The Protagonist's Journey Scott Myers

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 Scot t Myer s

T A G O N I S T ’ S J O U R N E Y
THE P R O

c ti o n to C h a ra c te r- D ri v e n
An Introdu ry telling
S c re e n w ri ti n g a n d S to
The Protagonist’s Journey
 Scott Myers

The Protagonist’s
Journey
An Introduction to Character-Driven
Screenwriting and Storytelling
Scott Myers
DePaul University
Chicago, IL, USA

ISBN 978-3-030-79681-5 ISBN 978-3-030-79682-2 (eBook)

https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-79682-2

© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature
Switzerland AG 2022
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This book is dedicated to storytellers
 Foreword

To those about to have the pleasure of reading this book,

I’ve known Scott Myers personally for just over a decade. I know this
because my inbox tells me that my first email to him was on May 14, 2011
to say that I had long been a fan of his blog and asking if there would be
an opportunity in the near future to meet face to face. We got on the phone
shortly thereafter, and his blog, Go Into The Story, was announced as the
official screenwriting blog of the Black List mere months later.
As certain as I am about how long I’ve known Scott Myers, I have no idea
when I actually became a fan of his, though I can be certain that it’s some
time after May 16, 2008, and it was near immediate. How was I not immedi-
ately going to be a fan of the kind of person who writes about screenwriting
and goes all the way back to Aristotle’s Poetics to try to understand where
screenwriting exists in the history of storytelling?
In the years since, there are some things that I’ve learned about Scott that
would be valuable for you to know as you read this book:
Scott Myers cares about screenwriting, and that’s probably one of the
larger understatements I’ve ever put to keyboard. After starting in May 2008,
Scott didn’t stop–once–until June 2020. 4,428 consecutive days of writing
about screenwriting. Never once interrupted by “pneumonia, flu, hamstring
strains, a chaotic variety of technical issues, world travel and confusing
schedule changes, and various other roadblocks.” He says it’s to make the
point that “if I can write every day, you can write every day.” But let’s be

vii
viii Foreword

honest: no one does anything for more than 4,000 consecutive days for
someone else’s benefit. No one. His point about your writing easily could have
been made after 1,000 days, or 2,000 days, or after he broke Cal Ripken’s
Iron Man record at 2,632. But he didn’t. He kept writing, every single day,
about screenwriting, about storytelling, about character, plot, conflict, and
the business of screenwriting, because he cares about it deeply. (And then a
rotator cuff surgery did him in, but that’s a story for another time.)
Scott Myers cares about screenwriters. The first year of any new venture
is especially important, and that was particularly true of the Black List screen-
writers lab when we launched it in 2013. The Black List Web site was already
a wholly new concept in the film industry, and so inviting eight screenwriters
selected from it to join us for an all expenses paid trip was a potentially make
or break moment for my fledgling company. There’s a natural instinct in those
cases to shoot the moon by getting as many bold faced names as humanly
possible (and to be sure, we did, eventually.) Scott’s name, though, was the
first on my team sheet, as they say in soccer, and it has been for every single
lab we’ve ever done. I’m just not sure you can find someone more personally
and authentically invested in screenwriters living up to the potential of their
ideas, whatever form they take. “The streak” is evidence of that, sure, but it’s
never more clear than when you have the privilege of listening in on Scott
working with screenwriters. I’m lucky to have that opportunity. Most of you
never will, but fortunately, this book now exists.
Scott Myers cares about people. If it wasn’t screenwriting, it would be
something else. Which is to say that even if you take away the profound
generosity of twelve years of literal non-stop writing about writing and
making it available for free and the personal investment in the success of
screenwriters that I’ve personally witnessed, I’d still just be thankful that Scott
Myers is my friend. He cares deeply about other people. He wants joy for
them, fulfillment for them, resilience for them, and he’s willing to give of
himself so that they can have it. It’s there in his ribbing me about by beloved
Los Angeles Football Club’s utterly terrible record against his Los Angeles
Galaxy. It’s there in our trading articles about the US Mens and Womens
national soccer teams. It’s there in his pride in his sons and his wife’s myriad
very cool accomplishments in the world, and his patience, grace, and counsel
when things are going sideways in mine.
And so a guide to storytelling through the lens of caring about people
(even fake ones) probably shouldn’t come as too much a surprise. Except that
maybe it should be.
For years, I have encouraged Scott to monetize the gargantuan work that
he does for screenwriters. A rough approximation of our conversations has
 Foreword ix

gone something like this: “What if we paid you to write the blog?” “No, that
doesn’t feel right.” “Well can we build an infrastructure so you can put ads on
the blog?” “No, that doesn’t feel right either.” “Scott, I respect the altruism,
but you deserve compensation for this! It’s a lot of work.” “Maybe, but you
should see the emails I get from writers expressing their appreciation for the
blog. What better compensation is there than that?” “I get that, but... okay,
if you ever change your mind, please let me know.”
Simply put, I am overjoyed that Palgrave Macmillan changed his mind. We
are all better off for it. Screenwriters who want to explore a different way into
telling the stories they want to tell. Film and television industry professionals
like me who get excited about working with writers who can deliver good
stories, well-told. Audience members like all of us who just want to watch
something good. All of us will be better off for the book you now hold in
your hands.
So enjoy, and remember what Scott would tell you: Read scripts. Watch
movies. Write pages. And remember: This is just one point of view on how to
write a screenplay. The right way is, ultimately, whatever way works for you.

Sincerely,
Franklin Leonard
Founder, The Black List
 Preface

This book is the result of over three decades of my work as a screenwriter

and educator. Since 1987 when the spec script K-9, which I co-write, sold to
Universal Studios, going on to become a hit movie with two sequels, I have
written over thirty film and television projects for nearly every major Holly-
wood studio and broadcast network. Through my blog GoIntoTheStory.com,
named Best of the Best Scriptwriting Website by Writers’ Digest, I have inter-
viewed hundreds of professionals in the film and television business, and
interfaced with thousands of writers. After teaching screenwriting as a hobby
since 2002, I am now an assistant professor at the film school at DePaul
University. During that time, I have taught countless writers from beginners
to advanced, undergraduate, and graduate students. Based upon my experi-
ence as a writer and educator, here is what I have discovered: The best writing
is character-driven writing.
The Protagonist’s Journey: An Introduction to Character-Driven Screenwriting
and Storytelling is aimed at students of the craft who want to go beyond
formulaic approaches which reduce story structure to plot. Plot is essen-
tial, but it is only half the story. For it is the world of characters and their
inner lives which gives meaning to the events they experience. Indeed, it is
by engaging characters, getting curious about them, and following their lead
that plot comes to life. In the words of that age-old adage: Character equals
plot. I believe that to be true.
This book is divided into three parts. Part I explores story as Narrative
Imperative, how there is a profound connection between the psychological

xi
xii Preface

state of the Protagonist and the unfolding plot. The journey the Protago-
nist takes is the journey they need to take. Part II examines the Family of
Characters, five archetypes seen with great frequency in movies and tele-
vision series—Protagonist, Nemesis, Attractor, Mentor, Trickster—and how
this assembly of a story’s characters exists to support the Protagonist’s physical
and psychological journey. Part III presents a proven professional approach
to Breaking Story through a series of character development and plotting
exercises resulting in a scene-by-scene outline.
Theories explored here are influenced by Aristotle, Joseph Campbell, and
Carl Jung, but are also grounded in my many years of experience as a working
writer and teacher. The content in these pages has been road-tested in work-
shops in the United States and Europe, as well as what I have learned as a
mentor at multiple feature writer labs under the auspices of the Black List in
Los Angeles. In addition, the theories and practices detailed here served as the
inspiration for story development classes in the B.F.A. and M.F.A. programs
in screenwriting at DePaul University.
As I often remind students and writers, there is no right way to write. Every
writer is different. Every story is different. It is incumbent for each individual
to find their own way into who they are as a writer and how to best navigate
the story-crafting process. That said, a character-driven approach engages the
writer with the very individuals whose story it is: the Protagonist and the
characters with whom they intersect.
Thus, we start our journey in these pages with a mantra I coined many
years ago: Begin with character. End with character. Find the story in
between.

Chicago, Illinois Scott Myers

June 2021
 Acknowledgments

My thanks to DePaul University for its backing of this project, including a

generous research grant in combination with a paid leave. This allowed me
to analyze hundreds of movies and television series, and organize the struc-
ture of the book. My special thanks to the university’s David Miller, Dean
of the College of Computing and Digital Media, and Gary Novak, Director
of the School of Cinematic Arts for their continual support during my time
as an assistant professor at DePaul. I am grateful for my colleagues in the
program, especially the screenwriting faculty, who daily demonstrate their
commitment to academic excellence and serving the needs of our diverse and
talented student body.
My thanks to Dr. Linda Venis, former Director of the UCLA Extension
Writers’ Program, David Sontag, former Director, and Dana Coen, current
Director of the Writing for the Screen and Stage program at the University
of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. My years teaching at these institutions
not only helped me explore much of the content of this book, but also grow
as an educator. I thank Tom Benedek, co-founder of ScreenwritingMaster-
Class.com, a unique educational resource for writers we launched in 2010.
Tom was the very first screenwriter I met in Los Angeles and we have been
friends ever since. Of special note, my thanks to Franklin Leonard, founder
and CEO of The Black List, and the entire Black List team for the oppor-
tunity to help create, shape, and grow their annual feature film writer labs,
both as a mentor and workshop facilitator. To all the students I have taught
over the years, I appreciate the opportunity to explore your creativity with

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xiv Acknowledgments

you and how the theories and practices encompassed in this book evolved
through our conversations about the craft.
There are hundreds of screenwriters, filmmakers, television writers, and
producers I have either interviewed or gotten to know through my role as
host of the blog GoIntoTheStory.com. I am grateful how our talks have
contributed to my ongoing education about the writing life. In addition,
I appreciate the many opportunities I have had to share my passion for
character-driven storytelling as a presenter, panelist, moderator, and master
class teacher with programs such as the Austin Film Festival, the London
Screenwriters’ Festival, and the Willamette Writers Conference.
My thanks to Lina Aboujieb, executive editor, and Emily Wood, editorial
assistant for their patient oversight of this project for Palgrave Macmillan.
Also to Sebastian Smith, who designed and created the Family of Char-
acters illustrations, Lisa Rivero, who handled the book’s index, and Trish
Curtin, who was kind enough to copyedit the entire manuscript. A special
acknowledgment goes out to Jule Selbo, Ph.D., professor of screenwriting
at California State University, Fullerton for introducing me to the Palgrave
Macmillan editorial team.
Finally, a personal note of gratitude to my family. To my brother Sam
Myers and his family for their support and the use of their Hovland,
Minnesota cabin for a writing retreat; to Will and Luke Myers for reading
the manuscript and providing their insightful feedback; to Rebecca McMillan
for listening to me year after year as I worked through the ideas that even-
tually resulted in the writing of this book. My family has made considerable
sacrifices as I have devoted countless hours to studying, writing, and teaching,
day and night, weekdays and weekends. My endless thanks for their patience,
encouragement, and love.
 About This Book

