Writers spend a significant portion of their time fleshing out characters for a novel, book or a stage play. Not only is this done for a sense of realism, but the characters are a powerful component of any piece of work. Some series of novels revolve around an iconic protagonist, while some movies gain massive profits through a fleeting yet charismatic character. Arthur Miller’s The Crucible and John Connolly’s The Book of Lost Things are composed of a similar cast of characters. Their purpose and intention distinctly label them as being good or evil. Notable comparisons include Abigail Williams from The Crucible and the Crooked Man from The Book of Lost Things; The Afflicted Girls in The Crucible, and the Loups in The Book of Lost Things; David from The Book of Lost Things and Reverend Hale from The Crucible.
A solid piece of work often requires an antagonist capable of getting under the reader’s skin with their malicious intentions. Such an antagonist is found in Abigail Williams, a young girl from The Crucible who goes on a rampage across the town of Salem. As an act of revenge towards the protagonist of The Crucible, John Proctor, Abigail is determined to make every opportunity count in labeling the townsfolk as witches. By pretending that she is able to see a person with the Devil, or by feeling the Devil’s cold presence near the person, Abigail is able to do as she likes, with no one to question her actions. A prime example of this is when Elizabeth Proctor, wife of John Proctor, is taken away as a result of being accused as a witch by Abigail Williams. A very similar situation exists in John Connolly’s The Book of Lost Things. Its main antagonist, the Crooked Man, also conducts every action for no one but himself. As he needs to eat a young, pure heart in order to stay alive, his actions are solely geared towards obtaining that young heart. Deceit, lies and trickery are just some of the methods employed by the Crooked Man in order to gain what he desires. An instance of such action is shown throughout the novel, as much of the story revolves around the Crooked Man’s quest to obtain the heart of David’s little brother. In either case, each antagonist is set out to gain everything for only themselves, regardless of the pain, damage and suffering inflicted on other beings.
There have been numerous cases whereby the antagonist of a literary work has been accompanied by a band of cohorts who believe in the same ideals as the antagonist. This is especially evident in The Crucible, whereby The Afflicted Girls, a group of young women thought to be able to see the Devil and those who have contracted with him, follow the actions of Abigail Williams in doing everything possible to instill mayhem in Salem. When Mary Warren attempts to expose Abigail Williams, and once Abigail starts behaving as if she senses the Devil, the Afflicted Girls act the same, going into a trance and fooling Judge Danforth into believing that Mary Warren is in league with the Devil. Although less of a band of ‘cohorts’ but nonetheless present, the Loups in The Book of Lost Things are another group of evil characters hell-bent on overthrowing the current ruler of the land, Jonathan Tulvey. They do not necessarily team up with the Crooked Man, but they are a continuous evil presence in the novel that forces David to move through the world and find the King. The Loups are also self-interested, and do not care if they have to slaughter towns and villages to get to the King. When the Loups and all their followers attack the Woodsman and take him down, it is clear that they will stop at nothing in order to seize the throne of the land. Once again, these characters’ intentions are clear, and their intentions set themselves apart from the good characters of both, The Crucible and The Book of Lost Things.
It is also not uncommon to see the protagonist or another main character go through a transition through the course of the literary work. It may be a transition from a child to an adult, or it may be one that changes the values and beliefs of a character, but by the end, it is clear that these characters have changed for the better. This development prevails in both, The Crucible and The Book of Lost Things, as David and Reverend Hale experience life-changing transformations through the course of the novel and play. Reverend Hale, upon his arrival to Salem, carries with him an air of importance and knowledge that he alone can solve the accusations of witchery. Initially, he questions and succeeds in obtaining confessions from girls who are thought to have been in contact with the Devil. However, as he interacts with John Proctor and his wife, he comes to realize that this is, in fact, nothing but a farce that has taken over the entire town of Salem. It was too late when he realizes this, of course, as his pleas fall on the deaf ears of those in charge of the trials. Hale also realizes that the state is inept in handling this farce. When Reverend Hale first came to Salem, he had thought that Reverend Parris and Judge Danforth were good people. However, by the time John chooses to be hanged, he realizes that John Proctor was the good person, and that Reverend Parris and the state/church were the ones that were truly evil. David, the young protagonist in The Book of Lost Things, also goes through a transition during the course of the novel. A young, lost child when he first enters the alternate world, David slowly matures and gains a set of values and ideals that help him overcome the temptations of the Crooked Man. He gains these values through nothing but experience, as he encounters and overcomes obstacles, riddles and monsters. The pinnacle of his maturity occurs when he is faced with the option of revealing his step-brother’s name to the Crooked Man. Should he choose to do so, the Crooked Man would devour Georgie’s heart, granting himself a new life. In return, David would be in charge of the land, replacing Jonathan Tulvey and becoming the new King. However, he realizes in time that he should be cherishing his step-brother and his step-mother. Subsequently, he does not reveal Georgie’s name to the Crooked Man, choosing his family over the temptations of ruling an alternate world. Upon entering this new world, David was filled with hatred and jealousy towards his newfound family. By the end, he is filled with love for his family, and is eager to see them again. In either case, both the individuals come to differentiate the truly good characters from the evil ones as the novel and play go on. It is through this transition of Reverend Hale that the audience of The Crucible is able to see that the state is committing wrong acts, and without David’s transition from a child to an adult, it is very likely that the Crooked Man may still be alive and thriving at the end of the novel.
Having the right cast of characters can add an extra dimension to a movie or novel. The audience can relate to the characters if they possess the right qualities and emotions. In both, The Crucible and The Book of Lost Things, the audience can relate to almost every character, regardless of whether they are good or not. Their actions, motives, intentions and vanity are all used to define the circle of good and evil. However, while many authors and writers have tried to distinguish the boundaries between good and evil, they cannot help but overlap the two, creating an inevitable patch of gray in the middle.
