Abstract
Starting in a disunity state, the Protagonist’s journey compels them to confront and integrate deep-seated emotions and feelings. Enter an ally: The Attractor who may serve as Lover, Family and Friends, and Inspiration. In physics, attractor is defined as “a state or behavior toward which a dynamic system tends to evolve.” A Protagonist can be seen as a “dynamic system,” an organic entity undergoing transformation. The Attractor connects with the Protagonist and fosters the character’s emotional growth, which in turn empowers them on their journey. This chapter scrutinizes this dynamic manifest in numerous films and television series including Sleepless in Seattle, Ex Machina, This is Us, The Sopranos, Lady Bird, The Odd Couple, The X-Files, and Mad Max: Fury Road.
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Notes
- 1.
There is a difference between feelings and emotions: A character consciously experiences feelings while emotions may exist at a subconscious level.
- 2.
- 3.
In femme fatale stories, the Attractor may be killed like Phyllis Dietrichson in Double Indemnity (1944) or get away with their murderous schemes like Catherine Tramell in Basic Instinct (1992).
- 4.
There can be False Attractors in contrast to True Attractors. For example, in the movie Juno (2007), Juno becomes infatuated with Mark Loring, the husband of Vanessa, the couple intending to adopt Juno’s baby. Eventually, she realizes that Mark is a fraud and returns to her True Attractor (Paulie Bleeker). Likewise in Bridesmaids (2011), Annie fantasizes about Ted, who is everything she thinks she could want in a mate: handsome, rich, sexy. However, he turns out to be a cad. Fortunately for Annie, she meets her True Attractor (Rhodes), a sweet, earnest cop who likes Annie for who she is.
- 5.
It is noteworthy that the last scene of the The Sopranos series finale features Tony sharing a meal at a diner with his entire immediate family.
- 6.
There are also stories which feature father–daughter relationships such as Father of the Bride (1950) and the 1991 remake, as well as mother–son connections like Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991).
- 7.
Buddy stories are particularly popular in action comedies. Examples: 48 h. (1982), Lethal Weapon (1987), The Last Boy Scout (1992), Bad Boys (1995), Rush Hour (1998), 21 Jump Street (2011), The Nice Guys (2016).
- 8.
The Mary Tyler Moore Show, S1, Ep1 (“Love is All Around”), written by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns, directed by Jay Sandrich. CBS, September 19, 1970.
- 9.
This I-It to I-You transformation arc is a common one in movies and television series, and reflects the insights of philosopher Martin Buber (1878–1965) as explored in his book Ich un Du. Originally published in 1923, it is available translated into English as I and Thou (Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1970).
- 10.
In the Mad Max: Fury Road - "Wives" Featurette, actress Courtney Eaton who plays one of The Wives (Cheedo the Fragile) says, “Furiosa saw what they were going through and she took them away.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slTH9lFJjKU.
Further Study
Shakespeare for Feminists: An Oral History of 10 Things I Hate About You, Carrie Rickey, RogerEbert.com, April 5, 2019, https://www.rogerebert.com/features/shakespeare-for-feminists-an-oral-history-of-10-things-i-hate-about-you.
Why Dirty Dancing Is a Subversive Feminist Masterpiece, Lara C Cory, Little White Lies, August 12, 2017, https://lwlies.com/articles/dirty-dancing-subversive-feminist-masterpiece/.
The Best Will-They-Won’t-They TV Couples Ever, Hanh Nguyen, IndieWire, February 13, 2018, https://www.indiewire.com/2018/02/best-tv-couples-shows-1201928118/.
‘The Sopranos’: An In-Depth Analysis, Dan Redding, Culture Creature, March 5, 2018, https://www.culturecreature.com/sopranos-analysis/.
The Sopranos Sessions, Matt Zoller Seitz (author), Alan Sepinwall (author), Abrams Books, January 2019.
The Real Feminist Impact of The Mary Tyler Moore Show Was Behind the Scenes, Hope Reese, The Atlantic, May 16, 2013, https://www.theatlantic.com/sexes/archive/2013/05/the-real-feminist-impact-of-i-the-mary-tyler-moore-show-i-was-behind-the-scenes/275875/.
In Search of Our Better Selves: The Rebirth, Redemption and Road Warriors of George Miller’s ‘Mad Max: Fury Road,’ Tim Pelan, Cinephilia & Beyond, April 8, 2019, https://cinephiliabeyond.org/mad-max-fury-road/.
ARRIVAL: When Is Now?, David Bordwell, November 23, 2016, http://www.davidbordwell.net/blog/2016/11/23/arrival-when-is-now/.
References
Bergstein, E. (written by) (1987). Dirty Dancing; Vestron Pictures.
Brooks, J. L. and Burns, A. (created by) (1970–1977). The Mary Tyler Moore Show; CBS / MTM Enterprises.
Ephron, N., Ward, D. S. and Arch, J. (screenplay), Arch, J. (story) (1993). Sleepless in Seattle; TriStar Pictures.
Heisserer, E. (screenplay), Chiang, T. (short story) (2016). Arrival; Paramount Pictures.
Schumer, A. (written by) (2015). Trainwreck; Universal Pictures.
Waititi, T. (screenplay), Leunens, C. (book) (2019). Jojo Rabbit; Fox Searchlight Pictures.
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Myers, S. (2022). Attractor. In: The Protagonist's Journey. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-79682-2_10
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