Adam Argot explores character arcs through the lens of rites of passage

Writer and story artist Adam Argot discusses his approach to character and story structure, drawing connections between traditional character arcs and the anthropological theory of the rite of passage.

Argot, who teaches at CalArts and USC, posits that what is commonly referred to as a character arc is essentially a rite of passage. He bases this thesis on the work of French folklorist Arnold van Gennep, who identified universal phases in rituals of transition. According to Argot, the function of such a rite is to endow the subject with proper values through a structured process of transition.