Silly Actions, Serious Meaning

Why having your characters act out preposterous feats isn’t always a laughing matter.

In theory, authors of fiction can make their characters do whatever they want. But, for a story to be successful, a character’s actions should be somehow justified by the overall plot and within the character’s personality.

This brings me to my focus this week: How can characters behave in a humorous way that still provides deep meaning?

James Joyce pulls…