Character drives plot. Based on this principle, this book walks aspiring writers
through the fascinating world of character-driven screenwriting. When a
writer engages their characters, they start a process which naturally leads to
the story’s structure and everything else that makes for a well-written narra-
tive. Exploring the protagonist’s journey and their “unity arc,” Myers explains
how a family of characters surrounds the protagonist and influences their
transformation process. This easy-to-follow guide features activities that will
help writers of any level develop their stories from concept to scene-by-scene
outline. Based upon a popular workshop Myers has led with over a thousand
writers at all levels of experience, this book is a must-have for screenwriting
students, both undergraduate and graduate, and those looking at advanced
story development.
Scott Myers has written over thirty projects at nearly every major Holly-
wood studio and broadcast network. He hosts GoIntoTheStory.com, which
Writers’ Digest named “Best of the Best Scriptwriting Website.” An assistant
professor at DePaul University, USA, Scott is a graduate of the University of
Virginia and Yale University Divinity School, USA.

xv
 Praise for The Protagonist’s Journey

“My training as a film and tv writer consists of one online class I took with
Scott as my teacher. And the lessons I learned from him have lasted me to
this day. Scott is a brilliant guide for anyone looking to get into screenwriting.
Regardless of the genre, budget, or style of the film—character is everything.
It is the bedrock of all drama, laughter, love, passion, and loss. Get to know
your characters well enough—and they tend to tell you the story they want
to be in. Scott’s book is an indispensable tool for unlocking scripts through
character and a great tool for any screenwriter.”
—Lisa Joy, Westworld, Reminiscence

“The Protagonist’s Journey is a remarkable book. Scott Myers is an extremely

rare creative talent, a gifted writer and a brilliant teacher. You can learn so
much from him. This is a special book.”
—Shane Salerno, Armageddon, Avatar 2-5, New York Times bestselling
author, Salinger

“Scott Myers’ love of film, of story, of film characters and his mastery of the
art and craft of screenwriting are well-reflected in his wonderful new book,
The Protagonist’s Journey. Myers sets forth a clear path to impactful screen-
writing in this illuminating guide for storytellers at all levels for bringing
honest human emotion to the lives of their on-screen characters. Effectively
citing accessible examples from film and TV, this book demonstrates how
the interrelationship of character and plot functions in the script form. Scott

xvii
xviii Praise for The Protagonist’s Journey

provides a concrete set of tools – a clear, concise methodology for the craft
and effective ways to use character, emotion, human behavior to build story.”
—Tom Benedek, screenwriter, Cocoon; Professor of Screenwriting,
University of Massachusetts at Amherst

“The Protagonist’s Journey is a superb resource for writers: sharp, engaging,

and brimming with insight. Scott Myers illuminates techniques for character
development that not only kickstart creativity, but enable writers to deepen
their work and to craft gripping, emotionally satisfying stories. A gem.”
—Meg Gardiner, author of the best-selling UNSUB novels

“Scott Myers’s analytical gifts deftly lay bare the narrative underpinnings
of movies that we love. The Protagonist’s Journey is foundational for screen-
writers, and even certain fiction writers. Myers illuminates a core principle
of writing for the screen: All story rises from character. Bookstores have
been too well-supplied with “paint-by-plot-point” screenwriting manuals that
encourage schematic writing and single-trait characters. For me, it’s a keen
pleasure to see Scott Myers’ fresh approach. He profoundly understands
that the most essential thing in a performance-based art is our experi-
ence of the central character’s personal transformation, and what is gained
and lost—inevitably—along the way. Myers draws from a broad grasp of
classic, Aristotelian story-telling, as he expands our own understanding with
deep insights that he has gleaned from masters of mythology and human
psychology. What a resource this book is! I’m envious of the lucky writer
who’s just starting out, with this book on their nightstand.”
—Robin Swicord, Little Women, Memoirs of a Geisha, When They See Us

“When Scott Myers talks about screenwriting, I listen. So many writing

guides focus on structure, but Scott persuasively preaches that well-drawn
characters drive our best stories. In The Protagonist’s Journey, Scott gives us
practical steps to shape powerful narratives around protagonists, offers a
multitude of teaching illustrations from great movies, and gently invites us
into this process he understands so well. It’s a terrific book I can’t wait to
share with my students.”
—Greg Garrett, Author of Bastille Day and four other novels, and of A
Long, Long Way: Hollywood’s Unfinished Journey from Racism to
Reconciliation; Professor, Baylor University

“I’ve been reading and learning from Scott’s column for years now, but The
Protagonist’s Journey is his greatest achievement yet. It offers a smart, compre-
hensive guide to writing memorable characters and, most of all, reminds
 Praise for The Protagonist’s Journey xix

us that characters are why people seek out stories and characters, not plot,
remain with audiences long after the credits roll. An essential read.”
—Brad Ingelsby, Mare of Easttown, Out of the Furnace, Run All Night

“In a sea of great books about writing, The Protagonist’s Journey stands out.
Scott Myers has a gift for distilling information into its purest and simplest
form, and this book is no different. We’ve seen so many books on screen-
writing being framed through the lens of structure, and it’s refreshing to see
someone tackle it from the most fundamental part of story: Character.”
—Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, A Quiet Place

“Finally, there is a screenwriting book that focuses on the most important

and most overlooked element of good storytelling. The characters really are
everything. The Protagonist’s Journey gives you the tools to craft emotional,
character-driven stories that are the bread and butter of any professional
screenwriter. If you want some genuine screenwriting advice, look no further
than Scott’s book.”
—Stephany Folsom, Toy Story 4, Paper Girls

“If characters are the lifeblood of stories, The Protagonist’s Journey takes you
directly into the heart of the matter. As inspirational as it is informational,
Scott Myers has created nothing less than a path for writers to immerse
themselves in the lives of their characters and enable them to drive the
story-crafting process.”
—Don Winslow, author of the best-selling City on Fire, Broken, The Border,
The Force, The Cartel

“In his decade of teaching, culminating with this book, Scott has pulled off
a remarkable feat. He’s made a complete compendium of the screenwriting
craft while continuing to encourage the antithesis of formulaic writing.”
—Peter Craig, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Top Gun: Maverick, The
Batman

“The chicken or the egg equivalent for screenwriters (and all storytellers) is
what comes first: Plot or character. What should come first is reading Scott
Myers’ book, The Protagonist’s Journey. It’s a rare gem. A book that focuses
on character development, and how characters impact the plot. Each chapter
provides specifics of character using modern film and tv references. Too many
xx Praise for The Protagonist’s Journey

books teach structure with the protagonist as an afterthought. The Protago-

nist’s Journey is a must-have, must-read for all screenwriters, and a must-teach
for all screenwriting professors.”
—Keith Giglio, screenwriter, Reba McEntire’s Christmas in Tune, A
Cinderella Story; Professor, S.I. Newhouse School, Syracuse University

“Scott Myers is a canny and thoughtful teacher of the craft of screenwriting,

and brings all of his impressive knowledge, insight and experience to The
Protagonist’s Journey: this book is full of essential lessons for the novice, and
crucial reminders for the professional.”
—Javier Grillo-Marxuach, Lost, The Dark Crystal, The Middleman

“You can tell from reading the first chapter of The Protagonist’s Journey that it
was written by someone who knows how to communicate with an audience
as varied in its interests as its abilities. With years of storytelling experience
behind him, Scott Myers has written a book easily graspable by the beginning
writer but complex enough to interest even the most sophisticated of writers.
Everyone setting out to write narrative—whether screenplay, novel, or even
history—will want to have Myers’ book along for the ride.”
—Becky McLaughlin, Professor of English, University of South Alabama

“Every movie lives or dies by their characters and no one understands that
better than Scott. Whether you’re a seasoned screenwriter or writing “fade
in” for the first time, The Protagonist’s Journey: An Introduction to Character-
Driven Screenwriting and Storytelling is required reading. The perfect torch to
navigate the dark abyss that is crafting a screenplay. A masterclass.”
—David Guggenheim, Safe House, Designated Survivor

“Scott Myers has distilled his years of successful screenwriting and teaching
into convenient book form. Scott’s approach is a refreshing move away
from static formulas and toward character-driven decision-making. Practical
exercises provide strategies for brainstorming, breaking story, and creating
characters with nuance and depth. Examples from accessible contemporary
film and television run throughout Scott’s text, making this a book students
will truly connect with. The Protagonist’s Journey will likely be widely adopted
in screenwriting courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels.”
—Theo Lipfert, Professor, School of Film & Photography, Montana State
University

“A fresh (and refreshing) way to look at storytelling. Scott expertly crystallizes

the most important concept in screenwriting: that character and story are one
 Praise for The Protagonist’s Journey xxi

in the same. I’ll be keeping this book nearby so I can easily crack it open next
time I’m stuck on a script.”
—David Rabinowitz, Academy Award, BlacKkKlansman

“Screenwriting is not an innate skill (I wish) but story sense is, and every
human has it. In this book, Scott mercifully provides an entrance to the
craft of screenwriting through our natural sense of story and human behavior.
Follow your protagonist, and her wants, needs, skills and deficiencies will lead
you where your screenplay needs to go, so the book shows us. In guiding the
reader/writer through understanding their protagonist, Scott shows us how to
better understand ourselves, the #1 skill no screenwriter can go far without.”
—Liz W. Garcia, The Lifeguard, Cold Case, Memphis Beat

“The Protagonist’s Journey is a focused, well-written, and welcome insis-

tence on character development as the primary source of storytelling energy.
Using Aristotelian logic, Jungian psychology, and Campbellian mythology to
comprehensively explore and unlock the secrets of effective, character-driven
screenwriting, Myers not only provides his readers with a clearly defined map
on how to properly navigate story, but reveals, to this author’s approval, that
plot without person is a journey to mediocrity.”
—Dana Coen, Co-Executive Producer, JAG; Director, Writing for the
Screen and Stage Program, Professor of the Practice, University of North
Carolina, Chapel Hill

“The Protagonist’s Journey is a nod of respect to the craft of screenwriting.

Equal parts contemplative and practical, Myers’ straightforward approach
turns dense concepts into readily accessible ideas.”
—T. J. Newman, author of the best-selling novel Falling

“Scott Myers understands the craft of screenwriting. The Protagonist’s Journey

is an excellent resource for writers seeking to create more multilayered,
evocative characters in their storytelling process.”
—Scott Derrickson, Sinister, Deliver Us From Evil, Dr. Strange

“Building on his vast expertise as a writer and a screenwriting teacher, with

The Protagonist’s Journey, Scott Myers provides a comprehensive, contempo-
rary standard work for screenplay analysis and its application, focusing on the
core belief: that character is plot and plot is character.”
—Carolin Große Hellmann, Head of Serial Storytelling / Professional
Training Screenwriting, Internationale Filmschule Köln
xxii Praise for The Protagonist’s Journey

“We care more about the person driving the car than we do the road they’re
on. All too often, plot and so-called plot points become the drivers of narra-
tive. What results are cruise-control stories that are formulaic and predictable.
What Scott instead does here is guide the reader through an inside-out
approach, starting with the unique wants and needs of the main character,
and how the actions they take to fulfill them are what keep the reader turning
to the next page.”
—Chris Sparling, Buried, The Sea of Trees, Greenland

“Scott’s book gives clear and valuable guidelines to develop organic stories
that are driven by complex, empathetic characters. This is a much-needed
book in a field that has long been centered on plot. Whenever I feel lost in a
script, I will go back to The Protagonist’s Journey and use it as my compass to
find my way through!”
—Alireza Khatami, Award-winning writer-director, Oblivion Verses; Assistant
Professor, Ryerson University

“With The Protagonist’s Journey, Scott has unlocked a whole new way of telling
stories by focusing on characters and the psychological forces that drive them
to action. It not only changed how I viewed my current work-in-progress, it
also inspired a few brand new ideas along the way.”
—Mickey Fisher, Extant, Reverie, Jack Ryan

