STORIES dealing with manipulation and/or manners of thinking have an Objective Story Domain of Psychology:

All About Eve: The objective characters have different ways of thinking: Margo, Karen, Lloyd, and Bill are snowed by their first impressions of Eve. They can’t believe that she’s anything but an innocent, stage-struck kid. Birdie knows a good storyteller when she hears one, and experience tells her that Eve’s worship of Margo is nothing but a first rate act. Margo, influenced by maternal instincts, takes the stray Eve into her home. Later, feelings of unease cause Margo to become wary of Eve’s perfect attentions. Eve thinks she can manipulate everyone with her innocent manner, especially with her subtle picking at weak spots: Margo’s age obsession, Karen’s fear of losing her husband and Margo’s trust and friendship; Lloyd’s desire to have a young actress play his stage heroines. LLoyd’s manipulated by Eve’s tearful apology for her remarks about Margo. He suggests to Karen that Eve plays the lead in his new play:

LLOYD: Eve did mention the play, you know. But just in passing — she’d never ask to play a part like “Cora.” She’d never have the nerve. . .

KAREN: Eve would ask Abbott to give her Costello.

LLOYD: No, I got the idea myself — while she was talking to me. . .

Being There: All the objective characters make their own (erroneous) interpretation of actuality; Chance thinks electronically generated images (TV) are real; with few exceptions, all that come in contact with Chance attribute greater meaning to his pronouncements than they actually warrant:

“I have seen ashes and I have seen powders,” said Chance. “I

know that both are bad for growth in the garden.” “Hear, hear!” the woman sitting on Chance’s right cried out…”Mr. Gardiner has the uncanny ability of reducing complex matters to the simplest of human terms.” (Kosinski, 1970, p. 88)

Four Weddings And A Funeral: The story revolves around a group of close-knit friends’ developing maturity towards commitment in relationships. The dynamics of the group’s interrelationships and manipulations go a long way toward exploring these issues.

Harold and Maude: Mrs. Chasen and her helpers are concerned with turning Harold around to their way of thinking. Maude shows Harold her upbeat view of life, which includes embracing its end. Harold is concerned because:

HAROLD: I don’t think I’m getting through to mother like I used to.

PSYCHIATRIST: Does that worry you?

HAROLD: Yes. It does worry me. […] I put a lot of effort into these things.

(Higgins, p. 6-7)

Heavenly Creatures: Pauline’s thoughts are totally focused on Juliet, with whom she shares a delusional, imaginary world; Mr. Hulme and Mrs. Rieper are worried by the idea that Pauline may have “formed a rather… unwholesome attachment to Juliet,” and they and the psychologist disapprove of the dreaded “Homosexuality…”; Mrs. Hulme thinks it’s normal, as she’s “sure it’s all perfectly innocent”; Mr. Rieper doesn’t seem to understand the concept, being more worried over her disobedience; etc.

Klute: The objective story takes place in Bree’s New York City, a place where call girls like her manipulate johns like Cable, feeding their egos for money:

CABLE: You just want me to keep on talking, don’t you?

BREE: No, I don’t, I do understand, I really do.

CABLE: Well, that’s what you all do.

In turn, Bree is manipulated by men like her “man” Frank, and by the stalker Cable. Sharing Bree’s lifestyle, Klute comes to loosen up his puritan way of thinking about sexuality.

Lolita: Most of the characters try and manipulate one another. Charlotte schemes to shunt her daughter aside so that she can have a clear field with Humbert; she tries to manage Lolita’s behavior by withholding treats (to no avail). Humbert spends hours minutely planning his wooing of Lolita and later, continually blackmails her into staying with him using blandishments. He also handles Charlotte through the use of subterfuge and “a fantastic display of old-world endearments” (Nabokov 70). Lolita, aware of her power over Humbert, gets him to buy her an extraordinary amount of worldly goods. (The author recites lists and more lists of these purchases.) Quilty and Lolita play mind games with Humbert through a series of clever missives and Humbert even admits that: “He succeeded in thoroughly enmeshing me and my thrashing anguish in his demoniacal game” (Nabokov 227).

