Efficient character revelation. Essay. 800 words, 4-minute read.
Licking the Yogurt Lid
By Ray Tabler
Recently, I had a dentist appointment. Because I’ve had both knees replaced, that means I need to choke down 4 horse-pill-sized capsules of amoxicillin an hour before the procedure. Bacteria shook loose from my teeth might travel to the metal/bone interface and cause problems of a biological nature. The downside is that much antibiotic nukes my gut biome for a few days. It’s recommended to eat some yogurt to speed replenishment.
After I peeled the foil seal off of an individual-serving yogurt container, I licked the residual yogurt stuck to the inside of the foil. Which reminded me of an on-line debate about whether rich people lick the yogurt, and poor people generally do. The theory being that poor, or at least frugal souls, don’t want to waste yogurt they’ve paid for.
Now, I doubt licking yogurt is a reliable indicator of wealth or poverty. I can’t with certainty say if I consistently do one or the other. But small character-tics like that can provide subtle yet revealing insights in writing. Such details are subconscious clues, a window into a character’s background and mental state.
The first example which comes to mind is the wardrobe of terrorist master mind Hans Gruber in the movie Die Hard (1988). All of the other terrorists were in tactical gear. Except for the character of Eddie, who had to wear a blazer because he was posing as the front desk security guard at Nakatomi Towers. The actor who played Eddie was Dennis Hayden, but I was sure for the longest time that it was singer Huey Lewis trying his hand out at acting. Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) sported an expensive business suit. The contrast is startling, and an indicator that [spoiler alert] Hans is in it for the money not down for the struggle.
Next is that criminally underappreciated 1970s classic, Every Which Way But Loose (1978). The side kick character Orville (Geoffrey Lewis) had a habit of turning his trucker’s cap backwards whenever he was involved in fisticuffs. Orville is a peaceable type, but his loyalty to Philo Beddoe (Clint Eastwood) regularly drags him into brawls. The automatic nature of the hat reversal speaks volumes about Philo’s rowdy lifestyle. There’s another activity which Orville turns his hat around for. But I’ll let you watch the movie to find out what.
Games can be played with revealing character tics. In the Equalizer (2014) a retired CIA operative Robert McCall, played by Denzel Washington, frequents a local diner late at night to read. He always brings a single tea bag, wrapped in a napkin, as a bookmark. McCall asks for a cup of hot water and steeps the tea at the table. He is playing a role, still undercover, even though he no longer needs to be. McCall, as we later learn is well off. But as bad guys who break into his apartment remark, “the guy lives like a monk.” The single tea bag is part of his cover. As it turns out, McCall’s habitual tradecraft comes in quite useful.
As you might have noticed, examples of revealing character tics in this essay is heavy on TV and film. Character tics are very often visual in nature and thus lend themselves to visual media. In The lord of the Rings trio of movies, Smeagol/Gollum talks to himself a lot. Because there are 2 characters inside one head. The director conveys this by showing different facial expressions for the 2 characters in conflict, one almost innocent the other definitely evil.
A military veteran likely carries habits ingrained during service into civilian life. They might obsessively shine their shoes or prefer salt in their coffee. Depending on what kind of experience their service was, they could unconsciously shield a cigarette from the wind while lighting, even indoors, or habitually sit with their back to the wall, never the door.
In my misspent youth I worked with an older gentleman who before starting his workday would peel off his cardigan sweater, wad the thing up and hurl it angrily into the corner. He had a personality to match this ritual, abrupt, abrasive, and crotchety. I’m pretty sure he no longer wanted to be there. Perhaps he got that way because of young fools like me. But the ireful morning custom foreshadowed our interactions.
Character tics fall under the show-don’t-tell school of writing. They reveal aspects of a character’s background and mindset with an elegant economy of words and can signal what’s about to happen to the reader/viewer who’s been paying attention. Obsessively shined shoes. The set of a hat. A morning ritual. Licking yogurt off the inside of the lid. Used with Care, such foibles can make a character as memorable as the story.
END.
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