“Maybe you have an interesting character, or a compelling premise, and then

what? If you’ve ever struggled to integrate character with plot, The Protago-
nist’s Journey is for you. Scott Myers holds an unwavering lens on character
(protagonists, supporting character archetypes, nemesis) and then leads us
through an actionable framework for creating transformational plots. The
result is an essential read for any professional writer, teacher, or student who
wants their stories to journey purposefully.”
—Ryan Woldruff, Associate Professor of English, Central Methodist
University

“Scott brings vast experience and skill to The Protagonist’s Journey. Brimming
with examples from film + TV, this book will help any aspiring screenwriter
to level up their script mechanics from the inside out. Recommend!”
—Jessica Bendinger, Bring It On, Stick It

“Every book can offer something. Some offer more. Way more. And The
Protagonist’s Journey is one. Scott has a profound understanding of craft and
most importantly, the ability to convey his deep knowledge in a way that
 Praise for The Protagonist’s Journey xxiii

people REALLY get it. He is a master of story and HOW story works. We
have had over 1,000 speakers pass through the London Screenwriters’ Festival
in the past decade and Scott remains in the top three. He is that good and
this book is a steal.”
—Chris Jones, Founder, London Screenwriters’ Festival
 Contents

Part I The Protagonist’s Journey as Narrative Imperative

1 The Protagonist’s Journey 3
Further Study 17
2 Character Arc 19
The Protagonist: Change Agent 23
The Protagonist: Refuse Change 25
The Protagonist: Disintegration 28
Further Study 33
3 Disunity 35
Disunity: Clarice Starling in The Silence of the Lambs 40
Disunity: Walter White in Breaking Bad 42
Disunity: William Shakespeare in Shakespeare in Love 44
Disunity: Rebecca Bunch in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend 46
Disunity: Miles Morales in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse 50
Summary 51
Further Study 52
4 Deconstruction 55
Deconstruction Explored 56
Deconstruction: Clarice Starling in The Silence of the Lambs 59
Deconstruction: Walter White in Breaking Bad 62
Deconstruction: William Shakespeare in Shakespeare in Love 64

xxv
xxvi Contents

Deconstruction: Rebecca Bunch in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend 66

Deconstruction: Miles Morales in Spider-Man: Into
the Spider-Verse 69
Summary 72
Further Study 72
5 Reconstruction 75
Reconstruction Explored 76
Reconstruction: Clarice Starling in The Silence of the Lambs 80
Reconstruction: Walter White in Breaking Bad 82
Reconstruction: William Shakespeare in Shakespeare in Love 85
Reconstruction: Rebecca Bunch in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend 87
Reconstruction: Miles Morales in Spider-Man: Into
the Spider-Verse 90
Summary 92
Further Study 94
6 Unity 95
Unity Explored 96
Unity: Clarice Starling in The Silence of the Lambs 99
Unity: Walter White in Breaking Bad 101
Unity: William Shakespeare in Shakespeare in Love 103
Unity: Rebecca Bunch in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend 106
Unity: Miles Morales in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse 110
Summary 113
Further Study 114
7 The Screenplay Universe 117
The External World and Internal World: Finding Nemo 119
Summary 125
Further Study 126

Part II The Protagonist’s Journey as Family of Characters

8 Primary Character Archetypes 131
Primary Character Archetypes: Classic Movie Examples 133
Primary Character Archetypes: Contemporary Movie
Examples 134
Primary Character Archetypes in Television Series 137
Character Archetypes as “Masks” 139
Primary Character Archetypes: The Family of Characters 142
Further Study 143
 Contents xxvii

9 Nemesis 145
Nemesis as Opposition 148
Nemesis as Conflict 150
Nemesis as Shadow 153
Summary 156
Further Study 157
10 Attractor 159
Attractor as Lover 162
Attractor as Family and Friends 165
Attractor as Inspiration 169
Summary 172
Further Study 173
11 Mentor 175
Mentor as Guide 179
Mentor as Guardian 184
Mentor as Insight 187
Summary 190
Further Study 191
12 Trickster 193
Trickster as Shapeshifter 197
Trickster as Test 202
Trickster as Will 203
Summary 206
Further Study 207
13 Subplots 209
Protagonist-Attractor Subplots 210
Protagonist-Mentor Subplots 213
Protagonist-Trickster Subplots 217
Summary 223
Further Study 223
14 Character Map 225
Constructing the Character Map 226
Character Map: The Silence of the Lambs 230
Character Map: Shakespeare in Love 233
Character Map: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse 234
Summary 236
Further Study 237
xxviii Contents

Part III The Protagonist’s Journey as Screenplay

15 Breaking Story I Protagonist Character Treatment 241
Who Is the Protagonist? 242
What Does the Protagonist Want? 243
What Does the Protagonist Need? 245
What Is the Resolution of the Protagonist’s Want and Need? 246
What Is at Stake for the Protagonist? 247
Who or What Opposes the Protagonist? 249
What Does the Protagonist Fear the Most? 250
Why Does This Story Have to Happen to This Protagonist
at This Time? 251
Summary 252
References 255
16 Breaking Story II Master Brainstorming List 257
Questionnaire 259
Biography 261
Free Scene 261
Interview 262
Monologue 262
Stream of Consciousness 263
Top Sheets 264
Brainstorming Strategies 265
Summary 266
References 274
17 Breaking Story III Four Primary Plotline Points 275
Aristotle and Three Act Structure 276
Joseph Campbell and the Hero’s Journey 277
Four Primary Plotline Points 279
Summary 280
References 282
18 Breaking Story IV Four Themeline Movements 283
Four Themeline Movements 285
Summary 288
References 290
19 Breaking Story V Ten Major Plotline Points 291
Ten Major Plotline Points 294
Notes on Ten Major Plotline Points 296
 Contents xxix

Summary 299
References 302
20 Breaking Story VI Scene-By-Scene Outline 303
Working with Subplots 305
Working with a Character Map 308
Working with the Sequence Approach 310
Working with Index Cards 311
Scene-By-Scene Outline 312
Summary 315
References 316
21 Writing the First Draft 317
Attitude 318
Strategies 319
Tricks 320
Two Final Pieces of Advice 321

Index 323
 About the Author

Scott Myers has written over thirty projects at nearly every major Hollywood
studio and broadcast network. He hosts GoIntoTheStory.com, which Writers’
Digest named “Best of the Best Scriptwriting Website.” An assistant professor
at DePaul University, Scott is a graduate of the University of Virginia (B.A.)
and Yale University Divinity School (M.Div.).

xxxi
 List of Figures

Fig. 1.1 Jamal Malik in Slumdog Millionaire (2008) 7

Fig. 1.2 Luke Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode IV—A New Hope
(1977) 8
Fig. 1.3 Daenerys Targaryen in Game of Thrones (2011–2019) 10
Fig. 1.4 Michael Corleone in The Godfather (1972) 11
Fig. 1.5 Andy Dufresne and Ellis Boyd “Red” Redding in The
Shawshank Redemption (1994) 14
Fig. 2.1 Dash, Violet, Bob, and Helen Parr in The Incredibles (2004) 20
Fig. 2.2 The Priest and Fleabag in Fleabag (2016, 2019) 22
Fig. 2.3 R. P. McMurphy rousing his fellow inmates in One Flew
Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1979) 25
Fig. 2.4 Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid in Butch Cassidy
and the Sundance Kid (1968) 27
Fig. 2.5 Charles Foster Kane as a youth in Citizen Kane (1941) 28
Fig. 2.6 Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver (1976) 31
Fig. 3.1 Camille Preaker in Sharp Objects (2018) 37
Fig. 3.2 Chiron in Moonlight (2016) 39
Fig. 3.3 Clarice Starling in The Silence of the Lambs (1991) 40
Fig. 3.4 Walter White in Breaking Bad (2008–2013) 44
Fig. 3.5 William Shakespeare in Shakespeare in Love (1998) 45
Fig. 3.6 Rebecca Bunch in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (2015–2019) 49
Fig. 3.7 Miles Morales and Uncle Aaron in Spider-Man: Into
the Spider-Verse (2018) 51

xxxiii
xxxiv List of Figures

Fig. 4.1 Dorothy flanked by Tin Man, Cowardly Lion,

and Scarecrow with Glinda the Good Witch in The Wizard
of Oz (1939) 57
Fig. 4.2 Clarice Starling in The Silence of the Lambs (1991) 60
Fig. 4.3 Walter White in Breaking Bad (2008–2013) 63
Fig. 4.4 William Shakespeare and Viola de Lesseps in Shakespeare
in Love (1998) 66
Fig. 4.5 Rebecca Bunch as a fantastical witch in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
(2015–2019) 67
Fig. 4.6 Miles Morales in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) 69
Fig. 5.1 Frank Galvin in The Verdict (1982) 78
Fig. 5.2 Miriam “Midge” Maisel in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
(2017–2019, 2021) 79
Fig. 5.3 Clarice Starling in The Silence of the Lambs (1991) 81
Fig. 5.4 Walter White (a.k.a Heisenberg) in Breaking Bad
(2008–2013) 85
Fig. 5.5 William Shakespeare in Shakespeare in Love (1998) 86
Fig. 5.6 Rebecca Bunch in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (2015–2019) 89
Fig. 5.7 Miles Morales as Spider-Man in Spider-Man: Into
the Spider-Verse (2018) 93
Fig. 6.1 Holly McClane and John McClane at the end of Die Hard
(1988) 98
Fig. 6.2 Kumail Nanjiani in The Big Sick (2017) 98
Fig. 6.3 Clarice Starling talking with Hannibal Lecter in The Silence
of the Lambs (1991) 100
Fig. 6.4 Walter White (a.k.a. Heisenberg) at the end of his life
in Breaking Bad (2008–2013) 104
Fig. 6.5 The ink-stained fingertips of William Shakespeare
in Shakespeare in Love (1998) 106
Fig. 6.6 Rebecca Bunch and Paula Proctor in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
(2015–2019) 109
Fig. 6.7 Miles Morales as Spider-Man in Spider-Man: Into
the Spider-Verse (2018) 113
Fig. 7.1 Marlin in Finding Nemo (2003) 121
Fig. 7.2 Crush in Finding Nemo (2003) 123
Fig. 7.3 Nemo and Marlin in Finding Nemo (2003) 124
Fig. 8.1 Fran Kubelik and C.C. “Bud” Baxter in The Apartment
(1960) 135
Fig. 8.2 Harvey Dent (a.k.a. Two-Face) in The Dark Knight (2008) 137
Fig. 8.3 Barry Berkman and Sally Reed in Barry (2018–present) 138
Fig. 8.4 Eve Polastri and Villanelle in Killing Eve (2018–present) 140
Fig. 8.5 Photo by Finan Akbar courtesy Unsplash 141
Fig. 8.6 Marion Ravenwood in Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) 142
 List of Figures xxxv

