45 Master Characters (14 page)

How Do Other Characters See the Matriarch?

She always stands tall and strong, holding her head high even in the face of insult.

She dresses in whatever style suits her husband's image so she can be seen as dedicated to his career. His career is her career.

Once in a while she's caught standing in the shadows listening to her children's private conversations in an effort to keep an eye on them. She can't bear to have anything happening under her nose without prior knowledge.

She seems inapproachable, like she could easily yell at you or laugh at you. She doesn't want her children thinking they can pull one over on her. She's always right; her word is law.

Her strength makes her the rock everyone leans on in the family.

Developing the Character Arc

Look at your character's main goal in the story and then at the fears you've selected to use against her. What does she need to learn to help her overcome her fear? Does she need to learn how to live on her own? Does she need to learn how to deal with her husband's death and run his business? Does she need to deal with a sickness and get plenty of rest, giving up her control of the family?

Very often a Matriarch needs to learn how to commit to herself as much as she commits to her husband. Once married she gives up who she was to become the perfect wife. Everything she does is for or with her husband. She needs to realize that happiness found inside someone else can only lead to sorrow.

What happened to her at an early age to make this archetype dominate her personality? Was her mother's every move controlled by her father, and she swore never to live like that? Was she raised to be perfect, putting on an act for all the neighbors? Did her family fall apart when she was young?

To grow, this archetype is best paired with one of the following:

The Dictator —
steals control from her and upsets the family system.

The Fool and The Maiden —
show her youth, love, spontaneity and letting go of control.

The Mystic —
can teach her how to look inside herself to find out who she really is.

The Father's Daughter —
can teach her about having her own career and how to be a team player instead of a dictator.

Assets:

• Loves to spend time with her family, even if they drive her crazy.
  

• Enjoys entertaining.
  

• Enjoys planning parties and get-togethers for the family.
  

• Is very committed to her marriage.
  

• Dreams about her wedding day often.
  

• Will start a business to run like a surrogate family if she doesn't have a family of her own.
  

Flaws:

• Depends on her husband's or friends' love for happiness.
  

• Drops her friendships when she finds Mr. Right.
  

• Spies and invades her children's privacy in order to keep tabs on them.
  

• Sees her identity as wrapped up in her family.
  

• Puts her husband's image and career above her own.
  

• Can be obsessive in her need for order.
  

As a villain, the Matriarch's rage and power come out when she feels abandoned by her husband or family. If her husband has an affair no one near her is safe against the anger and revenge brewing inside her. She'll most likely take out her feelings on the other woman before taking it out on her husband. Her identity is so wrapped up in her husband that she has to believe it was the other woman's fault and that the marriage is salvageable. She's the one in charge, and she'll take control of her husband again.

Her life means nothing without a “family” of some sort for her to run. She needs to be in control of things. Chaos isn't acceptable to her. She can justify any action taken to preserve the integrity of her family.

She's inflexible, impulsive and unpredictable at times. Her moods fluctuate as she goes to great lengths to avoid real or imagined abandonment. She's uncertain about her long-term goals, career choices and her own identity. She feels empty and can become irritable.

She has passive-aggressive tendencies and will tell family members that it's OK if they do something she disapproves of, but her actions show them just the opposite. She may even attempt suicide or self-mutilation to gain attention.

She feels she's done everything for her family and they owe her their loyalty. She controls what goes on and if they don't like it it's too bad. No one leaves the family unit, especially not with a smile. Betrayal is the worst type of offense as far as she's concerned. She'd rather have her husband ruin himself before he ruins their sacred union. She'd rather see him dead.

• Fears being abandoned by her husband or family.
  

• Is enmeshed with her husband as if they're one person.
  

  She can't see him for who he really is.
  

• Fights for control.
  

• Will do anything to save face.
  

• Keeps family problems hidden from others. Her children may not receive the help they need as a result.
  

• Exhibits passive/aggressive behavior.
  

• Is impulsive.
  

• Is uncertain about her own identity.
  

• May have suicidal tendencies — at least for attention.
  

• Can be irritable and moody.