Character Functions:

Chicharrón

This guy is only in the film for 3 minutes. What’s he doing there?

CHARACTER FUNCTIONS

The function is the purpose of the character within the story. Why is this character in the story? What do they do for it?

For a practical example, consider the character Chicharrón in the Pixar film, Coco. Chicharrón is a minor character who comes into the story for one brief scene, then disappears. Why?

Let’s break it down.

The main character in this film is twelve-year-old Miguel. At this point in the story, he has come to the Land of the Dead which is part of Mexican mythology. In this land, people continue to exist only as long as someone on earth remembers them. When they are no longer remembered, they vanish. For the story to be effective, it is essential that Miguel – and the viewer – know what it means for someone to be forgotten and to disappear. To have their “final death.” We must understand this cognitively, and we must feel it emotionally. How do we accomplish that?

Chicharrón:

FUNCTION – Chicharrón’s function is to show Miguel and the audience the negative result when someone in the Land of the Dead is forgotten.

GOAL – Chicharrón’s goal is to have one more good moment before he disappears. i.e., he is being forgotten by his family on earth, so he knows he will soon cease to exist. He wants to experience the sweetness of existence one last time.

TACTIC – Art. Music. Direct request. He will ask his old friend to share a special moment with him, singing an old song together.

RELATIONSHIP – Miguel’s ancestor, Hector, is Chicharrón’s dear friend. Chicharrón has conflicts with Hector, but his comradeship and affection are much deeper than their superficial conflicts.

This is what happens in the scene:
Chicharrón tells Hector he knows he is being forgotten. He is weak. Fading away. He asks Hector to sing him one last song. The song is funny and bawdy and brings back good memories for Chicharrón. Then Chicharrón has his “final death” and disappears.

Watch the scene here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xfaIjEGsiA

This has an emotional impact on Hector who is confronted by the fact that he may also disappear soon. It also has an emotional impact on Miguel; he realizes the danger that Hector is in.

And it also has an emotional impact on the viewer. Seen through Miguel’s eyes, the viewer now understands – and feels – what is at stake in this story. Hector may vanish.

Chicharrón is in the story for less than three minutes, but he carries out a key function which has a powerful impact on the other characters and the viewers.

Chicharrón may be considered a foil in that we compare him to Hector. His brief scene also provides two other functions in the story.

• Chicharrón’s guitar is given to Miguel. This may be thought of as a kind of “magical object” that will itself serve an important function later in the story.
• Miguel sees Hector play guitar and sing which changes his view of Hector. He realizes that Hector is a master of Mexican music which is Miguel’s love, so this is an important step toward Miguel connecting and bonding with Hector.

This is effective story telling. The creators used this brief scene for multiple purposes that move the story forward in multiple ways.

But what about Chicharrón’s character traits? Once the writers decided to create Chicharrón to serve his specific function, they had to flesh out the character – (metaphorically, that is — Chicharrón actually has no flesh, he’s a skeleton!) Lee Unkrich, Adrian Molina, and their team had to determine Chicharrón’s personality and physicality. What would Chicharrón be like?

There is no single right answer to this kind of question. Creating the character is part of the fun of storytelling, and in this case, the team had many options. They could make Chicharrón big and strong, small and weak, friendly, hostile, smart or stupid. They would naturally ask, “What kind of character traits would touch viewers’ hearts, bring a tear or a smile or a sense of wonder?”

In this case, they gave Chicharrón a kind of rough cranky character, but then showed us his heart and tender feelings. This worked very well for the character, but those traits were not inevitable. He could have been different. For example, they could have given him a sweet, kindly personality. One could argue that would create more emotional impact because the viewer would be sad to see such a nice guy disappear. But on the other hand, that might seem like “too much” “laying it on too thick,” making a sentimental scene too sentimental. So Unkrich, Molina and their team went in the opposite direction. They made Chicharrón cranky, rough, and rude, the kind of person viewers would be less likely to care about. Then they turn that around as Chicharrón’s vulnerability and humanity are revealed, and we quickly come to like him and care about him.

In short, his character traits could be developed in many ways, but his function is set, and he must serve that function. Function comes first. The traits will support the function. So, as you are working on any character, understanding the character’s function is primary.

Every character has a function in the story. Most key characters either help the main character or obstruct the main character as they try to reach their goal. Sometimes they switch from helper to obstructor or vice versa.

Chicharrón helps the main character by providing him with a guitar, and he also helps the character understand his situation by acting as a foil. Foil is a standard function in drama. There are many others.

Here are some examples of standard character functions:

A love story will typically have a rival who is vying for the beloved’s affection.

In Hamlet, two grave diggers enter the story for a brief scene. As they dig a grave, they engage in banter creating a kind of dark humor. The gravediggers’ function is comic relief. They take the audience away from the dramatic tension for a few moments by giving them a moment to laugh or smile while contemplating the macabre subject of death in an offbeat way. When these characters finish their scene, we return to the escalating tension, conflict, and dread of the story.

In the Spanish film Pain and Glory, Alberto is a corrupter in that he introduces Salvador to heroin. It is notable that Alberto does not intend nor desire to corrupt Salvador. His intention is just to get high. But as a consequence of his actions, Salvador becomes addicted to heroin. So, the character’s function is not dependent on his intention. Whether he causes Salvador’s addiction purposely, or inadvertently, his function is the same, he is a corrupter in either case.

Also, a character can have two functions at the same time. This can be particularly interesting if the functions are contradictory. For example, in Billy Wilder’s The Apartment, Baxter’s boss is his benefactor. He gives Baxter an elevated position at the company. But he is also his rival, as both men are in love with the same woman. Inevitably, these two functions clash, creating intense internal conflict for Baxter and dramatic tension for the story.

As you are developing characters with your story team, you will want to be aware of the function of each character, and make sure that the other aspects of the character support the character’s function.

Here are some examples of standard character functions:

As you are developing characters with your story team, you will want to be aware of the function of each character, and make sure that the other aspects of the character support the character’s function.