Last
month, we broke down the second subtype of the Taking on the Mantle
story type, the Crisis of Conscience. (See the article on
the 20 Common Patterns of Plot if you have not already. Otherwise, this
article will be pretty difficult to understand.) This month, we
double back and analyze the first subtype, the Crisis of Character.
Despite how common the Crisis of Character subtype first appeared to
be when I began my research, its patterns proved quite difficult to
spot and nail down. I found that a true Crisis of Character story
pattern was not as common as I believed. A number of films I thought
to be a Crisis of Character actually belong to its sister type, the
Crisis of Conscience (
Schindler’s List, Thank-you for Smoking).
Some films appeared to fit the subtype upon first glance, but closer
analysis revealed details that proved they do not to belong to the
Taking on the Mantle category at all (For instance, two John Hughes
comedies, Uncle Buck
and Home Alone.)
However, despite the difficulties, I am proud to say I have cracked
the code, and rather than horde this hard-won knowledge, I am going
to share it with all of you.
Our
study films for this article:
Rushmore
Shrek
As
Good as it Gets
Liar,
Liar
First,
let’s review. A film with the Taking on the Mantle story type
contains a plot in which:
The protagonist starts as an antihero – someone who is capable
of being a hero, yet is unwilling due to selfishness or some other
personal flaw. Events invade the protagonist's life to force him or
her to take on the role of a hero. Though the protagonist may face a
large threat from a force of antagonism, the protagonist's biggest
obstacle is his or her own resistance to personal change. Development
occurs when story events force the protagonist to change his or her
behavior bit by bit from self-centered to heroic in order to reach
the main story goal.
The Taking on the Mantle story type
can be divided into two distinct sub-types: The Crisis of Character,
and the Crisis of Conscience.
As covered last month, in a Crisis
of Conscience (Casablanca, On the Waterfront, Michael
Clayton), the Protagonist is a
person of latent morality who begins the story aligned with an
immoral or ethically dubious Force of Darkness. Events invade the
Protagonist’s life that cause him or her to question his or her
loyalty to this Force. The Protagonist eventually turns on the Force
of Darkness, and defeats it.
The Crisis of Character subtype is
quite different. Its Protagonist is a person who begins the story
with a deeply-flawed personality. This flaw causes him or her to
behave in an antisocial or socially irresponsible manner. Events
invade the Protagonist’s life that cause him or her to realize the
damage this behavior causes him/herself, and more importantly,
others. Eventually, the Protagonist must decide to change the very
nature of his or her being for the sake of forging stronger,
healthier connections with his or her fellow human beings.
THE
MAJOR PLAYERS
The Crisis of Character subtype
revolves around the relationships between three essential characters:
a Flawed Protagonist, a Character of Attraction, and a Character of
Disapproval.
The Flawed Protagonist
Though the Protagonist may be a
person of various attractive traits, his behavior is dominated by a
major personality flaw. In fact, this flaw has become so pervasive it
has come to be the essence of his being. (Since all four protagonists
of our study films are male, I will refer to the Protagonist as “he”
for the rest of the article for the sake of simpler grammar.) This
flaw has built a wall around the Protagonist, socially isolating him
from all meaningful contact with other human beings. Though this wall
may serve to protect the Protagonist from the outside world and
preserve his self-image, it prevents the fulfillment of any emotional
needs. Though there may be characters who wish to get closer to the
Protagonist, they choose not to, since dealing with the Protagonist’s
flawed, self-indulgent personality gives them far more grief than
they wish to put up with.
In our study films: Max Fisher
(Jason Schwartzman) of Rushmore
is about as impressive a young man as you might find. However, he is
narcissistic and a borderline-sociopath, making him psychologically
incapable of forming any true friendships. Shrek is an antisocial
grump who would rather live in total isolation than put up with the
difficulties that come from dealing with other persons. Melvin Udall
(Jack Nicholson) of As Good as it Gets
is an extremely talented author, but he is also a total misanthrope.
He protects his obsessive-compulsive lifestyle by gleefully pushing
every person away with rude and offensive behavior. Fletcher Reede
(Jim Carrey) in Liar, Liar
has had great success in his law career, but only because he has zero
compulsion against manipulating everyone he meets with dishonesty.