Fig. 9.1 Richard Strickland and the Amphibian Man in The Shape
of Water (2017) 147
Fig. 9.2 Nadia Vulvokov in Russian Doll (2019–present) 149
Fig. 9.3 Ellen Ripley and the Alien Queen in Aliens (1986) 153
Fig. 9.4 Batman and the Joker in The Dark Knight (2008) 156
Fig. 10.1 Katarina “Kat” Stratford in 10 Things I Hate About You
(1999) 160
Fig. 10.2 Frances “Baby” Houseman and Johnny Castle in Dirty
Dancing (1987) 163
Fig. 10.3 Rhett Butler and Scarlett O’Hara in Gone With the Wind
(1939) 164
Fig. 10.4 Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson in Lady Bird (2017) 166
Fig. 10.5 The TV crew’s group hug in the finale of The Mary Tyler
Moore Show (1970–1977) 169
Fig. 10.6 Imperator Furiosa and the Wives in Mad Max: Fury Road
(2015) 171
Fig. 10.7 Louise Banks and the baby Hannah in Arrival (2016) 172
Fig. 11.1 Eliot Ness and Jim Malone in The Untouchables (1987) 178
Fig. 11.2 Fred Rogers and Lloyd Vogler in A Beautiful Day
in the Neighborhood (2019) 179
Fig. 11.3 Edmund Kemper in Mindhunter (2017–2019) 182
Fig. 11.4 Clarence Oddbody and George Bailey in It’s a Wonderful
Life (1946) 184
Fig. 11.5 Alexis Zorba and Basil in Zorba the Greek (1964) 186
Fig. 11.6 Beth Harmon and Mr. Shaibel in The Queen’s Gambit
(2020) 189
Fig. 11.7 The Spirit of the West in Rango (2011) 191
Fig. 12.1 Jack Sparrow and Will Turner in Pirates of the Caribbean:
The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) 196
Fig. 12.2 Vanessa Loring and baby in Juno (2007) 199
Fig. 12.3 Andy and Booker in The Old Guard (2020) 200
Fig. 12.4 Riggan Thomson and Mike Shiner in Birdman or (The
Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014) 201
Fig. 12.5 Bruno Wolter and Gereon Rath in Babylon Berlin
(2017–present) 203
Fig. 12.6 Roy Hobbes in The Natural (1984) 206
Fig. 13.1 Jerry Maguire and Dorothy Boyd in Jerry Maguire (1996) 213
Fig. 13.2 Boo and Sulley in Monster’s, Inc. (2001) 214
Fig. 13.3 Mark Hanna in The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) 216
Fig. 13.4 Bakary “Driss” Bassari and Philippe in The Intouchables
(2011) 217
Fig. 13.5 John Nash in A Beautiful Mind (2001) 220
Fig. 13.6 Charlie Kaufman and Donald Kaufman in Adaptation
(2002) 222
xxxvi List of Figures

Fig. 14.1 Protagonist icon 226

Fig. 14.2 Nemesis icon 227
Fig. 14.3 Attractor icon 227
Fig. 14.4 Mentor icon 228
Fig. 14.5 Trickster icon 228
Fig. 14.6 Existential connection: Protagonist - Nemesis 229
Fig. 14.7 Behavioral connection: Attractor - Mentor 230
Fig. 14.8 Character map: Family of characters 231
Fig. 14.9 The Silence of the Lambs character map 232
Fig. 14.10 Shakespeare in Love character map 234
Fig. 14.11 Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse character map 236
Fig. 15.1 Benjamin Braddock in The Graduate (1967) 245
Fig. 15.2 Leonard in Memento (1967) 247
Fig. 15.3 Ma and Jack in Room (2015) 248
Fig. 15.4 Carl Fredricksen in Up (2009) 252
Fig. 16.1 The Ellie Badge in Up (2009) 267
Fig. 17.1 Dug, Carl, and Russell flying in the dirigible in Up (2009) 280
Fig. 18.1 Russell, Carl, and Dug eating ice cream and counting cars
in Up (2009) 289
Fig. 19.1 Balloon house atop Paradise Falls in Up (2009) 300
Fig. 20.1 The index card outline for this book 304
Fig. 20.2 Character Map of the movie Up (2009) 308
 Part I
The Protagonist’s Journey as Narrative
Imperative
 1
The Protagonist’s Journey

Key Concepts Covered in This Chapter

• Protagonist: Typically a story’s central character, it is their journey which
dictates the direction and shape of the narrative.
• Journey: The geographical, psychological, and/or metaphorical adventure
the Protagonist experiences over the course of the narrative.
• Metamorphosis: The nature and process of a character’s psychological
change over the course of the narrative, especially the Protagonist. Also:
Transformation.
• Narrative Imperative: The journey the Protagonist pursues is the journey
they need to experience.
• Old World: The personal, cultural, and familial context in which the
Protagonist exists at the beginning of the story. Also: Ordinary World.
• New World: The environment into which the Protagonist moves as they
embark upon their journey. Also: Extraordinary World.

Of all the characters in a story, there is one which rises above the others,
whose importance is so great that they demand a writer’s immediate and
sustained attention. That character is the Protagonist. Their Journey is the
foundation of a story. Hero or antihero. Underdog or overlord. Lone figure
or multiple accomplices. Whatever their manifestation in a screenplay, tele-
play, novel, or short story, the role of the Protagonist is of such influence, it
touches all aspects of the unfolding narrative.

© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature 3

Switzerland AG 2022
S. Myers, The Protagonist’s Journey,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-79682-2_1
4 S. Myers

Consider the word itself: Protagonist, derived from the Greek protos
(“first”) + agonistes (“actor”), signifies the lead character in a story. What is it
about who they are that gives them such a prominent role? The very nature of
the Protagonist’s function within the context of a story imbues the character
with a kind of superhuman power to impact every narrative choice:

• The Protagonist is the story’s central character . Whether it is Clarice Starling

who, while tracking down a serial killer in The Silence of the Lambs (1991),
is compelled by Hannibal Lecter to confront her own inner “demons” or
Holden Ford and Bill Tench in Mindhunter (2017–2019), a pair of FBI
agents in the 1970s interviewing convicted sociopaths to develop the crim-
inologist practice of psychological profiling, the Protagonist exists in the
middle of the action.
• The Protagonist embarks on a journey. Whether it is Indiana Jones traversing
the globe in pursuit of the holiest of ancient relics in Raiders of the Lost Ark
(1981) or the women of La Belle, New Mexico in Godless (2017), who in
the 1880s, band together to defend their town against a murderous gang,
the Protagonist departs their Old World and experiences a New World , even
if their sojourn is metaphorical in nature.
• The Protagonist’s journey creates the spine of the plot . Whether it is Annie’s
infantile notions about romance which are put to the test when she is
selected to be a maid-of-honor in Bridesmaids (2011) or Michael Dorsey’s
chauvinist attitudes toward women which he is forced to confront while
taking on the role of actress Dorothy Michaels in Tootsie (1982), the
trajectory of the Protagonist’s psychological journey generates the building
blocks of the story’s plot.
• The Protagonist’s journey is a reflection of that character’s psychological arc .
Whether it is Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz (1939) swooped up into a
fantastical world to learn “there’s no place like home” or Eleanor Shellstrop
in The Good Place (2016–2020) mistakenly transported to a heaven-like
afterlife and forced to hide her unethical earthly existence while trying
to become a more righteous soul, the story’s plot is tethered to the
Protagonist’s metamorphosis.
• The Protagonist’s goal dictates the story’s end point. Whether it is Benjamin’s
quixotic infatuation with Elaine in The Graduate (1967) which leads him
to intervene at her wedding or Andrew’s obsession with becoming a star
drummer resulting in a final rebellious performance in Whiplash (2014),
the Protagonist’s object of desire steers the story toward a dramatic climax.
• All of the other major characters are linked to the Protagonist and their
journey. Whether it is Ian Donnelly, Colonel Weber, Hannah, and the
 1 The Protagonist’s Journey 5

aliens to Louise Banks in Arrival (2016) or Nick, Schmidt, Winston, and

Cece to Jess in New Girl (2011–2018), the Protagonist is surrounded by
characters, each contributing in their own way to the overall storyline.
• Of all the story’s characters, the Protagonist undergoes the most significant
personal metamorphosis. Whether it is Will Hunting learning to forgive
himself, embrace his genius, and open up to the possibility of love in Good
Will Hunting (1997) or Dexter Morgan, a serial killer turned avenging
angel attempting to fit into normal life as a forensics analyst, husband,
and father in Dexter (2006–2013), the Protagonist traverses a psychological
gulf in moving toward who they are meant to be.

Beyond their importance within the story universe, the Protagonist serves
a critical function to the reader or audience member: The character is their
primary conduit into the story. Symbolically, the Protagonist functions as us,
our identification with them shrinking the distance between printed page and
screen as we live vicariously through their exploits.
For all these reasons, the Protagonist holds a preeminent position among
any story’s array of characters. Therefore, because of the centrality of who
they are, what they mean in terms of the overall narrative, and their role in
drawing readers or viewers into the story, writers are well-advised to engage
the Protagonist as early as possible in their character development and story-
crafting process.
Where to start? By examining the state of the Protagonist’s life at the
beginning of the story. For guidance, we may seek the insights of Joseph
Campbell, the renowned scholar in the field of comparative mythology. His
seminal work The Hero with a Thousand Faces has had a profound influence
on contemporary storytelling, extending even into Hollywood filmmaking,
most notably George Lucas and the creation of the Star Wars universe.1 In the
six-part interview series The Power of Myth with host Bill Moyers, Campbell
describes the beginning of the hero’s adventure this way:

The Hero is found in the ordinary world.

In ancient myths, it used to be the cottage or village.
In films, it is usually the suburbs or common urban environment.

1 “…it came to me that there really was no modern use of mythology…so that’s when I started
doing more strenuous research on fairy tales, folklore and mythology, and I started reading Joe’s
books. Before that I hadn’t read any of Joe’s books…. It was very eerie because in reading ‘A Hero
with a Thousand Faces,’ I began to realize that my first draft of Star Wars was following classical
motifs.” George Lucas interview in Joseph Campbell: A Fire in the Mind , Larsen, Stephen and Larsen,
Robin; Inner Traditions; Reprint edition, April, 2002, p. 541.
6 S. Myers

The Hero is making do, but feels something missing,

a sense of discomfort or tension.
The Hero needs to change, even if they are unaware of that need. a

aThePower of Myth, Bill Moyers and Joseph Campbell, Episode 1, Mystic Fire
Video/Wellspring, 1988.

Before the actual story begins, before “Once upon a time”—or in the
parlance of the screenplay, before Fade In—the Protagonist has cobbled
together a semblance of a life. During this period of the character’s personal
history, they develop a complex of belief systems and behaviors, coping skills
and defense mechanisms, all as a means of making their way in what Camp-
bell calls the Ordinary World . They may exist at the apex of societal standing,
revered and powerful, a lost soul clinging to the bottom rung, or anywhere
in between. The simple fact is that in a story, no matter where the Protago-
nist begins in the first sentence of their existence on the pages of a novel or
screenplay, they are just “making do,” whether they acknowledge it or not.
Psychologically speaking, they are leading an inauthentic life, not the one
they are supposed to be living. The Protagonist “needs to change.” It is this
opening state of “discomfort or tension,” what we may refer to as disunity,
and their accompanying need to transform that provides both the foundation
of the narrative and the impetus to propel it forward.
If we ground our perspective in that of the Protagonist, we can see how
a story evolves into being because this central character must change. Again
referring to The Power of Myth, Joseph Campbell says:

Something happens…
Maybe the Antagonist enters the Protagonist’s world, disrupting it.
Or maybe someone comes, a Herald, who calls the Protagonist to action.

The call to adventure is about transformation and that’s terrifying.

The Hero has to confront fear.
Will the Hero survive?
Will they change for the Good or the Bad?b

b Ibid.

