One of the things I’ve come to notice about my favorite stories is their ability to take contrasting subjects and make them mingle and harmonize.
This can be found in characters we’ve seen for decades: the good girl with the bad boy; Beauty and her Beast; the average IQ tagging along with the renowned genius. There’s a quote somewhere (I tried to find who said it, but their identity escapes me) along the lines of: “A garden would lose its beauty if all the flowers were the same.” This can be said for our stories as well, particularly with our characters. Stories always involve conflict in some way, shape, or form. But if we create a world in which all our characters are the same, then what story could you possibly tell? Other than a boring one in which everyone agreed with each other and there was no need for growth.
But the idea of contrast is not just limited to our characters. We can build it within our worlds as well.
One of the clearest examples of this can be seen through the works of Jim Henson. From Fraggle Rock to The Dark Crystal, nowhere have I seen more perfect blends of danger and whimsy set within a single universe. This type of contrast reaches a point where we as viewers can’t even tell at first what’s safe and what’s sinister; either our characters know, or else they soon find out alongside us.
And, of course, contrast is ever present within our plots. Our heroes typically start on their journeys once their norms have been compromised; i.e.: life as they know it has suddenly been contrasted in some way. But these types of contrast generally exist only to be corrected in the end. In cases like this, the contrast is the problem, and not merely a colorful part of the world we’re being introduced to.
I, for one, like worlds with color. I want characters to complement each other (and even occasionally bicker) through their differences. I want worlds to induce uncertainty. And then I want those worlds to be suddenly turned upside-down. I want nothing to be what it seems, and I want the characters to realize that more and more as their journeys continue.
Because contrast is life. Contrast is real. Contrast is conflict, but it is also a chance to learn. To heal. To grow.
Only by successfully linking contrasts together can we truly create a story that is memorable and wonderful.
Night Owls, what are some of your favorite “contrasts” that you’ve seen in fiction?
