Crucial Element for Steadfast Personal Tragedy, in light of Jurassic Park

[glennbecker]

This might need to split off into a new thread, but I had the chance to see Jurassic Park in the theater today. Hadn’t seen it since I was a kid. I remembered the ending feeling like a triumph, but when I watched it today it really felt like a personal triumph.

The whole story starts with the worker being killed, setting up a lawsuit that is scaring off the investors. Hammond has to get experts to sign off on the park, and clearly is the protagonist. Ian Malcolm is the most antagonist-like in the Dramatica since. At the end, the experts aren’t convinced and Hammond concedes the park should not be opened. There’s a shot showing him sadly looking out on his creation before the escape via helicopter.

All this to say, going back to article linked in the OP, that since Grant seems to be a change character and the OS ends in failure, wouldn’t he actually represent the OS solution element. Making the OS problem Chaos fixes this and makes that deux ex machina seem a little less cheesy.

[JAPartridge]

@jhull

Leonard

LOL. The Steadfast character may believe he has the answer to the story problem, but if it is a Steadfast, Fail story, then the lesson he is teaching is how not to solve it.

This made me think of: https://www.azquotes.com/picture-quotes/quote-it-could-be-that-the-purpose-of-your-life-is-only-to-serve-as-a-warning-to-others-ashleigh-brilliant-38-49-52.jpg

[didomachiatto]

@mlucas

MC and others left with angst, bitterness, regret, unresolved personal issues. They are not in a good place at the end of the story

Scarlett O’Hara at the end of Gone with the Wind. Is that Personal Tragedy? The title even implies it. She has her farm, she has survived, she got Ashley but lost Rhett. Success Bad?

@didomachiatto

If they succeed, in my case uncovering a mystery, and it was costly, bittersweet, but they are glad they succeeded, but are so sad about the cost, isn’t that judgment Bad? Good for the goal, bad for the MC?

In my opinion, it was a necessary BAD end. But the MC seems to suspect that the necessity itself was for good. She’s in a worse place, but she made the right decisions. How would I shift my storyform? This difference affects sequence of events, the benchmarks, catalyst, requirements. Even the premise. “Everyone wins when…” isn’t what happens. “Though tragic for the individual…” That’s what it is.

The “making the right decisions” is the second half of the premise.

Is the Judgment connected to the Resolve?

@jhull

100% yes this. That’s why it’s STORY Judgment, not MC Judgment.

In which case, I say, MC–sorry to spoil your grief, but this was good. You’ll see.

[Hunter]

@didomachiatto

In which case, I say, MC–sorry to spoil your grief, but this was good. You’ll see.

This line makes me wonder whether this is the first story of a series, and if it is, whether the judgement is Good in the context of the series, but Bad in the context of the first story alone.

That is, if there were never to be more added to this story, would the Judgement be Bad? I’m sorry if this brings up more questions, but it’s related to one of my own regarding a similar situation I might be in with my own story and series.

[mlucas]

@didomachiatto

In my opinion, it was a necessary BAD end. But the MC seems to suspect that the necessity itself was for good. She’s in a worse place, but she made the right decisions. How would I shift my storyform?

Sorry, I didn’t meant to suggest you definitely had the Judgment wrong, just wanted to make sure you understood Judgment. Based on what you’re saying, I would guess the Judgment for this book in the series is indeed Bad.

For example, I’d say Sarah Connor in The Terminator generally made the right decisions. It’s not her fault that she was left alone and lonely, personally. It’s just what happened when she changed her perspective and did her utmost to survive.

[didomachiatto]

@Hunter

this is the first story of a series

It is, indeed.

So if @jhull says [quote=“didomachiatto, post:23, topic:2642”]
100% yes this. That’s why it’s STORY Judgment, not MC Judgment.
[/quote] …HOW would you recommend differentiating the Story judgment from the MC judgment, when the MC represents the audience? Only by the MC’s emotional state of not being devastated?

[jmk2020]

Hello all, I stumbled upon this thread as I had the exact same question as the OP. Many thanks for the helpful posts in reply.

I think @mlucas point regarding Braveheart illustrates the concept of Story Judgement for me best. The steadfast MC is tortured and killed at the end of the story, yet the epilogue leaves the audience with a Good feeling since his death (which directly results from his steadfastness) inspires followers and thus has purpose and meaning, etc. If the film had of immediately concluded after MC has his head chopped off, it seems to me the Story Judgement would be, rather, Bad. This, of course, is all from the writer’s perspective, and in that respect it reminds me a lot about investing.

A lot of financial products are sold using evidence that has been cherry picked by choosing time intervals that benefit the product being sold. Often if you adjust the time interval the evidence will tell a different story. Perhaps it is not so different with Story Judgement. The inspiring love story involving personal sacrifice would probably leave the audience in a different state if it included a few more years and the doldrums of marriage, frustrations of parenting, and eventual divorce!