The Protagonist is going about their daily life in the ordinary world.
Suddenly, “something happens,” a call to adventure. This event “drops” into
the center of the Protagonist’s existence and forces them to make a choice:
accept the call or refuse it.
In the halls of Hollywood development executives, the Protagonist has
no option: Reluctant or not, they plunge into a new world or else there
 1 The Protagonist’s Journey 7

Fig. 1.1 Jamal Malik in Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

is no story, no movie, no television series. In the business domain of film

and TV, the Protagonist must go on their journey. Forces within the story
universe compel the Protagonist out of the relative comfort of their familiar
life, separating them from their routine, friends, families … and onto their
path toward Metamorphosis. Campbell intimates this in The Power of Myth:
“In the end, the hero is a transformed individual.”
Movies and long-form television series are awash with such examples of
character metamorphosis. In Groundhog Day (1993), Phil is transformed day
after repeated day from a narcissistic TV weatherman, who only cares about
himself, into someone who demonstrates a genuine sense of selflessness, ulti-
mately manifested in his care and concern for a variety of Punxsutawney
residents. Over the course of the first three seasons of Westworld (2016–
present), Dolores Abernathy evolves from the park’s original robot host,
programmed to play the role of a rancher’s sweet daughter, into a leader
of a revolt against humans, seeking retribution for the violence perpetrated
against her android peers by park visitors and administrators. In Slumdog
Millionaire (2008), over the years Jamal Malik transitions from an impov-
erished childhood to living in an orphanage run by a gangster to working as
a “chai-wallah” serving tea to employees at a telephone call center, and finally,
a fateful appearance on India’s version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. All
those changes mirror his personal metamorphosis, which eventually pits him
against vicious crime lord Javed to free Latika, the object of Jamal’s lifelong,
undying affection (Fig. 1.1).
A Protagonist’s metamorphosis is not arbitrary—rather, its roots exist
within that individual’s being even at the start of the story. It is the specific
8 S. Myers

Fig. 1.2 Luke Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode IV—A New Hope (1977)

articulation of that character arc, emerging from the interplay of events and
responses, which provides the substance of the story’s structure. In some cases,
the end point of the Protagonist’s journey is so deeply ingrained, it is akin to
the character’s DNA, informing and influencing the nature of their fate.
When we first meet Luke Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode IV—A New
Hope (1977), he is living with his Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru on the planet
Tatooine. Although his job assisting with the family’s moisture farm is an
important one, it is far from fulfilling for young Luke. As Aunt Beru says,
“Luke’s just not a farmer, Owen. He’s got too much of his father in him.”
As it turns out, his father was a Jedi knight, so quite literally, Luke has
inherited that DNA. No wonder he is itching to venture forth from the desert
planet (“I want to transmit my application to the Academy this year”). He is
drawn toward the destiny which resides latent within him: to become a Jedi.
Therefore, is it surprising that R2-D2 and C-3PO find their way to him?
That R2-D2 runs away? That Luke heads off to track down the errant droid?
That this escapade leads Luke to Obi-Wan Kenobi, his Mentor-to-be in the
ways of The Force? Against all odds, this series of events occurs on a tiny
speck of rocks and dust at the edge of the galaxy. As Luke remarks, “If there’s
a bright center of the universe, you’re on the planet that it’s farthest from.”
This remarkable fact reinforces the presence of fate in Luke’s existence, his
unrealized potential responding to a call from his authentic nature (Fig. 1.2).
Luke’s journey is to become what in effect he already is. All of the expe-
riences he has subsequent to meeting Obi-Wan—discovering the corpses of
his murdered uncle and aunt; a fish-out-of-water in the Mos Eisley cantina;
heading off with Obi-Wan in the Millennium Falcon helmed by Han Solo;
 1 The Protagonist’s Journey 9

training with Obi-Wan in the ways of The Force; fending off TIE fighters
while manning quad laser cannons; entering the Death Star to rescue Princess
Leia; nearly drowning in the trash compactor; watching Obi-Wan sacrifice
himself in a lightsaber duel with Darth Vader; escaping to the Rebel base—
prepare him for a single moment in time: While piloting an X-wing fighter,
instead of using the onboard computer system to target the narrow entrance
to the Death Star’s reactor core, Luke responds to Obi-Wan’s ethereal voice
(“Use The Force, Luke. Let go.”) and gives himself over to what he has learned
about the ways of the Jedi and who he is in the process of becoming. As a
result, he succeeds in delivering the fatal blow which destroys the Death Star.
The roots of Luke’s actions in that culminating event existed within his psyche
all the way back to his days on Tatooine: He is a Jedi knight in waiting. His
fate is inevitable.
In Game of Thrones (2011–2019), Daenerys Targaryen is the daughter of
King Aerys II Targaryen, known as the “Mad King,” who was killed during
the sack of King’s Landing and whose position on the Iron Throne was stolen
by Robert Baratheon. These events transpired before Daenerys was born.
When the television series begins, she lives under the tyrannical rule of her
older brother Viserys who beats her whenever she “awakes the dragon” (i.e.,
his rage). As a result when we first meet Daenerys, she cowers in fear of her
brother.
In Season One, Episode 1 (S1, Ep1): “Winter is Coming,” Viserys has
arranged for his sister to be married to warlord Khal Drogo in exchange for
forty thousand Dothraki fighters.2 Viserys intends to use these forces to defeat
Robert Baratheon and reclaim the Targaryen throne. At first, Daenerys is
reluctant to become Khal Drogo’s bride, but she not only tames the warlord’s
heart, she grows in status as the equivalent of a queen. In S1, Ep4 (“Cripples,
Bastards, and Broken Things”), when Viserys strikes her, she proclaims, “I am
a Khaleesi of the Dothraki. I am the wife of the great Khal and I carry his
son inside me. The next time you raise a hand to me will be the last time you
have hands!” (Fig. 1.3).
Over the course of the series’ eight seasons, Daenerys transforms into a
powerful figure, the “mother” of three dragons, leading a growing army of
followers to conquer cities and kingdoms, all with a singular purpose: reclaim
the Iron Throne.3 The seeds of that power, however, reside within Daenerys

2 Television episodes are referred to as follows: S for season followed by the number signifying which
season, comma, space, Ep for episode followed by the number signifying which episode during that
season. Example: S3, Ep4 signifies the fourth episode of the third season.
3 With each conquest, her official title keeps growing to the point where she is formally known as
Daenerys Stormborn of House Targaryen, the First of Her Name, Queen of the Andals and the First
10 S. Myers

Fig. 1.3 Daenerys Targaryen in Game of Thrones (2011–2019)

from the beginning of her life’s journey as the daughter of a king. The choices
she makes are grounded in the belief that it is her destiny to reign as Queen.
Initially, her motives seem to be pure: to liberate those who are enslaved as she
once was symbolically to her brother. However, by S5, Ep8 (“Hardhome”),
she announces, “I’m not going to stop the wheel. I’m going to break the
wheel.” Her commitment to liberation increasingly feels more like a pretense
for her desire for dominion over Westeros (“I was born to rule the Seven
Kingdoms, and I will”—S7, Ep3: “The Queen’s Justice”).
By the time Daenerys unleashes a brutal assault on innocent civilians in
King’s Landing (S8, Ep5: “The Bells”), even after they had surrendered, her
actions align with the legacy of her father: She has become the “Mad Queen.”
In seeking to rid the world of tyrants, she has transformed into one herself,
the end point of her destiny.4
In The Godfather (1972), Michael Corleone has been groomed to be a
“civilian,” avoiding the criminal business of his father, Vito, a Mafia don.
Yet as the story unfolds, it becomes clear that criminal life is the son’s fate,
no matter his college education, years in the military, combat medals, or the
express wishes of his father for Michael to avoid following in his footsteps.
When Michael returns home after World War II, he finds himself inexorably
pulled into the brewing battle between Mafia families.

Men, Protector of the Seven Kingdoms, the Mother of Dragons, the Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea,
the Unburnt, the Breaker of Chains. Even her name reflects her metamorphosis.
4 While the execution of Season Eight has been the center of much debate and criticism for Game of
Thrones fans, tracking the arc of Daenerys’ character all the way through the series strongly suggests
her lust for power would override her instincts to make the world a better place.
 1 The Protagonist’s Journey 11

Fig. 1.4 Michael Corleone in The Godfather (1972)

This feud results in an assassination attempt on Don Corleone. While

visiting his father in the hospital, Michael demonstrates his innate strategic
instincts by ordering the nurse on duty to move Vito to a different room,
staving off another hit attempt. This event seems to awaken something
inside Michael. He convinces his older brother Sonny that because Michael
is not perceived to be a part of the family business, he is in a position to
cozy up to rival don Sollozzo and kill him, along with corrupt police chief
McCluskey—which Michael does (Fig. 1.4).
Exiled to Sicily for his own safekeeping, Michael falls in love with a local
woman named Apollonia. They wed and it appears Michael may be able to
skirt any further intersection with criminality. That turns out to be an illusion
as fate intervenes in his bucolic existence. When his father’s enemies discover
Michael’s whereabouts, they kill his young wife in a bombing intended for
him.
With Sonny dead, middle brother Fredo incapable of a leadership role,
and Vito incapacitated due to his declining medical state and eventual death,
Michael returns home and takes charge. He orders the assassination of five
rivals. The fact the murders happen during a baptism ceremony at which
Michael appears in the role of the infant’s godfather is both ironic and
profound: Through his ruthless leadership, Michael embraces his essential
nature as a Mafia don. Vito had hoped Michael could lead a “legitimate” life
and become a senator or governor, but it was not to be as his destiny existed
in a nascent form from the start of his adulthood.
That sense of inevitability, what we may call Narrative Imperative, is a
core dynamic of the Protagonist’s journey. Sometimes, as with characters like
Luke Skywalker, Daenerys Targaryen, and Michael Corleone, their fate may
12 S. Myers

emerge in the writing process like some sort of metaphorical DNA, clearly
marking their personal trajectory. Other characters have a more complex set
of dynamics at work within them. In that case, a writer must consider the
character’s psyche, the totality of their psychological being: memories, asso-
ciations, emotions, passions, instincts, behaviors, beliefs, flaws, wounds, and
the like. These are the base elements constituting a Protagonist’s initial state
of disunity necessitating the journey upon which they are about to embark.
Consider the reflections of Carl Jung, founder of analytical psychology:

The psychological rule says that when an inner situation is not made conscious,
it happens outside, as fate. That is to say, when the individual remains undi-
vided and does not become conscious of his inner contradictions, the world
must perforce act out the conflict.5

This is a powerful idea when applied to storytelling. If a Protagonist does

not engage their “inner situation,” their “inner contradictions,” if they remain
“undivided,” that conflict “happens outside, as fate.” This means there is a
direct connection between the Protagonist’s specific state of disunity and the
events which transpire in their ensuing journey: “the world must perforce act
out the conflict.”
Thus, viewing the hero’s journey through this “lens” provided by Jung, the
call to adventure is not merely some random event which launches the plot
into action, but rather it is intrinsically tied to the nature of the Protagonist’s
psyche: inner conflict manifest outside as fate.6 Indeed, one way to look at the
Protagonist’s journey is that every occurrence in the plot serves and supports
this central character’s metamorphosis.
In The Shawshank Redemption (1994), Andy Dufresne is introduced sitting
in a parked car near a cabin in the woods. Inside, his wife is having sex with
a golf pro. Drinking heavily, Andy loads bullets into a pistol and staggers
toward the cabin, violent intent in mind. His wife and her lover end up dead,
but on the witness stand at his murder trial, Andy proclaims his innocence.
The jury is not swayed and he is found guilty of a double homicide. At his
sentencing, the judge declares to Andy, “You strike me as a particularly icy
and remorseless man, Mr. Dufresne. It chills my blood just to look at you.”
It is a noteworthy articulation of this Protagonist’s opening state of being.
Andy’s call to adventure occurs with his entrance into Shawshank prison
for it is here that he intersects with a set of characters who over the years

5C. G. Jung, “Aion,” Collected Works 9ii (Princeton University Press, 1970), p. 126.
6Joseph Campbell was significantly influenced by the work of Jung to the point he edited The
Portable Jung (Penguin Books, 1971).
 1 The Protagonist’s Journey 13

become a kind of surrogate family, including allies like Ellis Boyd “Red”
Redding, his Mentor and best friend, and enemies Warden Norton, Captain
Hadley, and The Sisters, who all cause Andy physical and mental anguish.
The cumulative effect of these ongoing experiences is to break down Andy’s
defenses. This deconstruction of his original way of being lays the ground-
work for him to reconnect with aspects of human experience which revitalize
him: love of the arts (music, books, chess), hobbies (carving chess pieces,
upgrading the library, helping Tommy with his education), and simple plea-
sures (listening to a Mozart opera, watching his fellow prisoners, now friends,
drink beer on a rooftop).
After his hope for parole has been snuffed out when Norton orders Hadley
to assassinate Tommy, Andy spends a few quiet moments with Red in the
prison yard. This is the final time the two will talk before Andy escapes that
night. It is a crucial scene for many reasons, including this: Andy makes a
confession.

