The Power of a Sidekick

One of the primary goals of a fiction writer is to create a strong, unforgettable lead character. Yet, most of us have likely discovered that the full measure of many great characters is brought to light by their sidekick, partner, or buddy. This is a person who might share in the story’s adventures. Maybe it’s a character who plays the part of the reader by asking the questions the reader would ask or pointing out what the reader may or may not observe.

We can grasp the value of this when we read, for example, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Tom Sawyer, or Don Quixote. Can we imagine these stories without Dr. Watson, Huck Finn, or Sancho Panza?

Dr. John H. Watson

What we tend to admire about Sherlock Holmes is his transcendent ability to size up a situation, see beyond the obvious, and use his powers of deduction to unscramble clues and situations that no police officer or investigator can even come close to detecting. Holmes is amazing.

But we need Watson because he relates deeply to the personal side of Holmes, to the nuances of their history as co-sleuths as well as friends and roommates. Watson serves to reveal Holmes’s quirks. They share light moments that delight and add dimension, rounding out Holmes’s personality.

Watson is the person in whom Holmes confides his canny insights about a case. This often answers questions the reader may have. The reader gets to hear what Holmes has in mind, what he has discovered, his deductions.

As a physician, Watson can tend to a gunshot wound or examine a dead body without having to immediately involve the police or another doctor. Without Watson, Holmes would likely be an extremely clever but somewhat hollow problem-solver that few would care very much about.

Huckleberry Finn

Picture Tom Sawyer without Huck Finn. Together, they explored their little world and joined each other in mischief to the extent that would not have been fully realized had each been on his own. The reader also gets to know the backstory of both Tom and Huck without the need for a lot of tedious narrative.

When two people are engaged in an experience, such as when Tom and Huck find a body or become pirates, a single look between them can heighten the tension, a single word or giggle can add humor, fear, or dread to the moment. Sharing these experiences with each other helps the reader better know the characters, embrace them more fully, and go deeper into the story.

Sancho Panza

What could be better for a mad, wandering idealist like Don Quixote, who is always on the lookout for experiences of chivalry and adventure, than to be paired with a loyal, though illiterate peasant who surprises with his occasional wisdom, rescues his master now and again, and ultimately appears to desire to resort to Quixote’s way of thinking. Sancho Panza, squire to a knight errant, is the ultimate and, likely, the original fictional sidekick created to round out a great tale that has survived the ages.

A Useful Literary Tool

A sidekick doesn’t have to be someone who “rides shotgun,” so to speak, with the lead character. It can be a trusted friend or neighbor, someone that a person would be more likely to confide in than, let’s say, a random co-worker or social acquaintance. It is someone a lead character can open up to, share a deep emotion with, a strong desire, or a dark experience. Adding a partner, buddy, or sidekick can elevate a good story to a great one.