The Character of Attraction
The
Character of Attraction is a person with whom the Protagonist, for
one reason or another, desires to have a closer, more intimate
relationship. This is Miss Cross (Olivia Williams) in Rushmore,
Princess Fiona in Shrek,
Carol the waitress (Helen Hunt) in As
Good as it Gets, and
Fletcher’s son Max (that freakin’ kid) in Liar,
Liar.
Though this character may share the Protagonist’s feelings of
attraction to one degree or another, he or she is hip to the
Protagonist’s BS. The Character of Attraction
does not wish
to get closer to the Protagonist because he or she knows the
Protagonist’s flaw makes him too difficult or unpleasant to deal
with. Even Fletcher’s son Max, though he may love his father with
all his heart, is reluctant to trust Fletcher because he knows his
father will constantly let him down. A majority of the story’s
focus follows the Protagonist’s attempts to “win over” the
Character of Attraction. Thus, this character’s story function is
to provide the Protagonist with a tangible motivation to change as a
person.
The Character of Disapproval
The Protagonist’s second
essential relationship comes from a character loosely linked to the
Protagonist through family (Fletcher’s ex-wife Audrey (Maura
Tierney) in Liar),
duty (see upcoming bonus article on Iron
Man), proximity (Simon
(Greg Kinnear) in As
Good), or a tenuous
friendship (Donkey in Shrek
and Mr. Blume (Bill Murray) in Rushmore).
Though the Character of Disapproval may admire the Protagonist for
his
positive traits (if he has any) and hope for a healthy
relationship between the two of them, this character openly
disapproves of the Protagonist’s flawed behavior and is not afraid
to say so. However, unlike the Character of Attraction, the
Protagonist does not really give half a damn what the Character of
Disapproval thinks. The Character of Disapproval is someone the
Protagonist could really take or leave. Throughout the story, the
relationship between these characters wavers from friendly to openly
antagonistic. The function of the Character of Disapproval is to
provide the Protagonist with the constant criticism necessary to
slowly move him towards change.
The Antagonist, or Lack Thereof
Though Crisis of Character stories
may contain characters who are openly antagonistic or threaten the
Protagonist (such as Lord Farquaad in Shrek,
or Fletcher’s boss Miranda in Liar),
these characters are not the stories’ real antagonists. In a true
Crisis of Character, protagonist and antagonist are one and the same
person. Rather than being undermined by an outside force, the
Protagonist is his own worst enemy. The Protagonist’s personality
seems to have two sides: a side that enjoys being flawed and
antisocial and wishes to remain that way; and a side that wishes to
abandon the flaw and reach out to other persons. This splits the
Protagonist like a Dr. Jeckyll & Mr. Hyde. Every time the
Protagonist’s good side tries to make progress, the bad side pops
up to sabotage everything. For instance, whenever Melvin Udall
manages to make any progress with Carol, he is then stupid enough to
give in to his old ways and say something offensive. Whenever Shrek
gets closer to another person, he feels the compulsion to once again
push them away. Just as most films feature a Protagonist and
Antagonist who openly wish to destroy one another, so does a Crisis
of Character – only this battle takes place completely within the
main character’s self.
THE COURSE OF THE PLOT
Shrek
is supposed to be a fairy tale. And as a fairy tale,
it provides a simple allegory to understand more complicated
stories of the same type. Shrek is an ogre. So are Max Fisher, Melvin
Udall, and Fletcher Reede (figuratively, of course). Ogres are crude,
disagreeable beasts who have no place in polite society. However,
Shrek enjoys being an ogre. His disagreeable nature has given him a
comfortable, albeit isolated, life. Unfortunately, this
self-insulated life is invaded by an event that turns everything
upside down. In order to get life back to how he knew it, Shrek is
forced to journey outside his life of habit, interact with other
persons, and perform tasks for others that he would never do under
normal circumstances.
Only then, something changes in Shrek. By
performing these tasks, Shrek comes to realize there is something
that feels good about interacting with people, even better than the
insulating comfort he felt in isolation. Only this new impulse runs
counter to Shrek’s orgeous nature, prompting an internal conflict.
