abusive husband to control her. However, all that said, there are exceptions.
The second scenario is a woman with a job as a janitor. It’s good, honest work, and it brings in a paycheck. But the janitor’s job could be the butt of jokes and might not be the best career for someone with low self-esteem. I could definitely this woman abused by her husband. He would demean her job, body, and sense-of-self with sharp comments in a stereotypical display of physical and emotional abuse.
Scientist is the same as the CEO. I see a woman who is brainy and knowledgeable. Based on stereotype, we wouldn’t consider this type of woman susceptible to abuse.
The unemployed woman would have the same low/no income, low self-esteem, etc., issues that make her seem vulnerable to abuse, just as the janitor.
What makes the scientist and CEO career choices for an abused character so unique is that they thwart stereotype. Using these two careers makes the story more interesting because the reader is busy scratching their head, curiosity piqued, as to how such a successful woman could fall prey to an abusive man.
At this point we begin crossing over into the subject of characterization. Backstory is what has happened to a character previous to chapter one. Characterization explores the how and why a character is who they are when the story begins.
