When it comes to characterisation and successfully crafting compelling characters, culture is often woefully overlooked in modern narratives. Character and culture are two distinct but interwoven traits of a story that rely on one another to produce a cohesive and engaging story. All the best storytellers understand that without culture, you don’t have characters, and that societal structures are vital for determining how a plot will progress.
In today’s article we’ll be delving into both culture and characters to discuss how they impact one another, and how to use culture, setting, and the environment to shape your characters and over-arching plot.
Why start with Culture?
Culture is the bedrock from which we form our ideas of what is right and wrong. It is pivotal into shaping how we think and act, how we present ourselves, and how we align politically. All of these factors will ultimately determine what kind of person you are – so why should your characters be any different?
A culture will, whether you want to admit it or not, shape the values, behaviours, beliefs, and perspectives of everyone living within or adjacent to it. By taking the time to delve into, understand, and write about the culture of a character, you can begin to create more nuanced characters that feel authentic.
Values & Beliefs
One of the most fundamentally important aspects of a culture that will impact your characters is the values and beliefs your character can form as a direct result of their culture. Not everyone will adhere to what is perceived to be ‘normal’ by a society, but equally, many folk want to confirm to societal norms (and can go to extreme lengths to do so). Let’s begin with:
Cultural Norms
Cultural norms will influence your character’s morals and how their actions are perceived. For instance, having a nuclear style of family is relatively normal in most western nations and has been for the best part of a century. However, in many cultures around the world it is socially and culturally preferable to live near family (often in the same town). This is just one example. Another, more controversial example, could be acceptance of LGBTQIA+ people. In many cultures around the world, people that fall into this categorisation are often shunned or forced to hide their true sexuality. As you can imagine, if you are writing about closeted characters in such a culture, it is likely to play a significant role in the story.
Cultural norms are, in essence, the unofficial set of rules that people followed based on their culture. Looking to real world cultures as an example, French people have a certain style of cuisine that is vastly different from the various states of India. Eating with your hands in India is normal and culturally accepted. However, in France, it may be perceived as rude. Equally, public displays of affection in India may be culturally inappropriate depending on the region, whereas in France kissing someone twice is seen as a normal greeting between friends.
That is to say, Cultural norms will shape what is acceptable and unacceptable for your character; and thus can help you with your characterisation.
Religious Beliefs
Another big way culture can impact your characterisation is through religion and religious beliefs. Religion usually comes hand in hand with shaping a character’s ethics, motivations, and worldview. What may be acceptable to a Christian, Muslim, or Buddhist will differ when it can come to even the most basic of human needs; such as consumption of meat and vegetables. Religious beliefs can, therefore, be an excellent way to flesh out a character and how they interact with people.
We won’t delve to far into this one, as it can be a polarising subject, but religion is worth considering for your characters to help better define how they think and act; particularly around themes concerning death, forgiveness, and integrity. At the very least, the wider cultural and religious influence a region has should be thought about when writing any character.
Familial Influence
Many belief systems, regardless of where those beliefs come from, are instilled in us by our families. The influence of the family unit and how that family as a unit interacts with cultural settings can shape who people turn out to be. This remains true to real people and fictional characters.
A good example of this are crime families, particularly old crime families of the 50s, 60s, and 70s (of western cultures and countries). Being born into such a family, your morals, ethics, and sense of what’s right and wrong will be heavily skewed by your parents and elders. Now imagine comparing a child born into a regular suburban ‘american dream’ style household during the same time period.
This is all, of course, taking into consideration that the family unit will ultimately be influenced by the setting and culture that dominates over it. A 1950s family from the US will have vastly different expectations for their children versus a family unit from 1950s China. Likewise, family units from the 1950s will have vastly differing expectations from family units today, regardless of geographical region and the over-arching culture of a nation or people.
When framing familial influence in terms of characterisation; you want to think about your character’s parents, elders, and influences when they were growing up. How was their childhood? While this is edging more into the territory of psychology, how a family unit functions (or doesn’t) can be directly influenced by the greater cultural influence of a region. To illustrate my point, a mixed race couple in 1930s Scotland and a mixed race couple in post-2000 California are likely to be treated very differently by their peers and society. How would a child brought up during this environment develop? What kind of person would they likely become? These are the kinds of questions you should be thinking about for any character you write.
Social Norms
The expected norms of a society, be it a society influenced by religion or not, will also largely determine how a character forms their values and belief system.
A sense of what is right or wrong can be bestowed upon a person (fictional or not) regardless of what familial values or religious beliefs are dominant in a household or culture. Societal norms will differ based on the society. A prime example is societal expectations around having children, sex, or getting married.
For instance, if a society expects women to get married and have children, your characters (especially female characters) may form their life decisions around this fact; be it in alignment with these expectations or in resistance to them. Equally, if a society equates a person’s value based on finances (such as the case with the US or various developed nations), your characterisation may revolve around this as a primary developing driver.
It is important to note that societal norms and cultural norms are different. While there are some clear overlaps between the two, a society can exist within a culture that may be hostile towards its belief systems. Any ethnic minority in any nation is a prime example. An ethnic community of Romanians living within Mongolia would have different social and societal norms than the pre-dominant culture of Mongolians.
When choosing to develop your characters, it is important to consider the immediate society they grow up within or integrate with, and how this mingles with the wider culture of a region.
Using Culture Appropriately in Characterisation
While everything we’ve talked about so far is important for characterisation of any character, it is important not to over-emphasise these aspects at the expense of the story.
When using culture to develop characters you should always be asking yourself:
- Is this relevant to the story?
- How does this develop my character in a meaningful way?
- Will this progress or hinder my character’s progress throughout the story?
- Is it a positive or negative thing for my character?
- How does my character’s predispositions due to culture impact the story now? (i.e, are their values and beliefs in conflict with a present day beliefs, value, culture or society?)
It boils down to: only include it if it is relevant to the narrative!
In Summary
Character and Culture are two interwoven aspects of storytelling that are important for creating compelling characters. However, be that as it may, it is crucial not to get lost in the process of building your character through culture. Just like other narrative aspects – like worldbuilding – it can be easy to get lost in your creation!
Remember: its all about the story.