Capitalization of a fictional character's title when used in place of their name in a story

Question

I am writing a manuscript, and need help with the certain capitalization of two specific titles in my story. One character is referred to as "the founder" many times instead of saying his name. Would I write is as, The Founder, or the founder. He is referred by his job title inside and outside of dialogue. The same goes for another character "the custodian." When the character introduces himself he states: "I am known as The Custodian." This character does not have a real name in the book, and is always reffered to by his title. I have read the rules on capitalization for normal titles, but I am torn on whether or not to always capitalize The Founder and The Custodian. I know it needs to be consistent, and I want it to be correct to the industry standard when submitting my manuscript

Answer 1

Hello!

I have read your question, and I think I can help!

I would capitalize both "The" and "Founder" as well as capitalizing "The Custodian". I say this because society favors capitalizing things of importance such as our own names or the state you live in. Therefore, since you have chosen to identify the characters by their title, the normally mundane custodian then turns into "The Custodian".

Hope this helps!

Answer 2

As a fellow writer, and an editor, I agree with Sara. It’s your story, and if your characters and narrator think of these titles as proper names, your capitalizing them will reinforce that element of the story.

Anyway, when you submit your story for publication, editors will consult with you on handling such issues. Don’t be worried about standards so much in fiction. Of course, if you’re submitting this work for something like a course, you want to please your teacher. In that case, discuss the question with them first.

Best wishes!