Balls and Walnuts
more than you ever wanted to know
Reversal of Fortune
Everyone recognizes that conflict and struggle are essential elements of any story, be it dramatic or humorous, and most books on writing craft also emphasize the desirability of change in the main character. Thus, a good story must feature a main character who changes as a result of his struggles.Which brings me to this guy:
Last night, before completely zonking out, Karen and I watched the opening to Tim Burton’s 1996 movie, Mars Attacks! The film follows the usual grand action movie pattern of introducing multiple characters who will, over time, change. Think about Poseidon Adventure, Airplane, Independence Day, or Starship Troopers.
Even though many of my books on craft emphasize that boring little pearl repeated above, few (one, IIRC) point out that the best kind of change is a reversal. The coward becomes the brave hero; the all-powerful criminal mastermind is revealed as a weakling; the cold and distant (though handsome) love interest becomes warm and lovable; the innocent loses his innocence, and the boy becomes a man. I would argue that reversal gives viewers/readers the most satisfying emotional experience.
Mars Attacks! provides a number of examples.
Grandma Norris and Richie Norris (Lukas Haas) are, arguably, the film’s main characters. Grandma is senile. Richie’s white trash family considers him a “retard,” his brother Billy Glenn (Jack Black) a success — he and his fresh buzz-cut bus off to boot camp in one of the movie’s early scenes. Yet Billy Glenn snuffs it early on in an act of foolish bravery, while Richie and Grandma become heroes.
I think the reversal concept explains why some characters are more memorable than others. Who do you remember from 2001? HAL, of course — the impeccable computer who screws up big time. Contrast HAL with Paul Atreides of Dune. Paul certainly changes over the course of the novel, moving from competent teen to, um, wormriding messiah, but is this really a reversal? Not at all. Growth, yes; reversal, no. Some of you might disagree, but I’ve always found Paul to be eminently forgettable.
Indeed, the lack of reversal might explain why so many science fiction movies and novels aren’t as strong as they should have been. Think about Close Encounters of the Third Kind. What do we remember about Richard Dreyfuss’s character? Roy Neary making mountains out of mashed potatoes or mud. Now think about Alex from A Clockwork Orange. Alex moves from rapist-murderer to contrite model citizen to — well, if you haven’t seen the movie, see it. Part of the fun of Alex is that his reversal is illusory, so we get not one, but two full reversals.
I’m sorry, but for me, the wow factor alone does not make for fine science fiction. If I can’t hook into a strong character, the replay value of the novel (or movie) is minimal.
More later. I gotta run. In the meantime, see if you think of examples which demonstrate this point, or see if you can prove me wrong 😉
D.
When I think of Dune, it’s Duncan Idaho who comes to mind first.
Two Harrison Ford examples of movies I’ll watch over and over again, one for and one against:
For: Blade Runner – from killing to falling in love with replicants.
Against: Indiana Jones – character remains essentially unchanged throughout three nonetheless enjoyable movies.
(OK, Indiana Jones isn’t technically sci-fi, but it’s definitely a grand action movie).
HAL as Lear? Hmmm.
I finally said something about your book and it’s now clear to anyone who cares why I’m not a book reviewer. Uhhhhh duhhhhhhh I uhhhhh like dis ummmm book.
Takes me right back to the horrifying days of book reports when liking something was never ever enough. GodDAMN I hated English class.
I loved this movie – and The Kid bought the X-Box video game and just chuckles his butt off – loves it.
Amanda, I don’t remember Duncan Idaho at all, other than the funky name.
sxK: I disagree about Indiana Jones. I would argue that it’s not Indiana Jones you remember, but Harrison Ford. He infuses that character with personality and a sense of humor, and makes Indie better than he otherwise would have been.
As for Decker (Blade Runner), yes, he is a big part of why I love that movie. I may be in the minority, but I like Ford’s monotone voice-over. And I think Decker’s reversal is that he goes from being a human to being a replicant — although I suppose that’s an arguable point.
Okay, Kate, I’m on my way 😉
Loved Mars Attacks – it cracked me up.
I see what you’re getting at about reversals. It depends, really. Paul was never a terribly charismatic figure, but then again, neither is Jesus when you read the bible – the one that stands out as a character is Judas, lol.
Sam, as I mentioned recently (the post on the Gospel of Judas), in the J.L. Borges version, it’s Judas who died for our sins — an interesting take on the story.
My favorite example of reversal, both in film and novel, would be Michael Corleone from The Godfather. He swings from kind, gentle, and loving to cold and ruthless. The only common thread throughout this transformation is his extraordinary bravery.