What are your favorite negative character arcs?
A negative character arc is one where the protagonist gets worse over time rather than better. They might or might not turn for the better in the end, ...
the character of Nao Yasutani in <A Tale for the Time Being>, by Ruth Ozeki. This book helped make Zen/Buddhism approachable and understandable for me.
Nao, and her dad, both wanted to commit suicide… then her great-grandma, a Zen Buddhist nun was dying, and left a message… Ruth, the narrator, also had a strange dream connection with Nao’s dad. This made Nao and her dad want to live again. Her dad worked on an internet anonymity tool, and Nao went on to study French to read the writings of Marcel Proust. Ruth the narrator, feels happy with her life with Oliver and their cat.
Nao, and her dad, both wanted to commit suicide… then her great-grandma, a Zen Buddhist nun was dying, and left a message… Ruth, the narrator, also had a strange dream connection with Nao’s dad. This made Nao and her dad want to live again. Her dad worked on an internet anonymity tool, and Nao went on to study French to read the writings of Marcel Proust. Ruth the narrator, feels happy with her life with Oliver and their cat.