Story and the Question of Self-Identity
Every story inevitably raises this question about the Protagonist: “Who am I?”
A while back, I posted an article called The Narrative Imperative of the Hero’s Journey. In it, I proposed the following concept:
The events which transpire in the plot… and the characters with whom the hero intersects… all serve and support that character’s transformation.
Steven Hale wrote this in comments:
Wonderfully insightful about how story works.
The protagonist is often hesitant to start the transformation. “Change is good. You go first.”
This reluctance at the beginning hooks the audience into the story. When it appears at the end of act 2 (the moment of despair / doubt before the rebirth) it energizes the audience after a long and episodic act, as well as creating suspense. (One of the audience’s biggest fears is that the movie will end prematurely.)
Here is my response:
I like to think of that end of Act 2 “all is lost” reversal as posing an existential question of the Protagonist: “Who am I?” Are they the individual who is becoming a New Person, a Transformed Individual, and thus willing to take on the Big Challenge against all odds… or will they refuse to go forward and return to their Old Self. It was an…
