Tyler Layton
NMD 343

Start by turning the designing principle of your story into a theme line. The theme line is your view about right and wrong action, in this story, stated in one sentence. As you look again at the designing principle, focus on its key actions and their moral effects.

Family is more important than anything.

Theme Line Techniques

Look for any techniques, like symbols, that can condense your moral statement to one line or can encapsulate the unique structure you will give to your story.

Everything is off the table when his family is hurt.

Moral Choice

Write down the key choice the hero must make near the end of the story

He must decide to save his moms life or get the money.

Moral Problem

After reviewing your work on-premise, a state in one line the central moral problem your hero will confront throughout the story.

“Is this really worth it?”

Characters as Variations on a Theme

Starting with the hero and the main opponent, describe how each major character approaches the central moral problem of the story in a different way.

Main Character: He sees it as opportunity. He has a lot of money with him now, and he sees his opponent as the final piece before he’s set free.

Opponent:       He has sympathy for a short while before it turns to anger and hate. He

Values in Conflict

List the key values of each of the major characters, and explain how those values will come into conflict as each character tries to reach the goal.

Main Character: Saving his mother from her sickness / setting them up with money for the rest of their lives.

Opponent: Doing whatever it takes to get his own money back.

Hero’s Beliefs and Values

​​Restate your hero’s essential beliefs and values.

He believes he was also meant to get his family out of poverty, that he was the only one who could do it in his family.

Moral Weakness

What is your hero’s main weakness when it comes to acting toward others?

He doesn’t listen when he should, he mostly does what he wants to do.

Moral Need

What must your hero learn by the end of the story about the right way to act and live in the world?

He needs to learn that he didn’t need any of this the whole time, he could have been better off not going through all this.

First Immoral Action

Describe the first action your hero takes that hurts someone else in the story. Make sure it is an outgrowth of your hero’s great moral weakness.

When he initially doesn’t give the money back, he puts everyone who is close to him at danger.

Desire

Restate your hero’s specific goal.

To get his family out of poverty, and save his mother.

Drive

List the actions your hero will take to win that goal.

– Not give the money back and try to get away from danger.

– Fight and try to escape from the cartel and more importantly “The Boss”

Immoral Actions 2

In what way, if any, are these actions immoral?

   Criticism: For any immoral action, describe the criticism, if any, that the hero receives.

Justification: How does the hero justify each immoral action?

• Our hero makes a good amount of immoral actions, and each is followed by disappointment from his friends and family.
• He justifies this by saying he needs to finish what he started.

Attack by Ally

Explain in detail the main moral attack that the ally makes against the hero. Again, write down how the hero justifies himself.

Obsessive Drive

Describe when and how your hero becomes obsessed with winning. Put another way, is there a moment when your hero decides to do almost anything to win?

• Our hero makes the decision that he has to win when the gets the money. But it fuels him even more when his family was threated.

Immoral Actions 3

While obsessed with winning, what immoral steps does your hero take?

Criticism: Describe the criticism, if any, that the hero faces for these actions.

Justification: Explain how the hero justifies his methods.

Our hero makes a lot of immoral actions, one his bringing his family into this even though he knows they will be put into danger.

Battle

During the final battle, how do you express which values, the hero’s or the opponents, are superior in this fight?

The final battle is saved by the heroes mother. She knows that she is very sick and if she dies his family will get the insurance money. She sacrifices herself, killing the boss with her to stop the bloody madness.

Final Action Against Opponent

Does your hero take a final action against the opponent, whether moral or immoral, before or during the battle?

His final action is to try to kill the boss. He initially fails and it seems as if he is going to lose. But his mother manages to save him.

Moral Self-Revelation

What, if anything, does your hero learn morally at the end of the story? Be sure that this insight is about how to act properly toward others.

• He learns that he should have never entered this mess in the first place. He was so focused on fixing his family he didn’t realize what he was doing. He is sad and sorry for what he has done and all the pain he brought to his most beloved.

Moral Decision

Does the hero make a decision between two courses of action near the end of the story?

• He had to decide to give the money back one last time and save his mother who was captured by the boss. He doesn’t trust the boss though, and thinks he will kill them no matter what he decides to do.

Thematic Revelation

Can you think of a story event in which you express your vision of how human beings should act in some other way than through the self-revelation of your hero?

• The way I want to show how human beings should act is when his mother sacrifices herself at the end. She wanted to save her son more than he wanted to save her.