Remembering that character arcs are all about inner change, there are many stories where the protagonist fails to change, or changes for the worse, and this type of arc results in a negative character arc. Before we dive into the different ways we can break down these arcs, let's remember that character arcs are defined by the character's relationship to their need – the inner lesson they need to learn – not their want – the physical, external object they pursue over the course of the story. The success of the outer journey is irrelevant to the success of the inner journey. Characters with negative arcs may very well succeed externally, but it's the inner failure that marks their arc as negative.
Fall Arcs
Fall arcs are where a character does change, but they change for the worse. They are ruined, corrupted, or experience some other form of moral, internal downfall over the course of their story. This downfall usually comes while the character is pursuing their want, and in so doing, they are corrupted and. . .
These characters will achieve their want, or at least appear to, for most of the story. Since characters with negative arcs often meet tragic ends, they can ultimately lose their want in the end, or obtaining it can be the death of them.
Examples of characters with fall arcs include Michael Corleone from The Godfather, Anakin Skywalker from the Star Wars Prequels, Walter White from Breaking Bad, and Daenerys Targaryen from Game of Thrones (in the television version at least.)
Failure Arcs
The second type of negative character arc are failure arcs. In these arcs, the character fails to achieve their want and their need. These characters need to change to get their want, but don't, so they lose it and, usually, an important part of themselves. The best example I can think of is Jay Gatsby from The Great Gatsby. Azula from Avatar the Last Airbender can also go in this category.
Fall arcs and failure arcs are defined by the character's inner arc in relation to their outer arc (basically, their success in achieving their want and need), but there's another way we can break down these arcs, and that's by looking at what they focus on or the themes they're about.
Remember this list isn't exhaustive, and for some characters, these categories overlap, but here are some of the top types of negative characters I see.
Love > Loss
While most love stories have happy endings (at least in fiction), some characters are ruined by their love for another. Over the course of their stories, they either lose their loved one or push them father away. Gatsby from The Great Gatsby is an example of this, as is Anakin from Star Wars. I think we could also put characters like Nina from Black Swan here too. She was in love with being a perfect ballerina, and her pursuit of it led to her demise.
Power > Downfall
Another common negative arc is the downfall arc. These arcs revolve around power, and the pursuit of it destroys them or those they care about. Anakin from Star Wars also fits in this category too (he pursued more power because of love). Macbeth fits into this category too, as does Walter White from Breaking Bad.
Honor/ Duty > Corruption
I think this type of arc is very similar to the power arc, but I think there are some character who are trying to do the right thing out of a sense of duty or honor, but it ends up destroying them. In fall arcs, this leads to their corruption, like with Michael Corleone in the Godfather, and in failure arcs, it leads to their demise, and what happens to Ned Stark in Game of Thrones is an example of this.
Ned is a great example because it's important to remember that not all negative character arcs are about evil people. Many are, but there is nothing inherent about negative arcs that require a character to be evil or immoral. Remember, negative arcs simply mean that a character fails to acquire their need, the emotional lesson they need to learn to get what they want. Ned needed to learn to be more politically savvy and shrewd, and he failed to do so, so he has a negative arc that tragically led to his death. Boromir, however, has a positive arc because he does finally learn to give the ring up and trust Frodo. Even though it leads to his death, it's still a positive arc because of his successful inner journey.
Remember, there are other ways to break these ideas down. If my way of explaining character arcs doesn't work for you, let me know in the comments below, and I can try to clarify. Also, check out what other people are saying and see what makes the most sense to you. You can read K. M. Weiland's way of breaking down negative character arcs in three ways here.
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