Quills: Quills explores the art of manipulation. Dr. Royer-Collard coerces his wife into moving away from Paris to the provinces by promising “her a chateau to rival Fontainbleau” (Wright 8); Renee Pelagie and Dr. Royer-Collard play a cat-and-mouse game to each get what they want– she desires to return to her social position, he says he wants money for the institution that houses her infamous husband:

Dr. Royer-Collard: . . . If you were to buttress your entreaties, with, perhaps, the means to oblige them . . . Is it not true, that the recent sale of his (The Marquis’) mansion at La Coste has granted you a sudden windfall?

Renee Pelagie: A trifling nest egg, hardly a fortune.

Dr. Royer-Collard: If you are truly determined to step out of the long, dark shadow of your husband’s celebrity . . .

Renee Pelagie: Don’t toy with me doctor! (Wright 13); The Marquis manipulates the staff to care for his creature comforts:

Coulmier: As you know, most esteemed Marquis, the staff has done its utmost to render you comfortable here.

The Marquis: It’s true, dear-heart, you’ve spoiled me pink. (Wright 23); The Marquis provides Madeleine and her mother with the lurid stories they crave in return for kisses from the young girl; Cracking a riding whip, Madame Royer-Collard manipulates the architect, Monsieur Prouix, into serving her needs.

Rear Window: The source of the story’s troubles stem from attempts to conceptualize what is going on in various personal relationships. Though he lacks tangible evidence, Jeff’s convinced that Thorwald has done away with his wife. He spends a lot of time trying to bring Stella, Lisa, and Doyle around to his way of thinking. To manipulate Thorwald into leaving the apartment, Jeff plays mind games with a note and a phone call.

Rebel Without a Cause: An example of how the objective story explores a certain way of thinking is when Buzz indicates to Jim that he likes him, just before the chickie race. Jim questions him about why, then, must they engage in a dangerous contest:

Buzz: I like you, you know?

Jim: Buzz? What are we doing this for?

Buzz: (still quiet) We got to do something. Don’t we? (Stern 59-60); to Plato’s way of thinking, Jim is his father figure although they have only known each other briefly; Judy explains to Jim that she must treat him one way in front of the kids and another way when they are alone; Jim explains to the juvenile officer how his parents handle his transgressions:

Jim: They think I’ll make friends if we move. Just move and everything’ll be roses and sunshine.

Ray: But you don’t think that’s a solution. (Stern 16)

Sunset Boulevard: The objective characters have different ways of thinking: Joe’s agent thinks his client’s desperate need for money and the chance that he’ll lose his car is a good thing:

MORINO: Don’t you know that the finest things in the world have been written on an empty stomach? [. . .] Now you’ll have to sit behind that typewriter. Now you’ll have to write.

Norma thinks that she belongs back in the limelight and can manipulate her way to her goal; Joe thinks that Norma’s strange, but he can get some quick cash from her then escape back into the “real” world; Betty believes that if she can convince Joe to co-write his story with her, she’ll launch her screenwriting career; Artie thinks that Betty and Joe should put action scenes in their picture so he can work on it as an assistant director; Max thinks that by sending Norma phony fan letters he can keep her happy and prevent more suicide attempts; Mr. DeMille thinks that by not telling Norma she’ll never do another picture with him, he’s keeping her from being hurt.

Tootsie: The objective characters have different ways of thinking, which often causes them problems: Michael thinks that holding to his exacting standards and never compromising is the key to being a successful actor; Jeff thinks that writing issue oriented, quirky plays are the only type worth writing, but his plays are commercial flops; Sandy thinks once she has sex with her men friends they’ll leave her; John Van Horn thinks as the leading man on “Southwest General” he should kiss all of the actresses, and makes sure to manipulate every situation to accomplish this; Julie thinks by not demanding more from her relationships she won’t risk being lonely; Ron thinks he can charm any woman he meets.