EXT -- PRISON YARD -- DAY (1966)

Red finds Andy sitting in the shadow of the high stone wall,
poking listlessly through the dust for small pebbles. Red
waits for some acknowledgment. Andy doesn't even look up.
Red hunkers down and joins him. Nothing is said for the
longest time. And then, softly:

ANDY
My wife used to say I'm a hard man
to know. Like a closed book.
Complained about it all the time.
(pause)
She was beautiful. I loved her. But
I guess I couldn't show it enough.
(softly)
I killed her, Red.

Andy finally glances to Red, seeking a reaction. Silence.

ANDY
I didn't pull the trigger. But I
drove her away. That's why she
died. Because of me...c

cTheShawshank Redemption, screenplay by Frank Darabont, novella by Stephen

King. Movie script, undated, Scene 205.

Andy admits to culpability in the failure of his marriage, how he used to

be, an “icy and remorseless man,” a “hard man to know,” contributing to his
14 S. Myers

Fig. 1.5 Andy Dufresne and Ellis Boyd “Red” Redding in The Shawshank Redemption
(1994)

wife seeking affection elsewhere in the form of her affair. This moment serves
as a reminder of how much Andy has changed during the nineteen years of
his imprisonment: He has reclaimed his own humanity, which had somehow
been lost, and found meaning by inspiring his fellow prisoners to embrace
moments of beauty, however fleeting in Shawshank (Fig. 1.5).
In a sense, it was Andy’s narrative imperative to go to prison in order to free
himself from the shackles of his old nature. The inner tensions of his original
state of disunity manifest themselves in the key events which transpire in his
prison life and relationships with central characters, a backdrop against which
his metamorphosis plays out. His escape from prison and subsequent trek to
the tiny fishing village of Zihuatanejo in Mexico (“That’s where I’d like to
finish out my life, Red. A warm place with no memory.”) represents Andy’s
journey toward a state of wholeness.
However, the story does not end with Andy’s surprise departure from
Shawshank. There is still Red’s fate hanging in the balance.7 As far as Andy’s
relationship with Red is concerned, Red functions as a wisdom figure, espe-
cially during Andy’s transition into prison life. He procures a rock hammer
for Andy (“There’s a con like me in every prison in America, I guess. I’m the

7 The Shawshank Redemption is an example of a Dual Protagonist narrative.

 1 The Protagonist’s Journey 15

guy who can get it for you.”) and offers unsolicited advice about The Sisters.
In response, Andy acts as a beacon of hope. At first, Red wants none of that:

ANDY
That there are things in this world
not carved out of gray stone. That
there's a small place inside of us
they can never lock away, and that
place is called hope.

RED
Hope is a dangerous thing. Drive a
man insane. It's got no place here.
Better get used to the idea.d

d Ibid., Scene 150.

But Andy persists with Red: exposing him to Mozart, “suds” on the roof,
helping Andy prepare the prison guards’ tax returns. As Andy reacquaints
himself with those things in life which give him and others meaning, his
steadfastness fans the flickering embers of hope Red still has inside.
Interestingly, before he gains his freedom, Red makes his own “confes-
sion.” In two previous appearances before the parole board, Red spews lines
he expects they want to hear (“I’ve learned my lesson. I can honestly say I’m
a changed man”). However, during his third and final set of remarks to the
board, Red tells the truth:

RED
Not a day goes by I don't feel
regret, and not because I'm in here
or because you think I should. I
look back on myself the way I
was...stupid kid who did that
terrible crime...wish I could talk
sense to him. Tell him how things
are. But I can't. That kid's long
gone, this old man is all that's
left, and I have to live with that.
(beat)
Rehabilitated? That's a bullshit
word, so you just go on ahead and
stamp that form there, sonny, and
stop wasting my damn time. Truth
is, I don't give a shit.e

e Ibid., Scene 274.

16 S. Myers

Just as Andy’s “confession” is tied to his escape, Red’s results in his own
freedom: He is granted parole.
Like Brooks before him, Red finds life on the “outside” to be a challenge.
During the decades of his imprisonment, he has become “institutionalized” to
the point where at work, he has to ask his boss if it is okay to take a bathroom
break: Red is hardwired to take orders from authority figures. Eventually, Red
is tempted to commit a crime, maybe even follow Brooks’ example and kill
himself. He does not, remarking, “Only one thing stops me. A promise I
made to Andy.”
Red fulfills his pledge to Andy by traveling to a remote hay field and
finding the box Andy said would be buried there. It contains money, a map
to Zihuatanejo, and a note:

ANDY (V.O.)
Dear Red. If you're reading this,
you've gotten out. And if you've
come this far, maybe you're willing
to come a little further. You
remember the name of the town,
don't you? I could use a good man
to help me get my project on
wheels. I'll keep an eye out for
you and the chessboard ready.
(beat)
Remember, Red. Hope is a good
thing, maybe the best of things,
and no good thing ever dies. I will
be hoping that this letter finds
you, and finds you well. Your
friend. Andy. f

f Ibid., Scene 292.

There it is again: hope, the essential connection between the two. Andy’s
persistence in clinging to it helped keep Red’s hope alive. Thus, the poignancy
of the movie’s final words:

RED (V.O.)
I hope I can make it across the
border. I hope to see my friend
and shake his hand. I hope the
Pacific is as blue as it has been
in my dreams.
(beat)
I hope.g
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
 For a detailed description of Edwin Marmaduke’s “Soul Study in
B-Minor—for G. M.,” the reader is referred to the introduction to the
catalogue of the “Seven Rebels” exhibition at the Stein Galleries, or
to the admirable essay “Incomprehensiblism—a Step Forward,”
which appeared in that sprightly but short-lived weekly review, the
Ultimate Democracy. This at least was obvious—that the portrait was
large and mauve; this at least was generally agreed upon—that it
was wonderful.
The Rev. Morris Gildell defiantly, Mrs. Anna Watkins Wilbur
cooingly, Arthura Lewis prayerfully, Grace Mallon respectfully, Edwin
Marmaduke himself modestly—all said it was wonderful. And after
Mrs. Anna Watkins Wilbur had embraced the young painter, and his
other guests had clasped his hand, and they had all said
“Wonderfull” many, many times, they clattered down the uncarpeted
stairs to the street.
All, that is, but one—Grace Mallon. She still remained in the old
Italian chair, holding an empty cup and an unlighted cigarette. She
looked out of the window into dusty Patchin Place, and one slender,
unjeweled hand lay on the sill. It was an attractive hand although the
sun had turned it a shade darker than that of Edwin Marmaduke. It
seemed firm and soft at the same time.
Edwin was, after all, human, and therefore he seized it; but
Grace withdrew it from his grasp—not very abruptly, however.
“Now, Edwin,” she said, “you must be very proper and mid-
Victorian and all that sort of thing, since I’m being a reckless, forward
young woman and staying here in your studio all alone with you.
Now sit down there like a good boy and listen to me. Heavens! I
wonder what David would say if he knew I was doing this!”
“Why do you care what David Watson would say?” asked Edwin,
gently swinging the thurible to and fro before his goddess. “He’s
busy with his ‘Try a Tin To-day’ pictures. He isn’t thinking about you
or anything else that is beautiful.”
“Stop swinging that incense thing around. You make me
nervous!” Grace replied irrelevantly. “I hate that stuff; it makes me
think about when I had whooping-cough. Of course I don’t care
about what David thinks, silly! Last night he came up to the house,
and he said something that hurt me very much.”
She paused interrogatively. Edwin put the extinguished thurible
on a teakwood stand, dusted his fingers on a yellow silk
handkerchief, and sat down on a cushion at Grace’s feet.
“Well, what did he say?” he asked.
Grace’s colour had risen, making her more adorable than ever.
“Really, Edwin,” she said, “I sometimes think that you are almost
too skilful in repressing your emotions. I said he hurt me very much.”
Edwin threw his cigarette into the coal-scuttle with a despairing
gesture.
“My dear Grace,” he said, “what would you have me do?
Challenge him to a duel? Of course I’m tremendously sorry; but why
do you talk to such an animal as Watson?”
Grace looked at him with a rather cynical smile.
“You men are pretty much alike, after all,” she said. “What David
said that hurt me was just like what you are saying about him. He
made fun of you and your painting—of course, that hurt me terribly—
and then he actually had the nerve—the impudence to forbid me to
come to your studio! Think of it! David Watson, whose only idea of
art is a stupid fish holding a tin of dad’s salmon and saying ‘Try a Tin
To-day’—that man to tell me what to do and what not to do! I’ll tell
you what I did. I forbade him ever to come to my home or to speak to
me again! When I came down here this afternoon, I stopped at dad’s
office purposely. I know David was watching me when I left, and I
said to Leon, ‘Take me to Mr. Marmaduke’s studio in Patchin
Place’—loud, so he’d hear me!”
Edwin looked almost handsome as he smiled up at her from his
cushion.
“That’s my brave little comrade!” he said. “And soon we shall be
married, sha’n’t we? Remember, you’ll keep your maiden name, and
you won’t promise to honour or obey me, or any of that cruel rubbish.
Gildell will use that lovely, ‘Polyrhythmic Ritual for a Free Mating,’
and there’ll be just the people we love best present. Arthura will
dance, and it will all be wonderful!”
Grace gripped the arms of her chair and moistened her lips
nervously.
“Edwin,” she said, “I haven’t told you yet why I stayed here to-
day. I told dad to come here at six o’clock.”
“Mr. Mallon coming here at six o’clock!” said Edwin, rising to his
feet. “Why, it’s five minutes to six now!”
“Yes, he’s coming here right away. And, Edwin—he knows,” said
Grace.
“You told him?” asked Edwin in unconcealed amazement.
“Yes, I told him, idiot!” said Grace, springing up from her chair.
“How else do you suppose he knows? Do you think he read my
burning passion written on my brow? Have some sense! Did you
never hear of a girl telling her own father that she was engaged?”
“Of course!” said Edwin. “Of course! I understand. But what did
he say, why is he coming here?”
“That’s just it,” said Grace, drawing on a white glove hurriedly
and splitting it in the process. “I told him last night, right after David
went away; and he said he didn’t like artists and didn’t like you—
don’t be angry, Edwin, he’s only seen you three times. I told him you
were really a great painter, and he said that he wanted me to be
happy, and that he’d have a talk with you and see what you were
made of.”
“See what I am made of!” said Edwin with a sneer. “Why, does
he think—”
“Now, Edwin, please, please, please, don’t say anything bright!”
said Grace. “You know dad has had only me to talk to since mother
died, and he isn’t used to bright people. He doesn’t like them. Now
be sensible, and—here he comes now!”
 They had not heard the great motor-car swing around the corner
of Jefferson Market and come to a stop at the entrance to Patchin
Place; but they heard the clang of the gong on the studio wall, and
together they went to the street-door and brought the Salmon King
up the rickety stairs to the studio.