Shrek succumbs to his old ways, but only misery follows. In the
end, Shrek abandons his ogreous nature for a new one which is
willing to embrace others with open arms. By achieving true
relationships with others, Shrek finds happiness.
The Setup: A Comfortable Niche
The Protagonist begins the story
living within a comfortable, self-created little world. The
Protagonist is happy in this world. In fact, he thrives in it – not
in spite of his flaw, but because
of the flaw. Max Fisher’s narcissism has made a private
universe out of Rushmore Academy, a universe where he is king. Melvin
Udall’s rejection of humanity has allowed him to insulate himself
in a private world where he can embrace his obsessive-compulsive
disorder rather than deal with its effects on others. Fletcher
Reede’s compulsion to lie has given him a successful law career. In
fact, he is one big case away from a promotion to partner. Because this
niche is so comfortable, the Protagonist believes his flaw to be a
good thing. He sees no need to change, no matter what others may tell
him. Only one thing is missing: genuine relationships with other
people.
The Inciting Incident to the End of the 1st Act:
Uprooting the Niche
As with any inciting incident, the
Protagonist’s life is invaded by an event that disrupts the status
quo. But unlike most inciting incidents, the Protagonist is not
simply confronted by a threat or a challenge, but by something or a
combination of things that completely tear up his comfortable niche
by the roots. Max Fisher is expelled from Rushmore Academy. Shrek’s
swamp is invaded by banished fairy
tale creatures under an order by Lord Farquaad. This uprooting may happen all at once at the inciting
incident, or it may happen through a combination of events: one at
the inciting incident and another at the end of the first act, with a
number of minor disruptions in between. Fletcher Reede’s niche is
first disrupted when Max’s birthday wish makes him unable to perform his job and life his life as he is used to. The disruption of Fletcher’s status quo is
made total when Audrey tells Fletcher she is moving away and taking
Max with her. Melvin’s uprooting begins small when he is forced to
take care of Simon’s dog – that is, care for another living
creature while having regular contact with the gay neighbor the
homophobic Melvin wants nothing to do with. This is already a lot to
handle for someone as OCD-ridden as Melvin. But Melvin’s precious
life of habit is further torn apart when Carol, the only person in
the world whose company Melvin enjoys, is no longer available to wait
on him during his daily visit to the cafe. Melvin feels as if his
universe is crashing down around him. By the end of the first act,
the Protagonist feels lost, confused, and angry as everything he
seemed to enjoy in the past has been destroyed.
Act 2A
The Protagonist desperately wants
his comfortable niche back again. But to do this, the Protagonist
must do the unthinkable: reach out to other human beings. The
Protagonist asks the Character of Attraction and/or the Character of
Disapproval for assistance. Melvin visits to Carol’s home to demand
that she come back to work. Fletcher begs Audrey to change her mind.
Max Fisher recruits Mr. Blume to help him speak with Miss Cross.
Unfortunately, these other characters do not trust the Protagonist.
After all, the Protagonist’s motives remain selfish, and the wall
created by the Protagonist’s flaw remains as strong as ever. This
failed interaction causes the Protagonist to, possibly for the first
time, realize the effects his flawed behavior have on other people.
Words alone are not going to reverse the Protagonist’s situation.
He needs to take action.
So, the Protagonist takes an action
or begins a course of actions in relation to the Character of
Attraction he would have never even considered previously in an
attempt to restore the status quo. As a side effect, this action
forges a stronger bond between the characters. Melvin pays for a
private doctor to take care of Carol’s son so Carol will not have
to miss work. Max Fisher tries to make an honest go at his new public
school with the help of Mr. Blume and Miss Cross as his tutor.
Fletcher reaches out to his son in the hopes that the son will
reverse his birthday wish. Though some of these actions, such as
Melvin’s, may seem altruistic on their surface, they remain
selfishly-motivated. All Melvin cares about is getting Carol to wait
on him at the restaurant again.