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?: The story explores the characters’ efforts to manipulate, coerce, and/or “psych-out” each other. During the course of the evening, they play several “games,” such as “Humiliate the Host,” “Get the Guests,” “Hump the Hostess,” and “Bringing up Baby.”

X-Files: Beyond the Sea: The objective characters have different ways of thinking: Boggs thinks he can manipulate Mulder and Scully with demonstrations of his psychic abilities; Mulder thinks Boggs is a fake and, out of revenge, is setting a trap for him for sending Boggs to the gas chamber; Mulder tries to convince Scully not to fall for Boggs “trap”; Scully suspends her disbelief of extreme possibilities and thinks that believing in Boggs will aid the case and possibly ease her doubts about her father’s love.

Excerpted from
Dramatica Story Development Software

STORIES that have an Objective Story Domain of Physics:

A Doll’s House: Nora endeavors to maintain a happy marriage; Mrs. Linde comes to town looking for work (and Krogstad); Krogstad attempts to save his job and rehabilitate his nature; Torvald prepares to take on the position of bank manager; Dr. Rank readies himself for death.

All That Jazz: For the most part, all the objective characters are participating in the endeavor to put on the stage production of NY/LA and/or the film The Standup. Paul is composing music; Audrey is reading the script and trying out new dance steps; dancers are rehearsing; Jonathan and Stacy are involved in the film’s post-production; and so forth.

Blade Runner: Blade runners are in the business of tracking down escaped replicants, who in this story are engaged in tracking down their creator.

Body Heat: Mattie’s con job is a long term plan of various activities that include assuming a friend’s identity, seducing Ned Racine (an attorney with a disreputable past), knocking off her husband, killing the friend whose identity she “borrowed,” gaining exclusive possession of her husband’s fortune, faking her own death, and framing Ned for the entire event. Everyone else in the objective story is brought together by these activities and it is a problem within the activities that concerns them.

Bringing Up Baby: The problems in Bringing Up Baby revolve around a variety of activities including trying to obtain a million dollar donation for the museum, searching for the lost intercostal clavicle, hunting for a pair of leopards, tossing rocks at Mr. Peabody, etc.

Bull Durham: Baseball. While not inherently problematic, the problem in the story lies in the fact that everyone is absolutely obsessed with baseball (or more specifically, with not losing any games), to the detriment of personal growth. Everyone but Jimmy–who manages to change Millie–which in turn becomes an indicator that happiness is possible outside of baseball.

Candida: Morell and Marchbanks rival for Candida; Burgess endeavors to ingratiate himself back into the Morell household; Lexy attempts to emulate Morell by endeavoring to copy his mannerisms:

Proserpine: You never cut a poorer figure than when you try to imitate him.

Lexy: I try to follow his example, not to imitate him.

Proserpine: Yes, you do: you imitate him. Why do you tuck your umbrella under your left arm instead of carrying it in your hand like anyone else? Why do you walk with your chin stuck out before you, hurrying along with that eager look in your eyes? you! who never get up before half past nine in the morning. (Shaw, 1895, p. 497)

Casablanca: Casablanca is a seething hotbed of activity: Rick tries to peacefully run his nightclub; Renault chases petty crooks and beautiful women; refugees trade their valuables to buy exit visas; Laszlo and Ilsa look for safe passage to America; Strasser works to prevent Laszlo from leaving town; Ugarte thieves and schemes; Ferrari trades on the black market; etc.

El Mariachi: Moco and Azul wage their war, and in a case of mistaken identity, El Mariachi is inadvertently a part of it.

The Godfather: The problem which involves all of the objective characters has to do with the activities of the feuding New York families. The Objective Story involves the disruption of the power structure among these families, and the search to establish a new “Godfather” who can sort it all out.

I Love Lucy: Lucy endeavors to tell Ricky the news of her pregnancy; Ricky manages a nightclub; the band rehearses for the evening’s show; and so forth.

