In 2014, Wes Ball released his directorial debut film 'The Maze Runner', based on the sci-fi action thriller novel by James Dashner of the same name. The story was original, fast-paced, and gripping. It follows the story of 16-year-old Thomas, who wakes up inside a giant maze with no memory of who he is or where he comes from, and he's surrounded by Gladers. These boys have survived by staying inside the Glade and avoiding the terrible, mechanical beasts inside the maze called Grievers. The Grievers carry a deadly venom in their stings for which there is no cure. Only the Runners, those brave and fast enough to survive, are allowed into the network of the maze. I bet you can see where this is going?
It's an epic, escapist fantasy. The big question is: will the Gladers finally escape the maze, and is Thomas the one who's going to lead them to freedom? If you're interested in reading more about 'The Maze Runner', go to this wiki page:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Maze_Runner_(film)
Some of you may have already seen the sequel; 'Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials'. For those of you who have not, I won't spoil it for you by going into any further detail. But rewind to 1986 and you will find a similar flick but with some major differences. 'Labyrinth' was released by TriStar Pictures and was directed by the late Jim Henson, creator of the muppets.
The film stars Jennifer Connelly as the heroine Sarah, and David Bowie (who died tragically this year) plays the maniacally eccentric Jareth, King of the Goblins who abducts Sarah's infant brother Toby and takes him to the centre of his magical Labyrinth. Sarah has 13 hours to solve the Labyrinth before Toby is turned into a goblin forever. Like many of his other films, Jim Henson's 'Labyrinth' is populated with puppet characters and creature costumes - the likes of which are rarely found in modern-day movies. Frank Oz, the voice of Yoda and the famous, funny bear Fozzy, voices The Wiseman. And Jim's son, Brian Henson, voices and co-puppeteers the creature Hoggle - a dwarfish muddler enslaved to the evil Jareth who Sarah coerces into leading her through the Labyrinth.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labyrinth_(film)
At their core, these two films are world's apart. The one makes its mark in the sci-fi genre, while the other is more of a cult classic fantasy. The one follows a troop of boys, and the other a girl. Even the styles of filmmaking differ, as the one makes use of animatronics and elaborate sets, while the other uses green screen and CGI. I'll leave you to figure out which is which. One thing you might not have picked up on however, is how vastly different these movies are in terms of their titles. Huh? Hear me out. A lot of people tend to make the mistake of thinking that a labyrinth and a maze are essentially the same thing, when in fact they are not. Structure and purpose-wise, they are almost the complete opposite of each other.
In any maze, the goal is for someone to work their way out from the inside, the centre of the maze. They have to escape. In a labyrinth the goal is reversed. As in the film, he/she who braves the labyrinth must journey to the centre in order to retrieve something of worth. The point is to get to the heart of it. As we see in both 'Maze Runner' and 'Labyrinth', the function of each of these puzzles creates a different set of obstacles for each of the movies' plots. Both have a unique charm and incredible complexity.
Now, let me spring something else on you. What if I told you that essentially many plots, be they in film, novel, or play form, can be divided according to whether they are a maze plot, or a labyrinth plot? Confused? Let's take a look at this theory shall we?
Based on the above, a 'Labyrinth Plot' could be defined as 'a plot in which the protagonist sets out on a quest with a clearly definable goal. He must reach this goal, then turn around and return home once his quest is complete'. Conversely, a 'Maze Plot' would be defined as 'a plot in which the protagonist discovers he is not where he wants to be in life and thus sets out on a journey in search of something better. He does not know what that thing will be, but he'll know when he sees it'. In many ways, this concept of two different types of plots is similar to the one in the book by Victoria Lynn Schmidt; '45 Master Characters - Mythic Models for Creating Original Characters'. This book is one of my absolute favourites; a must read for anyone who wants to get into writing fiction. In it, the author highlights what she calls 'The Masculine Journey', and 'The Feminine Journey'.
In 'The Masculine Journey', the world is the protagonist's oyster, although he may not know it yet. He has a sense of where he wants to get in life, he has friends and nemeses, and all he's waiting for is the right moment. That moment comes, and is referred to as 'The Call'. He is either charged with a mission, takes one upon himself, or gets invited to joins others on their quest (STAR WARS, THE LORD OF THE RINGS, HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY). Not long after our hero has set out on his quest, then Evil rears its ugly head, if it hasn't done so already. But the hero's confident, and with his new-found friends he overcomes the bad guys and has his first taste of victory (THE HOBBIT). In 'The Masculine Journey' what the hero is searching for is external, something he has grown conscious of or cares about (Sarah's infant half-brother Toby in LABYRINTH); it is not his wish to confront inner demons or come to better understanding of himself. But at a point in his quest, he will be invited to do so, by another character, by the antagonist, or by the world around him, (think of Frodo and Galadriel's mirror in The Fellowship of the Ring). He either accepts, in which case the journey switches from Masculine to Feminine, or he rejects the invitation and pushes on toward his goal.
