9. Mediation: Hero discovers the lack

Disciplines > Storytelling > Propp's Morphology of the Folk Tale > 9. Mediation: Hero discovers the lack

Description | Discussion | See also

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Description

Symbol: B

The hero now discovers the act of villainy or lack, perhaps finding their family or community devastated or caught up in a state of anguish and woe.

Example

In Star Wars, Luke and Obi-Wan discover the dead Jawas.

Discussion

This presages a defining moment in the story as we wonder what will happen now. Perhaps we do not realize that the hero is the hero, as they may not yet have demonstrated heroic qualities. We feel the lack in sympathy for the act of villainy, but the hero may just have arrived on the scene or may be undistinguished from other grieving family members.