Lawrence of Arabia: The story takes place in the Middle East theater of World War I, involving the British endeavor to defeat the Turks and weaken the Germans. Lawrence must accomplish great feats of physical endurance, travel extensively, and engage in much fighting and bloodshed with the Arabs.

Rain Man: Charlie strives to sell his cars; get his father’s money; travel to Los Angeles with Raymond; save his business. Raymond rearranges his environment in an exact way to suit him; catalogs Charlie’s infractions against him in a notebook; devours television shows; counts, remembers and analyzes almost everything he sees. Mr. Mooney administers Sanford Babbitt’s will. Dr. Bruner works to get Raymond back. Susanna works to convince Charlie to value Raymond as family, and to make Raymond comfortable away from Walbrook. Lenny works to salvage the car deal.

Reservoir Dogs: The story in Reservoir Dogs revolves around a jewelry heist. When the robbery is bungled, the “colored men” endeavor to find out who the “rat” is.

Romeo and Juliet: Problems in the objective story are derived from activities and endeavors, principally to do with the ancient grudge between the Capulets and Montagues, and Friar Lawrence’s attempt to reconcile the two families. Gibbons explains:

Shakespeare makes the plot depend crucially on messages. He invents the episode in which Romeo, Benvolio, and Mercutio learn by accident from Capulet’s illiterate servant of the proposed ball. This scheme is repeated when the Nurse haphazardly encounters the young gallants, and Romeo lightheartedly identifies himself amidst the bawdy mockery of his friends. Later, the Nurse brings Juliet a happy reply (II,v). In the second, tragic, movement of the play, the Nurse brings Juliet the news of Tybalt’s death and Romeo’s banishment . . . . Shakespeare stresses in both scenes the ease with which messages can go wrong; so Juliet at first thinks it is Romeo, not Tybalt, whom the Nurse saw bedaubed in gore-blood. . . . In the closing movement of the play Balthasar brings Romeo the false report of Juliet’s death (v.i); immediately afterwards, as Romeo leaves the stage by one door, bearing a phail of poison, Friar John enters by another to begin the next scene by telling Friar Laurence how he failed to get through with the message that Juliet is drugged, not dead. (41-42)

Rosemary’s Baby: The objective story takes place against the endeavor to bring Satan into the world in the form of a baby. The cult makes a deal with Guy to coerce his wife into bearing Satan’s child. Guy stakes his future career on this agreement. The entire cult participates in the rape. Minnie makes herb drinks and cakes; she checks in on Rosemary at all times. Guy rushes home to stop Hutch from interfering with the cult. Rosemary’s friends try to tell her what a pregnancy should be like, encouraging her to take action. Tension increases as Rosemary begins to discover the truth. She runs away, thinking Dr. Hill will help. The cult immediately forces her back, drugs her, and takes away her newborn. Rosemary takes the initiative to find the baby, and upon discovering that it is the Devil–she attempts to kill it. The baby cries out for his mother, thereby saving his own life.

All Good Things (Star Trek: The Next Generation): Picard and the crew are searching for a meaning to Picard’s time-shifting and its relation to the spatial anomaly in the Devron System.

Star Wars: Star Wars is about a war between the Empire and the Rebellion. There is not any set place where this needs to take place, but is an exploration of the feints, attacks, and battles that occur between the two forces.

The Sun Also Rises: The action is fragmented and jerky. All of the characters are constantly hopping from place to place in an aimless pattern–from bar to bar, from France to Spain, in taxis and trains, limousines and cars. No longer willing or able to stay in one place, they are transients seeking escape through frivolous diversions.

Unforgiven: William Munny endeavors to provide for his two children in the face of poverty and sickness; the whores initiate a reward as a means to exact revenge on the slashers; Kid Schofield sets out on an enterprise to prove himself a tough guy; WW Beauchamp ventures out to experience the Wild West firsthand; etc.