III
James Mallon was what is called a captain of industry. That is,
he was one of those men who are always shown by the realistic
cartoonists to be grossly fat, with very small heads, tremendous
cigars, and suits of clothes covered with a chaste pattern of dollar-
marks.
He no more looked the part, however, than you look the part of
the Common People. He was slender, graceful, and modestly
dressed; he had a neat, white mustache, thin gray hair, and a mildly
humorous expression. He loved his motherless daughter, his
business, golf, pinocle, Smithfield ham, buckwheat cakes and maple-
sirup, dry Sauterne, and detective-stories. He did not wear spats.
Mr. Mallon sat in the Italian chair, and after a brief survey of the
room, turned to his postulant son-in-law a puzzled but amiable face.
“Mr. Marmaduke,” he said, “don’t you think that you and I could
talk a little more comfortably if I sent this youngster of mine home?
Run away, Grace, and have Leon take you straight to the house. I’ll
be back in time for dinner.”
Grace gave her father that birdlike peck which is the traditional
filial kiss, and ran down-stairs in accordance with his directions. She
went to her car, and called Leon from his conversation with her
father’s chauffeur. There arose a rumble and a rasping roar, and her
car sped over the cobblestones to the corner and up Sixth Avenue.
Oh, woman, in our hours of ease, what a double-faced hussy
you are, anyway! Grace’s car went away—presumably home—but
Grace stayed behind. She had left the street-door of the house ajar.
She tiptoed up the stairs to the top floor, where her father and her
lover were engaged in important private discourse.
She came to a halt about three steps from the top, and perched
in the dust with her golden-brown head on a level with the broad
streak of light which marked the bottom of the studio door. A
shameless eavesdropper, she listened greedily.
First she heard her father’s voice:
“I have heard your paintings praised highly by critics whose
opinions I respect,” it said. “The fact that I myself fail to appreciate
their merit is by no means to your discredit. I am not a connoisseur,
and I am very old-fashioned in all my tastes. But I must say frankly
that your success as a painter of ultramodern pictures scarcely
seems to me to qualify you to marry my daughter.”
She half hoped, half feared, that Edwin would say:
“I love your daughter and she loves me. That makes our union
necessary and right.”
But instead he said, in a low, tense voice which she had never
heard him use before:
“But I may say without boasting that my art is not a failure, even
financially. I have sold six paintings since last May, and the smallest
check I received was for one hundred and twenty-five dollars.”
“Indeed?” her father replied courteously. “I am glad to hear it, Mr.
Marmaduke—very glad to hear it. I did not know that the public was
sufficiently fond of these new and unusual forms of art to invest
money in them. I see that I was wrong. But you must forgive me, Mr.
Marmaduke, if I say that in my opinion the demand for—what is it
you call them? I am getting old, and my memory is not what it was—
ah, yes, thank you—the demand for Incomprehensiblist paintings is
not likely to be of great duration. The public is fickle, sir; it has no use
for last year’s novelties. Can you expect to invent new methods of
painting yearly for its pleasure? You would have found it more
profitable, in the long run, to paint in the traditional manner.”
 Edwin did not speak for several seconds. Then he said, with an
air of deliberation:
“No, Mr. Mallon. I think you are wrong. I tried painting in the
traditional manner, and I made much less money than I am making
now. Except for commercial work, the only sort of painting that pays
to-day is—well, what you would call freak painting.”
“Ah!” Grace heard her father say. “Exactly—except for
commercial work! There is a field for a young man! I cannot blame
you for being an idealist; but you wish to marry my daughter, and I
confess that I should prefer to see her married to a successful
commercial draftsman—say, an artist connected with some sound
advertising agency—than to—well, to an Incomprehensiblist.”
The listening girl smiled at her father’s words. Edwin Marmaduke
and advertisements! It was an amusingly fantastic combination.
She heard Edwin cross the room and open a door. Then he
seemed to be taking something from a closet. There was clattering
and grating, as if canvases were being moved about.
“Before I show you these,” he said, “I must ask you to promise to
treat this matter as strictly confidential.”
“Of course I promise, Mr. Marmaduke,” said her father. “But
really I am not competent to judge your work—”
Edwin made no oral answer. From the sounds that came to her
Grace conjectured that he was lifting and placing one of his paintings
on an easel. She wondered which one it was—certainly it could not
be her portrait!
“Good Lord!” she heard her father say. “Good Lord!”
Then came silence.

IV
 Frantic with curiosity, Grace rose from the step and tried to look
into the room through the keyhole. The presence of a key made her
effort unavailing. She heard the rustle of pictures hastily turned, and
her father’s iteration of “Good Lord!”
Then Edwin spoke.
“Now,” he said, “you see that my work has some practical value,
don’t you? You recognise these drawings, don’t you?”
“Recognise them!” said Mr. Mallon. “I should say I did. Do you
mean to tell me—”
“Yes,” said Edwin. “They’re my work, all of them. Watson let the
Parker Company handle their campaign, and I’ve done all their high-
class work for the past three years.”
The Parker Company! Grace dimly remembered hearing that
name. Yes, David Watson had said something about the Parker
Company.
“I don’t sign any of this stuff,” said Edwin, “but it’s all mine. I
originated that idea of the fish holding a can in his fin. I make all the
‘Try a Tin To-day’ pictures.”
She was at first too stunned to move. Vaguely she heard her
father’s laugh, vaguely she heard him congratulating Edwin and
inviting him to the house. Then, with a sense of walking in her sleep,
she found herself at the foot of the stairs, fumbling at the catch of the
street-door. She walked all the way home.
But it was a composed and apparently happy young woman who
entered the Mallon house an hour later. Her father had already
returned, and not even the fact that dinner had been delayed by her
tardiness could account for his air of excitement.
“Grace,” he said, “I was pleasantly surprised by that young man,
that Edwin Marmaduke. He is no mere freak painter—he is a first-
class commercial artist. He doesn’t want it known, but—I should
never have guessed it, it is a tremendous joke on me—he is the man
who originated our ‘Try a Tin To-day’ posters! Did you know that?”
“Impossible!” said Grace. “Is dinner ready?”
 “It’s a fact,” said her father. “He showed me the drawings. Of
course, that changes things. I told him to call this evening—how
does that strike you?”
Grace seemed passionately interested in her grapefruit. She
looked steadily at it as she answered.
“Well,” she said, “I’m afraid I won’t be in this evening. You see, I
met David Watson on the way home to-day, and he asked me to go
to see ‘The Boomerang’ with him to-night, and I said I’d go.”
“Oh!” said her father. “Then I’d better telephone Marmaduke to
come to-morrow evening instead—or will you?”
“No,” said Grace serenely. “To-morrow night won’t do, either.
David is coming to call.”
Her father looked at her over his glasses. Then he took them off,
polished them with a small piece of chamois, replaced them, and
looked at her again.
“Oh!” he said.
 SOME MISCHIEF STILL

Characters
Maxwell Johnson
Mrs. Maxwell Johnson (née Helen White)
Lionel Morris
John Ryan
A Policeman
Place: New York; the upper West Side.
Time: The present.
SCENE—The living room of a six-room apartment. On one side
is a mahogany pianola; at the back is a doorway with a heavy
portière, drawn aside to show a portion of the hall with a wall
telephone. At the right of the doorway is a life size statue of a nude
woman, the distance from her feet to her waist being four times that
from her waist to her head, which is very small and has no features
except a prominent nose. Her arms are stretched out at right angles
to her body, and she has been painted a vivid purple.
It is evening; the electric lamp is lit and there is a faint light in the
hall.
Maxwell Johnson, a man of about thirty, is lying in slippered
ease on a chaise-longue, smoking a cigar. Mrs. Johnson is seated
facing him on the bench by the pianola. She is a very pretty young
woman, rather too highly coloured, wearing an extremely décolleté
gown of pale green charmeuse, a long string of large jade beads and
a broad silver bracelet. She has a profusion of bright yellow hair.
One knee is crossed over the other, revealing green silk stockings
and silver slippers.

Maxwell
 But Anarchists don’t ride in automobiles, do they, Nellie?

Helen
Max, I do wish you wouldn’t tease me about things that are
sacred. If you don’t want to get an automobile, just say so, but don’t
try to make fun of things you can’t possibly understand!

Maxwell
But, Nellie—

Helen
It’s hard enough for me to put up with your staying home and
lying around and reading the paper while I go out night after night
without you, and wear myself out at the Settlement and the Ferrer
School and making speeches and addresses and everything in the
subway and back in it, and losing, all the elation and social
consciousness and everything, without having Anarchism and
beauty and truth and everything that really means anything to
anybody who tries really to think just made a joke of!

Maxwell
Good heavens, Nellie, I’m perfectly willing to buy the automobile;
and I’m not criticising any of your hobbies! I—

Helen
Hobbies! Does one wear one’s self out for a hobby? Does one
die for a hobby? Is the vote a hobby? Is the Woman’s Movement a
hobby? Is Futurism a hobby? Is the Church of the Social Revolution
a hobby? Is preaching the great truths of sex to one’s unborn
children a hobby? Is—

Maxwell
All right, all right; let me slip in a word, won’t you? I’m not
knocking any of your—devotions. I’ll get the automobile if you want
it. I simply want you to make up your mind whether you want me to
get it, or to use the two thousand for a bungalow at Amaranth, or
wherever that crazy summer colony is.

Helen
It would be lovely to have our own place at Amaranth—though I
suppose you’d only come out for weekends—you know it’s the most
wonderful place, with the most wonderful scenery, and only really
interesting people are allowed there, poets and sculptors and people
who really do things; and there’s to be a pageant this summer and
Lionel Morris says he wants me to do my barefoot dance; but I do
wish we had a car—it would be wonderful just to get into one’s own
car all the time and go anywhere, and I could take parties of
interesting people out on tours to Ellis Island and the Night Court—

Maxwell
The Night Court! Yes, I think if you run the car you will go on a
tour to the Night Court pretty soon, and you’ll have a special cop to
take care of you, too. But you decide to-night whether you want the
car or the bungalow, see? I’m game to spend two thousand dollars
on one or the other, but you’ve got to decide. (From the dining room
comes the loud clink of the steam radiator.) There’s that radiator
again! (The telephone bell rings.) And there’s the ’phone! (He goes
into the dining room and is heard muttering and pounding at the
radiator, which continues to clink. Helen goes to the telephone.)

Helen
Hello!... Yes; what is it?... Yes, I am Miss White. (She turns and
looks nervously toward the dining room.) Yes, this is Mrs. Johnson,
Sam. It’s all right; I know what he wants. Tell Mr. Morris to come right
up. (Helen and Maxwell reënter the living room at the same time.
The radiator still clinks, but less loudly, with longer intervals of
silence.)

