Why Character Inconsistencies are Actually a GOOD Thing

As readers, we connect quickly with well-written characters. A character acts a certain way for so long and we start to feel like we know that character personally. And that’s great! But… once that character acts in a way WE think isn’t natural for them, well BOOM that’s it. We call it a “character inconsistency” and hiss through the pages at the writer’s choices.

But is the whole “character inconsistency” thing just dismissing a well-written character arc? 

The Last Jedi got overwhelming response- some negative, most actually statistically positive.

One of the biggest issues fans had, though, was Luke Skywalker’s drastic change in attitude toward the Force, the fight for the rebellion, and his view of the Jedi order. The biggest concern fans focused on too was Luke’s negative response after glimpsing Ben Solo’s future.

But I 100% support Rian Johnson’s decision to not only give Luke a moment of frailty but to also give him an attitude change. Why?

Because although an “inconsistency in character” conjures up a whole world of bad feels for writers, I’m going to give three reasons why it ISN’T a bad thing (so calm down already) and why your characters SHOULD have inconsistencies:

1. People change as they age
2. Conflict should break your character
3. Heroes, no matter how mighty, must fail.

Through Luke’s example, we’ll see why character inconsistencies are getting a bad wrap. So let’s hop to it!

Star Wars is so precious to its fans (I’ve been a die-hard fan myself since I was 8!). We love our iconic characters and clutch onto their image. But that mental amber we encase them in actually has the potential to cripple our view of them when they grow as characters.

If we truly love something, we have to allow it to change. We have to allow the story, the characters, the world to grow- to shift– to continue to surprise us because nothing stays the same in the real world. We have to allow characters to grow up, grow old, mentally and physically.

When Luke was a youngin’, he saw hope in Vader and he wanted to help him change. But when Luke is an old man, he sees destruction in Ben’s future and acts out in a moment of weakness.

“That was completely out of character!! FLAG ON THE PLAY!!” People scream.

But is that really so out of character for Luke? People act like Luke never before had a negative outlook toward a seemingly insurmountable situation!

Second of all, the fact is, as humans, our opinions, viewpoints, and worldviews change as we grow older because life, as we all learn, is one giant candy bowl– White Jordan Almond candies to be exact.

When young Luke sees hope in his estranged father, Vader is at the end of his career. It’s clear that Vader has done as much damage as he could and Luke, being young, innocent, and wide-eyed, believes that there is a chance that his father could at least die a good man. And he does, thanks to Luke’s faith in him.

So there are two things to remember here:

1. Luke is young and youth lends to naivety, inexperience, innocence, and blazing optimism.
2. Vader is near the end of his career and has already committed all the wrong he ever will. Luke cannot reverse the damage he’s already done. So the only positive change Luke could enforce is helping his father die a good man.

Now, let’s jump ahead in time again.

When Luke divulges what happened that one dark night to Rey, he admits that he saw Ben’s future. At this point, Ben is at the start of his young life– he has committed no wrong yet. Luke says that in his future, though, he sees destruction unlike any he has seen before and it rattles him. And he admits that in a moment of weakness, he tries to prevent that future from happening in a ghastly way.

Now, let’s hit the pause button on that scene momentarily…

Luke is an old man at this point. Life has changed him. He has seen much of what the dark side can do to a person. What else can we assume goes through old Luke’s mind in this moment? We can assume that the thousands of lives that will die at Ben’s hands are his responsibility to save right now. In that moment of weakness, Luke acts impulsively for the sake of the greater good. Luke acts impulsively for the sake of the greater good?? Now, THAT’S just NOTHING like our farmer-boy-to-flyboy Luke Skywalker– right?? 

Luke admits his mistake. He knew there were better ways to respond which is why he didn’t actually kill Ben right then and there. Still Luke’s knee-jerk reaction is a natural one. Why? Because, again, he has seen what the dark side can do in the hands of bitter humans. So when he sees Ben’s future, he is horrified at the idea that a path of death and destruction greater than his own father’s might be resurrected.

So lemme ask you: is it really logical to assume that aged Jedi, Luke Skywalker, a reclusive hermit who had already lived on his own for some time before training Ben, would react rationally to a discovery like this?

And would that really be good writing if a character reacts the same way to every troubling circumstance he ever faces- no matter his age or experience?

And doesn’t it make sense that he would react in such a way since countless Jedi masters before him let their own hubris blind them from– oh, I dunno— CLONE WAR-SIZED issues (amongst other things)?