Unfortunately, though these actions
may yield a short-term benefit, things do not turn out exactly as the
Protagonist expects. This is because the Protagonist’s flaw has
kept him from understanding or predicting how other characters
may react. Carol wants to reject Melvin’s gift because she believes
Melvin wants something sexual out of the deal. Fletcher fails at his
attempt to reverse his son’s wish because Max does not want
his father to lie again. Max Fisher finds that, instead of drawing
Miss Cross closer to him, he has actually driven her into the arms of
Mr. Blume.
The Protagonist feels rejected. To
his surprise, his stone heart breaks. Through the pain of this
emotion, the Protagonist realizes there may be something better in
life than his selfish little niche. The Character of Attraction’s
rejection causes the Protagonist to realize just how important the
Character of Attraction is to him. The Protagonist then changes
gears. He realizes that his only course to happiness will come by
winning over the Character of Attraction to create a permanent and
satisfying relationship between to two of them.
The Protagonist then launches a new
mission to do just that. However, this mission is still
ill-conceived, since the Protagonist still relies on his flawed
behavior to get him through it. Melvin agrees to take Simon on a road
trip so he can invite Carol along in the hope of growing closer to
her. Only Melvin does himself no favors by how he talks to Simon and
Carol on the trip. In Liar,
Audrey gives Fletcher an ultimatum he must meet to avoid losing Max. But to fulfill this ultimatum, Fletcher must first get
through his court case on time, something he struggles with due
to his continued impulse to manipulate every situation through
dishonesty. Max Fisher’s mission is the most ill-conceived of all.
Max plans to “win Miss Cross back” through the narcissistic destruction of anything that stands in the way of what he sees as their
love. This, of course, only pushes Miss Cross further away.
Sooner or later, the Protagonist
realizes that the only way to succeed at this mission is by fighting
against his flaw and embracing its opposite. The only way happiness
will come is by trying to become a better person. These new efforts meet success. Fletcher wins his court case through honest means. Max
Fisher and Melvin both find their way to a first kiss with Miss Cross
and Carol.
Only this success is short-lived.
Immediately after the victory, the Protagonist sabotages himself with
an action that seems to ruin any future chance of the Protagonist and
Character of Attraction sealing their relationship. Melvin says
something so stupid and offensive that Carol never wants to see him
again. Miss Cross discovers the duplicity that set up their intimate
moment and throws Max out of her house. Fletcher is put in
jail for contempt of court, making him unable to stop Audrey from
taking Max away. It seems the Protagonist has failed.
Act 3
With the Character of Attraction
seemingly out of the picture, the Protagonist has no one else to turn
to but the Character of Disapproval. The two reconcile their
differences and become honest friends. The Character of Disapproval
then encourages the Protagonist to do whatever it takes, no matter
how crazy, to win the Character of Attraction back. (Note that in
Liar, Liar
it is illogical from a story perspective for Fletcher to reconcile with
the Character of Disapproval at this point. Since Audrey is the one
taking Max away, there would be no
more third act if they reconciled here. To get around this, the film achieves this plot point
by way of a proxy character: Fletcher’s secretary Greta, a lesser
supporting character who has intermittently served as a secondary
Character of Disapproval.)
The Protagonist takes one giant
final action to prove to the Character of Attraction, and the world
in general, how much he or she really means to him. This action must
show the lengths the Protagonist is willing to go in order to be
worthy of the Character of Attraction’s love. Melvin appears on
Carol’s doorstep in the middle of the night to confess his love.
Fletcher stops Max and Audrey’s plane from taking off just so he
can see Max again. Shrek disrupts Princess Fiona’s wedding to Lord
Farquaad. Max stages a big event that atones for not only his wrongs
to Miss Cross, but everyone who has been the victim of his narcissism
in the past.
By proving himself in such a
dramatic fashion, the Protagonist fully and finally abandons the
protective wall he has built around himself through his flaw. He is
now willing to be vulnerable and emotionally available to the people
around him. With such a show, the Character of Attraction has no
choice but to give in – maybe not in the way the Protagonist
originally wished way back in the first act – but in a way that suggests the Protagonist has
achieved happiness and satisfaction, and will continue to do so in
the future. This was only possible through a full and total change in
character. The Protagonist has abandoned the clothing of a flawed
ogre and taken on the mantle of a hero.