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What is a MacGuffin?
In my last post about Chekhov's gun I mentioned the MacGuffin or McGuffin, a plot device of which one of the most famous examples is "The Maltese Falcon". Tonight we find out together what it is.
Definition of a MacGuffin
When we hear MacGuffin, most writers immediately think of an object like the film's hawk figurine, but as we see in the definition it can be anything. It could be a physical object, a specific character, or even something intangible like an ideology or suspicion. It can be an event that pushes the main characters towards or away from something.
What does all this mean?
Basically, it means that a MacGuffin is simply a plot gimmick that usually has no value other than carrying out the plot: it is a motivator. It is not just a motivation for a scene or a chapter, but a common thread that intertwines throughout the narrative.
A brief history
Although the use of an object to guide the plot predates the MacGuffin, it is believed that English screenwriter Angus MacPhail, who worked extensively with director Alfred Hitchcock, first coined the term modern. When asked about its origin in a 1939 lecture at Columbia University in New York City, Hitchcock, one of the MacGuffin's most prolific users, explained it as follows:
"It could be a Scottish name, taken from a story about two men on a train. A man says, 'What's that package up there in the trunk?' And the other says, "Oh, that's a MacGuffin." The first asks, "What is a MacGuffin?" "Well," says the other man, "it's a lion-trapping device in the Scottish Highlands." The first man says, "But there are no lions in the Scottish Highlands," and the other replies, "Well, then, that's not MacGuffin!" So you see that a MacGuffin is really nothing.
Some examples of MacGuffin
We already talked about the statue in The Maltese Falcon, so let's go back a little further. When I talk about adventure-driving objects, you don't have to look any further than the Holy Grail, also known as the Holy Chalice. The search for this object, the most coveted by knights, has carried on tales from Arthurian legends to Monty Python. It is so well known that the term Holy Grail has come to describe any object of such rarity that people would do anything to get it.
Another more modern example is the philosopher's stone in the first Harry Potter book . The search for the stone pushes the plot forward and motivates the characters at every turn, even though we almost never see it and never witness its power. The same can be said for the horcruxes in the last books.
One person
People are often at the center of a story, but usually it's one or more main characters. It's a bit of a twist when the character leading the action isn't even present for most of the story. A good example is "Saving Private Ryan." Although the entire film is about finding and extracting Ryan from the theater of war, He's not the hero, and he's not even part of the action for most of the movie.
A less serious, but no less funny, example of a person used as MacGuffin comes from the master himself, Alfred Hitchcock. If you've ever seen "The Conspiracy of the Innocents," then you know what I'm talking about. If you haven't seen it, I won't spoil it for you, but if you have a dark sense of humor (like me), then I'm sure you'll like it.
Another example from my shelf comes from the book, Killing Karma by Eldred Bird. The MacGuffin in this story is Rose McCarthy, James' mother. Although she is never seen (the book opens at her funeral), it is Rose's influence that drives James forward, as well as holding him back, as he learns to navigate a world that is completely foreign to him.
An accident
If you've ever read a detective story or watched a crime drama on TV, then you've seen an incident used as a MacGuffin. The crime that has been committed is not as important as the journey the hero takes to solve it. In this case, the incident can serve to motivate both the hunter and the prey.
In "The Courtyard Window," Hitchcock circles around this type of MacGuffin, as was often known. The MacGuffin in this case is whether or not a murder was committed.
In "International Intrigue," Hitchcock uses a case of identity swapping to drive action. The turning point in this film is the fact that the man for whom the main character is mistaken does not even exist: a real case where the MacGuffin is nothing!
Some final thoughts
Although people mainly associate MacGuffins with mysteries, they are a useful tool in any genre. They can be anything from a lost love that haunts the protagonist during a love story, to finding a rare record album that leads to a character's ultimate redemption. Just remember that the specific object is never as important as the actions and reactions it creates.
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