So, why shouldn’t Luke make (a much less devastating) mistake?

Where is the arc, I ask you? Where is the growth? Where is the depth or the layers of complex human emotion that all excellent characters have? Why wouldn’t age and disillusion change him at all?

See, if Luke only ever responded the same to every situation, he would be as exciting as a cardboard cut-out of an AT-AT that I definitely don’t have in my room.

Humans are complicated and complex. And when human lives are at stake, ya’ know, we tend to have emotion-driven responses. So shouldn’t our characters as well? 

Luke was the epitome of the message of the film: The Jedi are not untouchable superheroes. They are real humans who must learn from their mistakes and grow from them just like everyone else.

So, your characters cannot and SHOULD NOT react to every situation the same or in a way that “makes sense for his character”. Why? Because experience and age changes a person. So to react the same wouldn’t be believable or realistic. It just wouldn’t be human.

James Scott Bell said, “If there isn’t threat of professional, physical, or psychological death to your character, you’ll have a story of weak wills.” And nobody is interested in lukewarm conflict.

Conflict is meant to break your character. That means your character isn’t supposed to act ideally in every dire circumstance they face. That’s the point of the character’s journey- to make mistakes and learn from their mistakes.

And if your character never reaches a breaking point, how intense is the conflict they’re facing? How much are you actually challenging your character?

We see Luke act frail and respond negatively to a great challenge. That sort of human response to intense conflict makes Luke a more believable (even relatable) character.

So let your characters act out of impulse. Make sure the conflict they face is so intense that it causes them to make mistakes that we- the readers- raise our eyebrows at. Why? Because humans are frail and that makes us real and relatable. And our characters should have the same realness in their bones.

Captain America loses sight of what’s most important for the sake of his best friend, in Civil War.

Batman lets people die at the hands of the Joker because he refuses to reveal his true identity in the Dark Knight.

Frodo attacks Sam when Sam tries to save him from the clutches of a Nazgul’s fell beast in the Two Towers.

What’s the point? All of these characters acted out of character. What they did was unbelievable and against everything they stood for. And I wholly condone it.

Why?

Because this is part of a thing we call a character arc. The character makes an unbelievable choice, forcing them to learn their lesson the hard way, and come back a wiser person in the end.

Luke’s bitter view of the Jedi, the Force, and refusing to participate in a war for the rebellion isn’t anything like the flyboy we know in A New Hope. Yet I applaud it.

Why?

Because Luke reached a point in his old age where he saw past the romance of fighting and right through to the core issues at hand. He became hardened due to personal failure and fell victim to his own grand title.

A bitter old man is what was left of Luke once he left the connection he had with the Force. And this feels right because the older we get, the more we humans tend to become more stubbornly pessimistic about the world too. We may even leave some of our core beliefs or ambitions behind us due to bitterness or personal failure.

Don’t forget: most of the Jedi who died at an old age died with stubborn attitudes, although different worldviews were shared.

This disconnect Luke has, once we meet with his character, leaves us wanting to see Luke return to the light and become the hero we once knew again. We are invested in his character all over again but this time for different reasons. And that is excellent writing.

Not only this, but Luke’s refusal to participate forced Rey to commit to her choices, find her own strength, and act on what she believed on her own. She became who she was meant to be through her own choices, like every Jedi before her.

And Rey’s unwavering determination introduced a unique Padawan-Jedi relationship to the Star Wars universe we’ve never seen before: A Padawan that saves a Jedi. 

So, Luke’s failure helped lift Rey into her position as the new face of the Resistance and the Jedi. And likewise, Rey’s persistence saved an old man from his descent into bitterness. Luke dies the beloved hero we once knew and our flyboy is one with the Force in his new form.

So, show that your characters are complex and capable of captivating readers: let them fail. Hard.

Let them do the unexpected and see how deeply invested your reader becomes. “Inconsistency in character” is just a negative way of saying, “That character actually acted like a real human!” So don’t be afraid to surprise readers with debatable choices from your hero every once in a while.

Remember, we are not out here to give readers comfortable stories. When readers disagree with some of our character’s moves or your choices as a writer, don’t feel the need to back down. Don’t feel intimidated or give in to demands. It’s when your readers DON’T have conflicting opinions on your characters that you should worry! 😉

So be brave: give your characters a chance to be inconsistent. Let them act out of character. Because as we can see, thanks to brave, bold writers like Rian Johnson, it leads to stupendous, daring storytelling.