Harry Potter
Because it was Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone that
set me down this path, I decided to start with Harry Potter. In many
cases, the spirit character is the main character in a story, although
this is not a rule. In The Hunger Games, for instance, the mind character is the main character, but I'll get to that in a future post.
(Note: I will try to make the references clear, even if you haven't read the books. This goes for all my posts. There will, however, be some inescapable times when knowledge of the material with make things easier to follow.)
Harry is introduced (after infancy) as a young boy living in a cupboard under the stairs in the home of his aunt and uncle. Aunt Petunia wakes Harry, and his first act in the book is to try to remember a dream.
"He had the funny feeling he'd had the same dream before."
Later that same morning, Harry "couldn't believe his luck" when he learned he was going to the zoo.
Spirit characters are likely to deal with dreams or visions. Mind characters would tend to dismiss them. Notice Harry didn't 'think' he'd had the same dream before, nor did he 'know' he'd had it before. He 'had a feeling,' which is a hallmark of the spirit character.
Through the rest of the book, Harry continues to do thinks that are "both very brave and very stupid," like when he leaped onto the troll and tried to fight it.
All of this culminated with Harry's first encounter with the wizard who killed his parents, Lord Voldemort. Voldemort, possessing Professor Quirrel, tried to tempt Harry, but Harry refused to join him, just like he refused to join the 'darkest' house in the school, Slytherin. When Voldemort attacked, Harry "by instinct, reached up and grabbed Quirrel's face." In the end, Harry was awarded additional points for "pure nerve and outstanding courage."
Acting on instinct and doing things that are brilliantly stupid are how a spirit character gets through conflict. They are the least predictable of the three character types because they rarely know what they're going to do until they do it.
Spirit characters typically have a code of ethics or a code of honor by which they live. They have a 'cause.' In Harry's case, he would never join the evil that killed his parents, even symbolically by joining Slytherin House.
Hermione is introduced just as Ron Weasley is getting ready to cast a spell. When the spell fails, she is quick to criticize and then points out that she's memorized all the course texts and that all the spells she's tried have worked. She names, by title, the books in which Harry is named. Ravenclaw House, which is made up of intellectuals, for the most part, would be an acceptable house, according to Hermione.
This is a clear introduction for a mind character. She brags about her intellectual accomplishments and spouts fact after fact, but she does very little to build relationships. It's not until Harry and Ron rescue her from the troll, months later, that she realizes she needs more than facts to be happy.
Hermione uses her academic knowledge and deductive reasoning throughout the book:
Logic and deduction are the primary personality attributes for the mind character. Hermione is practically defined by those attributes. When she experience conflict, her first reaction is to either quote a book, read a book, or go to the library.
Ron is introduced by his physical description before anything else. His lack of money is a concern and a huge embarrassment for him. When Harry buys a candy from the snack cart, "Ron's eye's strayed to the pile of Chocolate Frogs waiting to be unwrapped."
Food can be a huge part of the body character's life, and it is for Ron, even from his introduction. Money also can play a huge role with the body character - usually the desire for more. While Ron doesn't show any excessive greed with regard to money, his embarrassment at having so little does constitute a 'desire for more.'
At Christmas, Harry has a mystery to deal with, but "Ron, full of turkey and cake, and with nothing mysterious to bother him, fell asleep." When Hagrid invites them in for a drink, Ron agrees, but Harry stops him so they can get the information for which they'd come.
Throughout the book, Ron is directed toward food, but sleep is another physical necessity that can be significant to a body character.
Beneath the trap door, Ron has to play a game of Wizard's Chess with life-sized pieces that destroy each other when captured. Ron has to sacrifice himself, physically, in order to win the game. After they are reunited, all three go to the feast. Ron is a little dejected because they hadn't won the house cup, but that did not last long because he knew "the food'll be good."
Bodily sacrifice is yet another attribute of the body character.
(Note: I will try to make the references clear, even if you haven't read the books. This goes for all my posts. There will, however, be some inescapable times when knowledge of the material with make things easier to follow.)
