One of the most important questions a writer can ask is: What is my character's "why"? Not what they want. Not what they do. But why they do it.

A strong "why" gives context to every decision a character makes. Take "The Social Network" for example. Most audiences come away from the film understanding that Zuckerberg's actions are driven by status, validation, belonging, and the desire to matter.

Some have criticized "A Complete Unknown" because they felt Bob Dylan didn't have a "why." I disagree.

The film has a "why." It's just not as overt as Johnny Cash's in "Walk the Line" with the death of his brother and his father's resentment, or Elton John's in "Rocketman," where Elton's emotional wounds are tied directly to his father's cold indifference.

"A Complete Unknown" presents Dylan as a man constantly reinventing himself and resisting conformity. He changes stories, obscures his past, changes his name.

Why?

Because he wants freedom, self-definition, independence from expectations.

He may not come right out and say this, but it's there in his actions, the most obvious being the Newport Folk Festival scene. Faced with immense pressure to conform, he chooses self-definition over approval.

What's interesting is that he later returns to the stage and plays acoustically. Not because the crowd forced him to, but because it was his choice. The issue was never acoustic versus electric. It was who gets to decide.

Naturally, many viewers will ask a bigger question: Why does Dylan value freedom and self-definition so much?

The truth is, there may not be an answer. I'm reminded of the scene from "Blast From the Past" where Brendan Fraser's character asks why the baseball player runs to first base after hitting the ball. Christopher Walken's character replies: "Because he must." I've always loved that line.

Not everything has a deeper explanation. Not every personality trait can be traced back to a childhood trauma or defining life event. Some people simply are who they are.

Why does Dylan keep reinventing himself? Why does he resist being pinned down? Why does he push back whenever people try to define him? Because he must. That's who the film presents him to be from the opening scenes to the final frame.

This is what makes character "why" so fascinating. Some stories require us to understand exactly where a character's motivations come from. Others simply ask us to understand the motivations themselves.

As writers, our job isn't always to answer every question about a character. Sometimes it's enough to make the audience understand them. And sometimes, the most honest answer a story can give about a character is the simplest one:

Because they must.

posted by Sandra L. Rostirolla on June, 17