# Impact Character - absence

**URL:** <https://discuss.dramatica.com/t/impact-character-absence/361>\
**Category:** Dramatica Theory\
**Created:** [May 8, 2015, 9:39pm UTC](https://discuss.dramatica.com/t/impact-character-absence/361 "2015-05-08T21:39:22Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Stephen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/96bed5/32.png) [@Stephen](https://discuss.dramatica.com/u/Stephen)\
**Post date:** [May 8, 2015, 9:39pm UTC](https://discuss.dramatica.com/t/impact-character-absence/361/1 "2015-05-08T21:39:22Z")

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Hi all,  
Dramatica stresses the importance of an impact character. What if the main character is stranded in an isolated setting? Think Tom Hanks in Castaway, or Robin Crusoe (until Friday came along)? How is the story able to work? Can it be pluggable into a Dramatica analysis?

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**Author:** ![jhull](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex010/user_avatar/discuss.dramatica.com/jhull/32/3_2.png) [@jhull](https://discuss.dramatica.com/u/jhull)\
**Post date:** [May 8, 2015, 9:58pm UTC](https://discuss.dramatica.com/t/impact-character-absence/361/2 "2015-05-08T21:58:31Z")

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Wilson was the Influence Character in _Castaway_. He even developed a relationship with the little guy and was sad when he went away (Relationship Story).

In Dramatica the Influence Character Throughline presents a _perspective_ on how to solve an inequity. So whether or not that person is dead or an inanimate volleyball, as long as someone voices that character’s perspective a solid story can be told.

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**Author:** ![chuntley](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex010/user_avatar/discuss.dramatica.com/chuntley/32/83_2.png) [@chuntley](https://discuss.dramatica.com/u/chuntley)\
**Post date:** [May 8, 2015, 10:13pm UTC](https://discuss.dramatica.com/t/impact-character-absence/361/3 "2015-05-08T22:13:14Z")

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> [@jhull](#):
>
> as long as someone voices that character’s perspective a solid story can be told

Even if that someone is the player that also represents the Main Character. Wilson didn’t speak, but Tom Hank’s character spoke for him – or at least reacted as if he had heard Wilson’s side of the conversation.

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**Author:** ![Stephen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/96bed5/32.png) [@Stephen](https://discuss.dramatica.com/u/Stephen)\
**Post date:** [August 21, 2015, 8:23pm UTC](https://discuss.dramatica.com/t/impact-character-absence/361/4 "2015-08-21T20:23:30Z")

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A very belated thank you to your responses.

Another scenario - if there’s multiple characters, how do I choose an influence character? For instance, in my science fiction novel, my main character is stranded on the other side of the world, and meets several other characters in his struggle to get home. There’s someone who survives with him for the first 1/3rd of the novel, and a child soldier who is with him for the last 1/3rd of the novel. The main character often flashes back thinking about his wife back home (who probably thinks he’s dead). The main character changes by the end of the novel - he becomes a lot more ruthless in life and death matters (but more understanding of others’ feelings). EDITED to replace “impact” with “influence”

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**Author:** ![Alejandro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@Alejandro](https://discuss.dramatica.com/u/Alejandro)\
**Post date:** [August 24, 2015, 2:44pm UTC](https://discuss.dramatica.com/t/impact-character-absence/361/5 "2015-08-24T14:44:45Z")

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Hi.

This will probably help:

[http://dramatica.com/questions/concept/hand-off/all](http://dramatica.com/questions/concept/hand-off/all)

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**Author:** ![Stephen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/96bed5/32.png) [@Stephen](https://discuss.dramatica.com/u/Stephen)\
**Post date:** [August 24, 2015, 5:49pm UTC](https://discuss.dramatica.com/t/impact-character-absence/361/6 "2015-08-24T17:49:50Z")

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Thank you for the link - I just checked it.