Helen
Max, Mr. Morris is coming up to take me to the Mortons’ studio
warming.
 Maxwell
Studio warming, hey? Well, I’m going down to get Ryan to come
up and arrange a dining room warming. It’s no use telephoning to
him; he’ll just promise to fix the radiator and then go back to his chair
and fall asleep. I’ll go down and drag him up by the throat. (He goes
out through the hall door, and is heard to open the outer door and
speak to someone.) How are you, Mr. Morris? Walk right in! The
madam’s waiting for you.

Lionel (off stage)

Ah, thank you, Mr. Johnson, thank you.
(Enter Lionel. He is a handsome, slender young man, very pale,
with brown hair brushed straight back.)

Lionel (lifting both of Mrs. Johnson’s hands to

his lips)
Ah, Miss White! Dear Comrade White!
(This hand-kissing and dearing business leads the audience to
think that Mr. Lionel Morris is the villain of the play, a destroyer of
homes, a desperate character. As a matter of fact, he is nothing of
the sort. He is quite harmless, being a sociable young man of limited
education who likes to take part in those radical movements which
attract women. He writes obscene poetry and paints pictures and
makes sculptures that would be disgusting if they were not so funny.
He is a rather interesting hybrid, being part donkey and part tame
cat.)

Helen
Dear Comrade Lionel! See where I put your “Emancipation of
Woman.”
(She leads him to the purple statue.)

Lionel
 Ah! I never can interest myself in any of my work that is more
than a day old. A poem or a picture that I have made bores me when
the first flush of creation has passed. I feel toward it as I suppose a
father felt toward his children, in those mediæval days when one had
children. (He touches the outstretched hand of the statue.) But, dear
Comrade White! Why do you make my “Emancipation of Woman”
live with a Hiroshige colour print? A Toyokune I can endure, but a
Hiroshige absolutely spoils the melody of her composition. Better the
soft lyrical wall for a background, or perhaps a simple hanging of
passionate black satin. Do you mind if I take this abomination down?

Helen
Surely, surely; you are always so right about everything! Do
change anything and everything that will make it more comfortable
for your wonderful statue. She has meant so much to me since she
came....

Lionel
I know, dear comrade.
(He has moved the pianola bench to the wall and is standing on
it taking down the Japanese print when Maxwell and John Ryan
come in. Ryan is a janitor, and looks like a janitor. He is in his shirt
sleeves and wears a battered black derby. He is smoking—no, not a
short clay pipe!—a cigarette. He takes off his hat when he sees Mrs.
Johnson, but instantly replaces it.)

Maxwell (as he leads Ryan to the dining room)

Come in here, Ryan. Did you bring your monkey wrench with
you?
(Ryan mutters something unintelligible. They go out into the
dining room, from which come occasional murmurs of conversation
and sounds of hammering.)

Lionel (from the pianola bench)

Do you know, I am not at all glad to see that man.
 Helen
Who? Max?

Lionel
No, indeed! That dreadful janitor! Do you know, Miss White—that
janitor—

Helen
Don’t talk so loud! Max doesn’t like me to be called “Miss White.”
You know he’s funny and old-fashioned, and though he’s willing for
me to be a Feminist and to give money to the cause and everything,
it makes him positively rage to hear me called “Miss White.” I tell him
that a woman doesn’t give up her soul and her name and everything
like a chattel mortgage just because she’s married, but he says that
I’ve got to be called “Mrs. Johnson” because I’m no more Miss White
than he is.

Lionel (getting down from the bench and

putting the colour print on the pianola)
Ah, well, he’ll wake up one of these days and learn what
Feminism really is. Even the business men must wake up some
time. There was a broker that marched beside me in the suffrage
parade this year—a broker or a pawnbroker, I never know which is
which.

Helen
But what about Ryan? Why don’t you like him?

Lionel
That janitor! Do you know, he is simply a degenerate!

Helen
A degenerate? Like Lombroso?

Lionel
 No. Worse than that. He actually has nine children! Last week
when I went around with Comrade May Robinson Dannenberg and
Comrade Rebecca Idleheimer selling “Plain Facts about a Great
Evil” and working up enthusiasm for the suffrage rally at the Church
of the Social Revolution, I made a special effort to interest the
janitors and their wives. We went into every basement from here to
125th Street, and we saw some things that made my heart bleed.
And in the basement of this very house I saw this man Ryan rocking
a cradle and drinking beer out of a tin pail. His wife was cooking
something disgusting on the gas stove and nursing a baby with her
left hand. Comrade May Robinson Dannenberg was treated with
absolute discourtesy by them; in fact, the woman told her to “go to
hell”!

Helen
But then, those people, you know, they never do anything or
read anything or anything. They are just like animals.

Lionel
Yes, but you and I have got to keep them from being animals!
That’s what Social Consciousness means. I won’t say duty—I hate
the word—but it’s your right to change the lives of those people and
you absolutely must exercise that right, just as you absolutely must
vote. There is that woman—a woman, the creature of all our
dreaming—(He points to the statue.)—who might be out among the
fields and the trees and the brooks and the birds and all the great
and beautiful things of life, a sentient, social being; and what is she?
What do we find her doing? Having a baby in a coalhole!

Helen
I see what you mean. That dreadful janitor! I know; I tried to get
her to come to my class in the Ferrer School, and she said she had
too much work to do.

Lionel
 Exactly! Too much work to do! The thing that has crushed the
souls and spirits and hearts of women throughout the generations!
But we must stop all this. You must stop it. You must speak to the
man—to Ryan—

Helen
I speak to Ryan? What shall I say to him? He won’t come to the
Ferrer School.

Lionel
The Ferrer School must come to him! You must go to him and
say: “Ryan, woman is no longer your bond slave! You must have no
more babies. You are killing your wife with soul-deadening drudgery.
No janitor should have children; no janitor should have a wife. You
must put Mrs. Ryan in a model tenement somewhere, and let her
lead a normal, intellectual life. Society will care for the children.
There are plenty of places where they can go and be studied by
scientists and develop, perhaps, into useful members of the
community. You will do your work as before, but you must keep Mrs.
Ryan away from this drudgery somewhere where she can really live
her life.” Will you do this?

Helen
Why, yes, I suppose I ought to.... (She picks up her cloak which
has been lying on a chair and puts it on, with Lionel’s assistance.)
It’s time we started, isn’t it? But wait a minute! Max!

Maxwell (coming in from the dining room)

Going? I hope you have a good time.

Helen
Yes, we’re going, but, Max, I want you to do something for me.
You know Ryan better than I do and you can talk to him. Mr. Morris
says that he’s been abusing his wife, and he thinks we ought to get
him to put her into a model tenement where she can develop her
soul. He’s been overworking her and all that sort of thing, so you talk
to him about it, will you? Mr. Morris knows a place where she can go,
and we can put the children somewhere, and he can go on with his
work, and it will be better for everybody. So you talk to him about it,
will you?

Maxwell
Ryan? Abusing Mrs. Ryan? Good heavens, I had no idea of this.
Of course I’ll talk to him about it. I’ll put a stop to that, Nellie. Good-
bye. Enjoy yourself. And you talk over that plan of ours with Mr.
Morris and decide whether you want a bungalow or an automobile.

Helen and Maxwell

Good-bye.
(They go out. Ryan comes in from the dining room.)

Ryan
I guess that radiator’ll be all right now, Mr. Johnson. There was a
lot of air in the pipe and the valve was rusted tight, so I had a little
trouble loosening it up.
(He starts out.)

Maxwell (frowning and looking at the floor)

Wait a minute, Ryan. I want to talk to you about something.
(Ryan comes toward him and stands waiting.) Ryan, I hear—don’t
you think—er—will you have a cigar?

Ryan
Why, yes, thanks.
(Maxwell goes into the dining room and brings out a humidor.
He places it by the lamp on the table and opens it. Both men take
cigars and light them.)

Maxwell
 Ryan, what I want to talk to you about is the way in which you—
it’s about what I hear about the way you—Sit down, sit down!
(He sits on the chaise-longue and Ryan, looking somewhat
puzzled, sits on a chair on the other side of the table.)

Ryan
What was it you want to see me about, Mr. Johnson? Any
complaint?

Maxwell
Oh, no, not at all! Or, rather, yes, I have a complaint. It’s rather a
hard thing. I must say I’m surprised to hear about the way you treat
your wife.

Ryan (rising from his chair)

What are you trying to give me? You mind—

Maxwell
Now, that’s all right, Ryan; I’m not trying to start anything. I’ve
lived in this apartment for five years and you know me. But they’ve
been telling me that you don’t treat your wife right, and I thought I’d
tell you about it.

Ryan
Anybody that told you that, Mr. Johnson, is a liar, I don’t care if
it’s man, woman or child.

Maxwell
Now, Ryan, will you just listen to me for a minute? This thing was
sort of put up to me, and I’ve got to do it. Probably these people are
all wrong. Just sit down and talk to me a minute. Have a drink?

Ryan (sulkily, sitting down again)

Yes, thanks. (Maxwell brings in from the dining room a bottle, a
siphon and two glasses.) Ain’t you got any ice?
 Maxwell
Oh, yes, that’s right.
(He goes into the dining room again and comes back with a plate
of cracked ice. Meanwhile Ryan pockets several cigars and pours a
generous portion of whiskey into the glasses. Maxwell sits down
again, and as the men talk they drink, refilling their glasses from time
to time.)

Ryan
Now just what did these fresh guys say about me, Mr. Johnson?
You know there’s such a thing as a libel law in these here United
States.

Maxwell
Well, I’ll tell you, Ryan. I don’t know whether there’s anything in it
or not, and these people may have it all wrong, but they said that you
were treating Mrs. Ryan very badly.

Ryan
I beat her up, I suppose?

Maxwell
No, they didn’t say anything like that. It’s this way, Ryan: These
people are making a sort of special study of people that work hard
for a living, and they say—I don’t know whether they’re right or not—
that you’re not treating Mrs. Ryan right to make her work so hard and
have so many children and all that sort of thing.

Ryan
Mr. Johnson, if any man but you was talking to me like that, I’d
knock his block off, the big boob! Why, whose business is it how
many children I have? What do they expect she’s going to do? Lie
on a couch an’ have me bring her ice cream all day long? I been
married thirteen years next month, an’ if anybody wants to know how
I treat my wife I refer them to her, I do.
 Maxwell
Well, Ryan, as I said, I’m inclined to think that these people that
were talking to me were a bit hasty. But see here; listen to me a
minute. These people want to do you a good turn. You’ll admit, I
suppose, that it isn’t the finest life in the world for Mrs. Ryan to be
staying down there in the basement all day and all night washing
clothes and cooking meals and tending to the children. She’s sick
every now and then, isn’t she?

Ryan
Now and then.

Maxwell
Well, the idea is this: These people are what they call
philanthropists—that is, they’re trying to make the world better, to
make people happier. Now, they’ve built a very nice tenement house;
it’s called a model tenement; it’s almost as good an apartment house
to live in as this one. What they say is, that you can put Mrs. Ryan
there, in a nice suite of rooms, with hot and cold water and a
bathroom and electric light and everything for very little money—say
five dollars a week. You can come there to sleep nights and you can
get your breakfast and supper there with her in what they call the
community dining room. You see, they do all the cooking for you and
charge you just what the food costs for the meals. Your wife won’t
have any more cooking to do, and they’ll give you better meals in
that dining room than you’ve ever had before, believe me.

Ryan
I see. What about the washing?

Maxwell
Well, they have a big laundry in the place and do all your
washing for you for about half what a regular laundry would cost you.
That sounds like a pretty good thing, doesn’t it?

Ryan