From Foul to Fowl - What Artemis Fowl Can Teach Us About Character Arcs

 Picture something with me for a moment. You see a twelve-year-old boy dressed in a black suit, sitting with hands steepled at a shadowed desk. His obsidian hair slicked back, his pale skin making him seem less human and more like a vampire. Icy blue, calculating eyes assess you coldly and calmly in a way that doesn't seem right coming from a child. A bodyguard towers behind him, blocking the sun from the window behind, and you know, even if you think you are tough, this monster could break you in half and will if the boy says the word.

This twelve-year-old boy who looks more like a vampire is more than your typical twelve-year-old boy. He is neither innocent nor a child who likes anything kids his age would typically enjoy. He is a criminal mastermind, the runner of many illegal operations. Robbery, extortion, and manipulation are among his many talents. To his calculating mind, people are tools to get what he wants. And what he wants is gold—mountains of it. Meet Artemis Fowl, the main character of the series, Artemis Fowl. And he is a terrible person.

He was a terrible person upon introduction and continued to be, at least through the first half of the series. This leads us to the subject of this post: Character Arcs.

But what do I mean by Character Arc? And why are they both the hardest and most fulfilling things when it comes to writing? Well, with Artemis Fowl as our example, we will explore that today. 

WHAT IS A CHARACTER ARC?

Well, put simply, a character arc is the change that characters undergo during a story, whether good (usually in the case of our heroes) or bad (usually in the case of our antagonist/villain). They breathe life into characters and make them more human and tangible. Character Arcs help fuel our interest in characters and help us relate to them on a deeper level. There are several different types of character arcs. Four to be exact. They are: moral descending, transformational, flat, and moral ascending.

But what do those terms even mean? Well, we will mainly be covering moral ascending today since it is Artemis' arc, but let's start with moral descending.

MORAL DESCENDING

In the simplest terms, it is the arc of a villain or antagonist, someone who goes from either morally good or even morally gray and, throughout the story, spirals into the darkness. Whether madness, greed, or just outright evil, the outcome of a moral descending arc is never pretty, but it makes for a compelling villain story. A couple of examples of this type of arc would be Anakin Skywalker in the Prequel Movies, Azula in Avatar: The Last Airbender, and Saurman from Lord of the Rings.

TRANSFORMATIONAL

In this arc, the character's morals and beliefs stay the same, but they grow in power, strength, and courage, among other things. Think of this one as the classic "Hero's Journey" story, with a poor farm boy becoming a renowned hero. He still has the same beliefs he had on the farm but with greater strength and experience. Examples of this type of arc include Luke Skywalker from Star Wars, Samwise Gamgee from Lord of the Rings, and Percy Jackson from Percy Jackson and the Olympians. So...pretty much every good guy hero...ever.

FLAT

Ah yes. Flat. That might seem contradictory regarding an arc, but it is technically on the list, so here we are. A flat arc means the character does not change. At all. Where they begin is where they end; whether in position or morality, they do not budge an inch. Think your Wonder Woman's and your Jack Sparrow's. Now, might they learn something through their respective stories? Why yes, of course! But do they change at all? No...no, not really. This arc is usually utilized with side characters.

STARTING OFF FOUL

Now that we've defined the other Character Arcs let's turn our attention to Artemis Fowl, who, as I've said, Has a Morally Ascending Character Arc.

And, as you might have put together, it is precisely as it sounds: someone less than savory growing throughout their story.

But of course, to get that satisfying arc of becoming a better person, you must start out as a...well... not-so-great person.

I still remember the chat I had with my friend about these books. She had picked up and read the first one on my recommendation, and her response was: "But...Artemis is the villain. He's an awful person!" And yes.

She is right.

Twelve-year-old Artemis Fowl is the villain in his first book, no ands, ifs, or buts about it. After his father's disappearance, Artemis takes over the family's criminal empire and seeks to rebuild their fortune. He is out to get gold, mountains of it. His family's motto is "Aurum est Potestas" (Gold is Power), something his father taught him since he was very young, and it is a belief he holds to. So much so that this child goes and kidnaps someone and demands ransom money, setting off a chain of events that leaves him pitted against fairy forces with one goal: to get their kidnapped member back. As I said before, he is a criminal, manipulative mastermind who plays with others' feelings and profits from their suffering, all for his own gain.

Yes, he's a villain. And yes, he is doing this for selfish reasons. However, throughout the story, he realizes something more can be gained here. Something a little less selfish. At the end of the story, Artemis gives up half of his ill-earned gold to the fairy he kidnapped, Holly Short, and lets her go in exchange for a wish: That his ill mother (who has gone senile after his father's disappearance) would be cured. So, at the end of this story, Artemis does not entirely toss everyone aside. Unfortunately, he is still selfish, but perhaps he is a bit less despicable than we might have first thought.

Of course, this isn't where the story ends.

