The way my book club says 'character arc' drives me up a wall

Last Tuesday during our discussion of 'The Vanishing Half,' three people said a character had a 'great arc' just because they moved to a new city. A character arc is internal change not a change of address. Has anyone else noticed people using fancy book terms wrong just to sound smart?

3 comments

3 Comments

beng5110h ago

Hate to nitpick but 'character arc' actually just means any change they go through, not necessarily internal growth... Bennetts moving to a new city could be a flat arc if nothing changes inside them, but the term itself doesn't specify what kind of change it is.

paige_bell8110h ago

Oh man, I gotta push back on that a little. I've always seen "character arc" as being about internal change specifically (like emotional or moral growth), not just any random shift in circumstances. Moving cities is just a plot point unless it actually forces Bennett to reckon with something inside themselves. I could buy a flat arc being a thing where the character stays the same but challenges the world around them, but that still implies some kind of internal test or reaffirmation. Otherwise, we're just describing stuff happening, not an actual arc.

patricia_hill608h agoMost Upvoted

You've basically described a flat arc where the setting changes but the person stays the same inside, and that's a totally valid take. From working with clients who move for jobs or family, I've seen plenty of folks who relocate but bring all their same problems with them. The external event is just a vehicle unless it actually forces some internal shift or reaffirmation.