In Praise of Minor Characters--

I've always been intrigued by the so-called minor characters in literature and in movies. You know, the ones who don't get a whole lot of notice, but who really move the plot along. For example, the Porter in Macbeth--he's a great character, and it's a lot of fun to play that part in a table reading of the text. And housekeeper in To Kill a Mockingbird, Calpurnia, is a critical part of how their family works. Miss Maudie is not the one who is teaching Scout not to be openly rude to others who are less fortunate. Miss Maudie is genteelly white; Cal speaks up and speaks out. In the series I'm currently watching avidly, quite often it is the "minor" characters who end up the most important-- even to the point of being the character who "dunnit." It's refreshing to see the minor characters given the spotlight, eventually. The writers of this program, Only Murders in the Building, give thorough back stories to these characters, often in one large, revelatory conversation. We find out the background to the doorman in one big blurt, for example, near the end of Season Two. He is otherwise just a stock character, often amusing but easily passed over--until he is not.

Aren't we all minor characters in someone else's narrative? Even, sometimes, in our own? We need to slow down and really pay attention to those who feel (or who literally are) marginalized by the main stream, by the "big names"-- those kids who go unnoticed often grow up pretty bitter. Those adults who feel unheard don't always follow "lives of quiet desperation" (Thoreau)-- they sometimes band together under a manipulative strongman and storm the US Capitol. 

Yes, I went there. 

We may say we believe that every person has value, but what does society really mean by that? I suspect, too often, other people's value is measured in what use can be made of them, and by whom. This breeds a whole lot of resentment, to be sure. 

I heard a story on NPR yesterday about a nefarious scheme to not only defraud Medicaid of millions of  dollars, but to do so at the expense of indigenous people who are seeking sobriety. Luring people who are struggling with substance abuse, and who truly want to get their lives back, to "sober homes" and then getting the money for their "treatment" and care while encouraging them to stay as they are-- yeah, it's evil. 

Like I said, value is in the eyes of the beholder, and some folks struggle to see their own value. We need to prop others up, when necessary, but never to their detriment. And we should learn to honestly value our own lives as well; there are "no small parts, only small actors" (Stanislavki). 

Have a good day,

C