BEGINNING TO CHANGE

Our next escapade with Artemis begins with him blatently telling a counselor at school that there is no one that he sees as his equal and no one he can respect.

Ah...yes...what a wonderful, kind person he is.

But of course, the story quickly takes off, launching him into a mission alongside previous adversaries on a mission to discover the source of human weapons showing up in the fairy underground (which they originally blamed Artemis for). Of course, he has his cooperation fee. In exchange for him working with the fairies, they will help him locate and rescue his missing father. So, it's not an entirely selfish request. Yay for slight growth!

The adventure includes the usual antics and Artemis being, well...himself with everyone. After all, he doesn't respect anyone. But of course, since Artemis believed there was no one who he could respect in the beginning, and this is a Morally Ascending character arc, he is proven wrong throughout the story.

Artemis is confronted with incredible people who get their jobs done and do it with impeccable moral character. But that's not all! We also get to see the more human side to him as his foil, Holly (who is heroic and kind and wears her emotions on her sleeve), practically yanks it out of him. Artemis even goes so far as giving up something he stole from the fairies to heal Holly after an injury...something he does sincerely with no favors demanded in return. Aha! A sign of growth!

At the end of the story, Holly gives him a gold coin not only as a thank you for helping heal her but also as a reminder. She tells him:

"Deep beneath the layers of deviousness, you have a spark of decency."

Holly Short - Artemis Fowl and the Artic Incident

In the epilogue, we also get Artemis talking to the counselor at school again. And guess what? When asked the same question about having people he can respect as his equal, thinking about the people he worked with on the mission, he says: Yes.

GROWING PAINS

We are obviously not going to break down Artemis's growth in each of the eight books of the series, so I encourage you to go and see for yourselves how Artemis grows throughout the next couple of books.

But here is a brief summary: More than simply respecting others, he gains friends. Yes, that's right. This once criminal mastermind child who respected no one as his equal and only used people for his advantage now has friends and is working to protect them. Now, you might be thinking, "But wouldn't that mean his character arc is over? He has friends now and is accepting other people, right? What more is there?"

And that very question, my dear friends, is why I love this series, and Artemis' arc in particular, so much.

A lot of the time, when we have a morally ascending character in a story, it stops with the character finally accepting people and being accepted. They have friends now! They aren't that much of a jerk anymore! Yay!

But people aren't like that.

Life is a continuous character arc. We never stop learning, and we never stop growing, either. And once we grow, we often go through growing pains. Whether it is struggling not to go back to our old habits or suffering from guilt over past actions; personal change is never easy.

And that is what Artemis begins to deal with starting in book six.

When his mother is faced with a terrible disease, Artemis blames it on Holly to guilt trip her into helping him break the law to save her.

But of course, he realizes really quickly that he feels something that he has been dealing with more and more: guilt. He is no longer the cold, manipulative person he was, but more than that, he is beginning to fear—fear that what he has done will forever ruin the relationship he has worked so hard to build. So begins his journey of breaking and regaining trust, fighting with the guilt of what he has done, and facing who he was.

IN THE END...

Life is a continuous character arc. But of course, in books and movies, everything must end eventually. So, like all series, we get the final piece of Artemis' character arc in the last book.

Even before the final installment of this series, he changed. Instead of being a criminal mastermind, he now labels himself a "kid genius" who is bound and determined to use his intelligence to create things to help people and the planet. He is dedicated to his friends, determined not to disappoint them again, and strives to be open and honest with them (he saves his manipulative remnants for the story's villains). He still has a somewhat smug attitude and is still awkward in "mushy" situations, but all in all, he is a good person.

That being said, this last book decides to throw him into the forge again, determined to have him come out even stronger than before. The last book sees him facing the ultimate sacrifice and becoming more than just a good person; he grows into a bonafide hero. I will not spoil the end of the series, but let's say it is a very Artemis ending and a very satisfying conclusion to his growth.

CONCLUSION

I would not have enjoyed Artemis Fowl if not for the arc of its titular character.

The highs and lows, taking two steps forward and three back, the struggles, the triumphs, every single part of his growth journey made the series for me. It is one where you read the final story and look back, only to realize just how different Artemis has become. You cheer with him, feel the guilt alongside him, and laugh when some of his old isms still come through even after he's changed so much.

I don't know too many characters who have the benefit of drastic change that is played out slowly and believably before my eyes at the level of Artemis, especially from a middle-grade series. Usually, longer-running series like How to Train Your Dragon and Harry Potter see the characters' morals remain the same as they themselves grow up.

Artemis Fowl treats us to not only the classic coming-of-age story of a boy growing into a young adult but also the complete 180 of a character who you despise in the first book.

Suppose you want inspiration for your Morally Ascending character arc or a high-energy, fun read. In that case, I wholeheartedly recommend this series. Not the movie, though. That is on the failed book-to-movie adaptation list.