"Are you using me?"

My dear character asked me. The answer to that is yes. I am using you, my dear character, to make a point. Just like President Snow used District 13 to prove a point. *shudders* Anyways, my dearest character, I have constructed the perfect way to use you to prove a point.

Let's say you wanted to make your protagonist look small and weak. (Why you'd ever want to do that, I don't know.) You might introduce a new side kick, a strong, mean, warrior kinda person.

Mayla stepped toward me, bow in hand. She narrowed her eyes, as if evaluationg me to see if I would do. From the woods nearby, a mournful howl of the wolf rose up to greet the rising moon. Without any sign of emotion, Mayla notched an arrow and ended the howl forever. She didn't even bother to go get the carcass, she just left it to rot or feed another wolf. I was crouching now, trying to escape her permeating gaze, but it found me wherever I was. A small whimper escaped my lips, drawing a menacing smile to her lips.

Cale scampered down from his lookout place in the trees. He was startled to find Mayla towering over me, and did nothing but watch as Mayla shot him through the leg with an arrow. A cry pierced the stillness of the night air, and Mayla watched as he slowly crumpled to the ground. Standing up, I dashed for him, worried, but of course Mayla wouldn't let me pass, and shot me too, without blinking an eye. The pain originated in my shoulder, but quickly the pain was spreading elsewhere. My eyes began blacking out, and the pain threatened to make me pass out.  Mayla's face was now close enough for me to feel her breath on my cheek.
"Sleep well, my darling." A malicious smile pressed on her face was the last thing I saw before I slipped away into the world of darkness.

See what I did there? Who was not to be bothered? Mayla. Who was weak? Hero. Cale was used to show that even if both of them were to unite, Mayla would defeat them. The wolf being shot then left to rot proves she kills for fun. The total message? Mayla, not to be messed with; Hero, trying to resist; Cale, a total wimp.

Of course you could use this method for a lot of other things, not just showing the protagonist or another character is weak.

Selene used the stick to stir the meager portion of soup. The stranger was big, hungry, from the looks of it. His eyes never left the pot. Cole and Jessie were looking regretfully as the last of the meat disappeared into the pot. Kat was inspecting the stranger carefully, as if surprised someone could be hungrier than them. Charlie was still out foraging, and had told them to eat without him. The soup was done, and five small portions ladled into the bowls.

The stranger immediately pressed the bowl against his lips and drank in the soup greedily. He was finished before they had taken a spoonful yet. Selene spooned the last ladle of soup  into the stranger's bowl. She drooled as she watched the soup disappearing down the man's throat. Before they were even halfway full, the soup was gone. The stranger stood up, taking a loaf of bread with him.
"Thank 'ya misses and sire," he said, tipping his non existent hat at them. He ambled away, gnawing at the bread. Cole rummaged through the packs.
"That was the last loaf," he moaned, staring in the way the stranger had gone.
"And the last of the vegetables, not to mention meat," Jessie complained, cursing under her breath. Selene looked out to the forest.
"Perhaps God will send manna and quail."

The last line (For those of you who know their Old Testament) was a reference to when the Israelites were wandering in the dessert with Moses for forty days and forty nights. They were growing desperate, so Moses prayed to God, and he sent manna in the morning and quail at night, to provide for his Chosen People. So, by saying that, it would prove just how desperate they were.

The stranger was the character used to prove a point, a point that they were hungry. The soup using up the last of the meat and vegetables, and the stranger taking the last loaf of bread goes to prove that they were indeed hungry. And Selene watching the soup go down the man's throat? Complete proof they were hungry.

Side note, my youth pastor, Thomas, told us that he was doing the dollar a day challenge. You do it for a week, so you have seven dollars to spend per family member for the week. We did it, and oh my gosh. I was so hungry, I watched the people on the train with their chips and candy bars and I am pretty sure I was drooling! :)

But I digress. In Merlin episode 5, they use a character to prove a point. In the beginning, Merlin is out in the woods picking fungi. A terrible creature, a griffin, charges him. He runs, trips, and is left at the griffens mercy. Just then, a wanna-be knight dashes out to rescue the helpless Merlin. He saves both of their lives, and the story continues.

They used Merlin to prove that Lancelot, the wanna-be knight, is a great swordsman and is knight material. Merlin could have used magic to save himself, but that would've made Merlin stronger than Lancelot and thus no one would have really liked Lancelot.  (I was shouting at the tv the whole time, "Use your magic, Merlin! You are so dumb not to use your magic! Merlin! Look, now a not yet knight has to save you. You could've used magic! No one would have seen you!" It was a very emotional time.)

But back to the topic. Merlin 'needed' rescuing, and to make Lancelot more brave and beloved, they made him rescue the 'helpless' Merlin. Then they go on to show how he...well, you'll have to watch to find out. (I don't recommend it because someone *coughGWENcough* falls in love with someone she's not supposed to *coughLANCELOTcough* and not someone else *coughMERLINcough*. It was sad.

So, my dear authors,  I encourage you to use your characters. And gentle Readers, don't get mad if the protagonist looks weak or scared or more brave then normal. It's just part of the story.

Happy Writing!
J.M