Before he can reach his destination however, he must fight through trials and tribulations, at some point facing the greatest one of all - Death itself. When Obi-Wan dies in 'STAR WARS: A New Hope', Luke comes to what we would call 'a fork in the road'; does he confront Vader then and perhaps die too in which case he is basically surrendering, or does he run, escaping to fight another day? All protagonists, be they male or female, if they are on 'The Masculine Journey' eventually come to this point. Just to prove to you that female characters can be on 'The Masculine Journey' let me give you an example. Think of Tris from DIVERGENT, when her mother is tragically killed in a fire fight she is forced to make a choice; grieve and possibly die with her, or run away to find her father and brother. Again, Katniss from THE HUNGER GAMES faces death when her only friend in the arena, Rue, is mercilessly speared by another tribute.
How the protagonist faces Death is very telling because it determines the next step of their quest: The Awakening, or Rebellion. Does the character finally accept what must be done in order to reach their goal, or do they rebel against it? Now, not all stories that end with a happy ending need to have the protagonist Awakening. Consider 'THE LORD OF THE RINGS: Return of the King'. Frodo and Sam have finally reached Mount Doom, the one place in Middle Earth where the Ring of Power can be destroyed. Frodo is so weary from carrying this ring that we expect it should be easy for him to simply throw it into the fire. Not so. Although that was the sole purpose of his quest, the hold the Ring has over Frodo is so powerful that he instead rebels and chooses to keep it for himself. Eventually, however the Ring is destroyed, and the creature Gollum along with it. It is possible that Tolkien wrote the story this way to illustrate that no one person on their own can defeat evil, but if even the smallest person plays their part, good has a way of winning out in the end. After that, the hero returns home, life altered, awaiting the time when he may need to confront evil again (SPIDERMAN, INSIDE OUT, THE THREE MUSKETEERS).
The above is a summary of 'The Masculine Journey' which I like to refer to as 'The Labyrinth Plot'. Using the LORD OF THE RINGS analogy again, imagine The Shire (Frodo's home) at the entrance to the Labyrinth. As soon as he steps out into the great unknown he is inside the Labyrinth. I think it is best summed up in the words of his companion Sam. 'This is it,' he says, 'if I take one more step... it'll be the furthest away from home I've ever been.' At that point we know the journey has begun. Mount Doom is at the centre of the Labyrinth. Once they reach it and destroy the Ring, then they can turn around and go home. Stories like these harken back to the original Labyrinth tale from Greek Mythology, in which the champion Theseus must defeat a Minotaur.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theseus
Now, 'The Feminine Journey', or 'The Maze Plot' as I like to call it, differs slightly from the 'Masculine Journey' or 'Labyrinth Plot'. One of the biggest differences is the goal. Whereas those on the 'Labyrinth Plot' are in pursuit of something physical and tangible, a protagonist that sets off on a 'Maze Plot' Journey is pursuing something that they don't even fully comprehend. A concept or ideal. At the start of their story they live under something called 'The Illusion of the Perfect World'. In other words, these protagonists convince themselves one way or another that the world is their oyster and their is nothing wrong with where they're at in life even though they suspect that everything is not as it seems. Thus, in order for them to set out on a quest they need to be woken up from this self-induced coma (Neo in MATRIX, THE MAZE RUNNER, AMERICAN BEAUTY). Conversely, heroes on the 'Labyrinth Plot Journey' only experience an awakening toward the end of the story. In a sense, the 'Labyrinth' and 'Maze' Plots are mirror images of each other.
Still not convinced that all stories can be divided up this way? Try reading Victoria Lynn Schmidt's '45 Master Characters - Mythic Models for Creating Original Characters'. Or make a list of your favourite novels, plays, or films and try dividing them up according to the list of plot traits I've shown above and the one's in Victoria's book. For anyone fascinated by story, I'm sure you'll find it intriguing.
Dedicated to David Bowie (1947-2016)
