The beauty in “growing up”
Great stories have always been close to my heart. Some have provided me with the right direction in life. As a child, my biggest fear was the constant reminder that change is difficult. During those days, the world was seen only through two shades. The fact that someone can change seemed unlikely.
I accepted the importance of change through stories(movies, books, series). There are stories that we can relate to, and obviously, those are the ones we enjoy the most. Dan Harmon has set up a small framework for structuring a story, making it a better experience.
We mostly grew up seeing straight forward, all talented protagonist who could learn things in an instant and always knew what was right. Sometimes it works — I guess the old Superman movies are like that. But these stories couldn’t provide me a sense of closure. If the protagonist was already perfect, then what is the point of the adventure. What is the point of going through this journey called life if there is no change?
Through Dan Harmon, I understood that change matters. In his show Community, each episode makes the characters realize their mistake or give them the push to do something out of their comfort zone. I haven’t noticed this before watching Community, but stories that follow this structure have some magic to it.
Being in an uncomfortable place makes the character confront whatever he/she has been escaping from. This is powerful and has a profound impact on the viewer.
In Maheshinte Prathikaram, Mahesh has to confront that fact that he is not a good photographer, contrary to his belief. Mahesh who had gone through a lot of bitter experiences already is again thrown into an uncomfortable situation. With the help of his father he learns photography and gradually comes out as confident, courageous and ready to face tough situations. The desire to change elevates the character of Mahesh.
Vadachennai’s Anbu starts as a carefree guy who didn’t care nor stood up for things that matter to or affect him. After some events, Anbu changes and rises to the occasion. He becomes a leader who cares about the causes above him.
Ravi Tharakan in Ayalum Njanum Thammil begins as a reckless, immature. Through his mentor, Ravi recognizes his faults and grows up to be an adept doctor.
These are some movies where I found Dan Harmon’s structure doing its work effectively. A character with a flaw realizing it, changing the flaw, and growing up is really powerful. It is amazing to watch on screen this change and the character becoming strong. In a general tone, we can call this as character development but most of the time character development is limited to an already strong and perfect character becoming even stronger and more perfect.
Harmon’s structure has made me think deeply about the importance of change in our life. To realize our shortcomings and working towards changing is also the point where we can grow up. We may have to pay a price for it like all the characters but in the third act, it is definitely worth it.