The Spirit Character: Harry Potter
Harry is introduced (after infancy) as a young boy living in a cupboard under the stairs in the home of his aunt and uncle. Aunt Petunia wakes Harry, and his first act in the book is to try to remember a dream.
"He had the funny feeling he'd had the same dream before."
Later that same morning, Harry "couldn't believe his luck" when he learned he was going to the zoo.
Spirit characters are likely to deal with dreams or visions. Mind characters would tend to dismiss them. Notice Harry didn't 'think' he'd had the same dream before, nor did he 'know' he'd had it before. He 'had a feeling,' which is a hallmark of the spirit character.
Through the rest of the book, Harry continues to do thinks that are "both very brave and very stupid," like when he leaped onto the troll and tried to fight it.
All of this culminated with Harry's first encounter with the wizard who killed his parents, Lord Voldemort. Voldemort, possessing Professor Quirrel, tried to tempt Harry, but Harry refused to join him, just like he refused to join the 'darkest' house in the school, Slytherin. When Voldemort attacked, Harry "by instinct, reached up and grabbed Quirrel's face." In the end, Harry was awarded additional points for "pure nerve and outstanding courage."
Acting on instinct and doing things that are brilliantly stupid are how a spirit character gets through conflict. They are the least predictable of the three character types because they rarely know what they're going to do until they do it.
Spirit characters typically have a code of ethics or a code of honor by which they live. They have a 'cause.' In Harry's case, he would never join the evil that killed his parents, even symbolically by joining Slytherin House.
The Mind Character: Hermione Granger
Hermione is introduced just as Ron Weasley is getting ready to cast a spell. When the spell fails, she is quick to criticize and then points out that she's memorized all the course texts and that all the spells she's tried have worked. She names, by title, the books in which Harry is named. Ravenclaw House, which is made up of intellectuals, for the most part, would be an acceptable house, according to Hermione.
This is a clear introduction for a mind character. She brags about her intellectual accomplishments and spouts fact after fact, but she does very little to build relationships. It's not until Harry and Ron rescue her from the troll, months later, that she realizes she needs more than facts to be happy.
Hermione uses her academic knowledge and deductive reasoning throughout the book:
- Noticed Fluffy, a giant three-headed dog, was standing on a trap door
- Correctly deduces Fluffy is guarding something
- Has priorities in line with the mind personality; "We could have been killed - or worse, expelled."
- Solves potion logic problem. "A lot of the greatest wizards haven't got an ounce of logic; they'd be stuck in here forever."
Logic and deduction are the primary personality attributes for the mind character. Hermione is practically defined by those attributes. When she experience conflict, her first reaction is to either quote a book, read a book, or go to the library.
The Body Character: Ron Weasley
Ron is introduced by his physical description before anything else. His lack of money is a concern and a huge embarrassment for him. When Harry buys a candy from the snack cart, "Ron's eye's strayed to the pile of Chocolate Frogs waiting to be unwrapped."
Food can be a huge part of the body character's life, and it is for Ron, even from his introduction. Money also can play a huge role with the body character - usually the desire for more. While Ron doesn't show any excessive greed with regard to money, his embarrassment at having so little does constitute a 'desire for more.'
At Christmas, Harry has a mystery to deal with, but "Ron, full of turkey and cake, and with nothing mysterious to bother him, fell asleep." When Hagrid invites them in for a drink, Ron agrees, but Harry stops him so they can get the information for which they'd come.
Throughout the book, Ron is directed toward food, but sleep is another physical necessity that can be significant to a body character.
Beneath the trap door, Ron has to play a game of Wizard's Chess with life-sized pieces that destroy each other when captured. Ron has to sacrifice himself, physically, in order to win the game. After they are reunited, all three go to the feast. Ron is a little dejected because they hadn't won the house cup, but that did not last long because he knew "the food'll be good."
Bodily sacrifice is yet another attribute of the body character.
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