The Wild Bunch: The members of the Wild Bunch are concerned with robbing the railroad, trying to make one last big score; Harrigan, Thornton, and the bounty hunters track the Bunch down and set traps for them; Mapache wages war against Villa’s forces and tries to improve his arsenal.

Excerpted from
Dramatica Story Development Software

A Clockwork Orange: The objective characters are caught up in untenable situations: uncontrolled lawless youths terrorize society; Alex is imprisoned for murder and brainwashed through the complex machinations of those around him–his fellow droogs, a crazed writer, and a crafty politician; Alex’s bedroom and the affection of his parents has been usurped by a fawning lodger; etc.

The Age of Innocence: All of the objective characters exist in an environment governed by strict rules of behavior and dress. They find themselves in a situation where social etiquette must be obeyed at all costs. Ellen Olenska adjusts to her new environment under the close scrutiny of family and acquaintances. Mrs. Mingott tries to protect Ellen by taking her granddaughter into her home and inviting society friends to a dinner party to introduce her, but is snubbed. May Welland adheres to every convention a proper young woman should to be accepted by her peers. Newland Archer is everything expected of a cultured gentleman: he practices law, travels Europe, collects books, belongs to a men’s club, is engaged to a prominent woman of his own class. Larry Lefferts represents everything the proper gentleman should look like. Sillerton Jackson guards the established code of conduct by being an expert on the lineage of all the best families in society. Mrs. Archer and Janey act according to their station as a society widow and an unmarried woman, respectively.

Boyz N The Hood: Everyone in the hood is stuck in a bleak situation that appears hopeless (e.g. violent crime, drugs, harassment by the police, and so forth).

Braveheart: England has taken Scotland for itself, attempting to suppress the natives through harsh and unjust laws. The Scots fight for what is rightfully theirs.

Charlotte’s Web: As part of the cycle of life on a farm, Wilbur will ultimately be put to death.

Chinatown: Many years ago, Noah Cross had relations with his daughter, Evelyn, and got her pregnant. To protect Evelyn from scandal (and because he was a caring person), Cross’ business pal, Hollis Mulwray, took Evelyn to Mexico where she had her baby. Hollis eventually married Evelyn. Now, Hollis and Evelyn are back in Los Angeles where Hollis is the head of the Department of Water and Power. His interests (and those of the Angelenos) is in direct conflict with Noah Cross’ plans for making lots of money by buying up the San Fernando Valley and then annexing it to L.A. County to get cheap water for irrigation. The family troubles become intertwined with the business troubles and it is left up to a private investigator to sort the mess out.

The Fugitive: A murder in Chicago has taken place. An innocent man has been accused, tried, and convicted for the crime.

The Glass Menagerie: The Wingfields are tied to their tiny abode in St. Louis because of their struggle against poverty and the burden of Laura Wingfield’s status as a not-yet-but-soon-to-be “old maid.”

The Graduate: Ben Braddock has arrived home from college, as a hero. Everyone has high hopes for his future and seem very concerned that Ben appears to be putting off his future–wasting his time “floating around.”

The Piano Lesson: The objective characters exist in an environment that’s tainted by the piano which represents their tragic past, and serves as a reminder of the lowly station they hold as black people in America. They find themselves in a situation where they must find self-actualization within the narrow opportunities allowed them in a racist society. Avery accepts a “good” job as an elevator operator in a downtown skyscraper to have a chance of founding his own church. Doaker is content with his career as a railroad cook. Lymon hopes to improve his situation by finding a job unloading boxcars in Pittsburgh, as opposed to being fined for “not working” down home in Mississippi. Berniece works as a domestic, one of the few occupations open to black women. She accepts that this is the best that she can do, but is training her daughter to become a teacher.

Platoon: The American military is in Vietnam attempting to defeat the Viet Cong and prevent the spread of communism, which creates a state of war within this country.

Pride and Prejudice: The objective story explores the particular social customs and manners of England’s upper class in the early nineteenth century. An example of a social custom is voiced by Lady Catherine: “Young women should always be properly guarded and attended, according to their situation in life” (Austen 179). The situation the Bennet family finds themselves in is, with five daughters and no male heir, their estate is entailed to their priggish cousin Collins. To secure their future, it is necessary for the Bennet girls to marry well.

