Character's Want vs. Need (Explained 4 Different Ways)
In many stories, what the protagonist wants and what the protagonist needs will be two different things.
In The Hunger Games, what Katniss wants is to win the Games by being a survivalist at all costs. What she needs is to realize that the only way to truly beat the Games, is to not be a piece in them–to be willing to possibly sacrifice yourself.
In Soul, Joe wants to return to his body and pursue his jazz career so his life won’t be meaningless. What he needs is to appreciate that the act of living itself gives life meaning.
In Zootopia, what Judy wants is to become a bunny cop to defy prejudice and make the world a better place. What she needs, is to confront the prejudice within herself to make the world a better place.
Whether or not you realize it, your protagonist likely has a want vs. need struggle as well. This is because it’s a key element of story.
One problem, however, is that, like many writing concepts, the want vs. need concept can be difficult to “see” and grasp, at first.
This is in part because it can be explained from four different angles.
Today, I have gathered the four different angles into one article.
If you haven’t fully nailed down the want vs. need concept, then I recommend you read through these approaches and find which one makes the most sense to you, and use that.
If you fully understand the want vs. need concept, then reading through the other angles may deepen your comprehension of it.
In any case, what I don’t want is for you to get confused because you don’t get all the angles. In reality, you only need to understand one angle to utilize this. It’s okay to ignore the rest.
Many protagonists will have what’s called a “ghost.” The ghost is a past significant (often traumatic) event that shaped the protagonist’s worldview or lifestyle in a thematic way. For example, in Frozen, Elsa accidentally freezing Anna when they are children, is Elsa’s ghost—it’s what leads her to become closed off and isolated.
In the writing community, the ghost is also sometimes called a “wound.” These are two different terms for the same concept. You can learn more about the ghost/wound in my article “Giving Your Protagonist a Ghost.”
In short though, the ghost/wound leads the protagonist to adopt a flawed or inaccurate worldview, a misbelief. This creates the protagonist’s “weakness.” For example, Elsa hurts Anna, so Elsa comes to the conclusion that in order to keep that from happening again, she must be closed off. This becomes her flaw at the beginning of the story.
The ghost creates the protagonist’s want: Elsa wants to be isolated.
The want creates a goal: Elsa runs away and makes an ice castle she hopes to live in alone.
Through the story, it will be revealed that the protagonist has an inner need.
The need is the ghostbuster.
The need is the salve to the wound.
Elsa wants to be alone so she can be herself without hurting anyone. What she needs, is to realize that one must be open to be loved authentically and that some love is worth the hurt.
This is the ghostbuster. It heals the haunting and allows the protagonist to become whole.
When Elsa realizes this, she’s able to be open to love and melt the ice. She is able to heal her traumatic past.
2. External Goal vs. Internal Realization (Without vs. Within)
Everyone wants something. The protagonist has a want, and while that want may seem big and abstract sometimes, it will manifest in specific, concrete goals.
For example, in Zootopia, Judy wants to make the world a better place by fighting prejudice. This manifests in her specific goal to become the first bunny cop.
This makes up the external plot. Judy goes through the academy and, in the city, focuses on proving she can be a great police officer. Externally, this is what Zootopia is about.
As she pursues this, it becomes clear that she has an inner need that has to be addressed. She needs to realize that in her quest to make the world less prejudice, she has to confront the prejudice within herself.
The want is often the external journey, and the need is the internal journey.
In other words, the want is more closely linked to plot, and the need is more closely linked to character arc (and by extension, theme).
The protagonist was trying to fulfill the want outwardly–Judy wants to make the world better by changing the prejudice in others. The protagonist must fulfill the need internally–Judy can make the world better by uprooting the prejudice within herself.
The protagonist has a realization that allows him to address the need.
(One might argue that all wants and needs are both internal and external, but let’s not muddy the water right now.)
3. Flawed Worldview vs. Accurate Worldview (Flaw vs. Remedy)
The protagonist has a flawed worldview. This manifests in a want.
In The Greatest Showman, P. T. Barnum thinks he needs to be loved and accepted by everyone, so he tries to climb the social ladder via the entertainment industry. First he makes the circus, and then he tours with Jenny Lind.
But this is a flawed worldview, as it creates more problems. It strains his relationships with his employees, his family, and clouds his relationship with himself.
In order to be successful, he actually needs to shift his worldview to an accurate one.
He needs to realize that he only needs to be accepted by those closest to him, who are (either literally or figuratively) family.
This is basically the same idea as the protagonist having a flaw in the beginning, and overcoming it at the end.
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