Revenge of the Nerds: The (nerds) Tri-Lamdas and the Alpha-Betas are caught up in a situation–a power struggle in the Greek system at Adams.

The Silence of the Lambs: Faced with the predicament of a serial killer on the loose and no clues to his identity, the FBI enlists the advice of another serial killer in an effort to put an end to the situation.

The Simpsons Christmas Special: The predicament the Simpsons find themselves in is a Christmas without gifts. Homer’s Christmas bonus is denied, and the family Christmas savings are used to remove Bart’s tattoo. Marge’s sisters put pressure on the situation, contemptuous of Homer and highly skeptical that he can bring his family Christmas joy:

Patty: It’s Christmas? You wouldn’t know it around here.

Homer: And why is that?

Selma: Well, for one thing, there’s no tree.

Sula: “Sula” explores a negative situation that, once established, does not change:

The Bottom is established, beautiful but unable to nourish the inhabitants…the community must direct both creative and destructive energy inward. Since its contributions to Medallion and the rest of the world must be limited and menial, and since it cannot express the resulting frustration, the community becomes enmeshed-intensely nurturing and as intensely restrictive and destructive. (Pollock, 1986, p. 1550)

Taxi Driver: All the characters are concerned with the level of crime and corruption on the streets of America’s cities: Travis wants to flush the streets of “filth and scum, scum and filth”; Wizard and the other drivers are worried about attacks on cabbies; Sport and Iris depend on the unchanging situation for their lifestyle; Tom wants to push the issues that will change society, while Betsy wants to push the man–Palantine, who offers only empty promises in order to get elected:

PALANTINE: I know what you mean, Travis, and it’s not going to be easy. We’re going to have radical changes all throughout city and municipal government.

(Schrader, p. 40)

Toy Story: All concerns, problems, and considerations exist within a “universe” where toys come alive and interact when they are alone amongst themselves, forming a community and making lives for themselves within the context of the child’s room. The fixed situation is that the toys in Andy’s Room exist for no other purpose than to “be there for Andy.” Nothing is more profoundly problematic in this universe than the threat of separation from their child master. (The prospect of newer, possibly “better” toys makes the current ones fear ending up in the trash; while Buzz and Woody are separated from Andy, it is an inequity that must be corrected at all costs.) An aspect of this state of affairs is a sort of “code” that the toys live by very strictly (albeit voluntarily) that they must NEVER be seen animating in front of humans.

The Verdict: A woman is permanently comatose and must remain in a hospital for the remainder of her life as the result of her physician’s negligence.

Washington Square: All of the objective characters are defined in large part by their social and economic situation, and it is here where problems arise. Doctor Sloper’s “easy domestic situation saved him a good deal of drudgery” (James 3), but his son and wife’s deaths have made him an unhappy widower; Catherine’s expected inheritance leaves her open to the mercenary Morris Townsend; Aunt Penniman is financially dependent upon Doctor Sloper, Aunt Almond explains to Doctor Sloper Morris Townsend’s social standing:

‘They tell me [Doctor Sloper] our gentleman [Morris Townsend] is the cousin of the little boy to whom you are about to entrust the future of your little girl.’ . . . The name is the same, but I [Mrs. Almond] am given to understand that there are Townsends and Townsends. So Arthur’s mother tells me; she talked about branches–younger branches, elder branches, inferior branches–as if it were a royal house. Arthur, it appears is of the reigning line but poor . . . [Morris] is not. (James 34-35)

Witness: The story plays out in the peace-loving Amish community, which is loath to bring in “English” such as John Book, especially when they live by the gun and fist–but the men who shot Book will come after Samuel, so they must help him; As long as the witness Samuel remains alive, the careers and criminal activities of Schaeffer and his men are endangered.

Excerpted from
Dramatica Story Development Software