Life Imitating Art: The Trump Story Arc, Act 1
As somebody with an interest in story writing, I've noticed that Trump's rise to the forefront of American politics features many of the essential elements of a well-crafted story with a very specific kind of character arc – the flat character arc.
The following is a (modified) excerpt from a website that explains what a flat character arc is (1):
In a flat character arc, the hero of the story does not change. He already has the Truth figured out in the beginning of the story, and he uses that Truth to help him overcome various external tests. In a flat character arc, the normal world is a less-than-ideal place, which has been cursed by a great Lie. The hero will use his Truth to destroy this evil world and build a better one in its place.
Sounds eerily familiar, doesn't it? What could this 'Truth' be? Perhaps it's the fact that America is not as great as it once was. Perhaps it's the fact that America has serious problems with illegal immigration, corruption, and terrorism, and these are issues that the establishment does not want the public to think about. When Trump openly speaks the truth about these issues, and promises to make America great again, he is confronting the great Lie.
The hero will be confronted with tremendous opposition. He will at times be shaken. His commitment to the Truth will be tested to the breaking point, but he will never waver from it.
Huh. That sounds a lot like Trump, doesn't it? As soon as he speaks the truth, the establishment and their mainstream media henchmen viciously attack him by accusing him of racism, sexism and Islamaphobia. Despite all this, Trump never wavers from the truth. He stands firm and continues to trumpet his message.
He will experience little inner conflict and will not change significantly as a person – although he may sometimes change externally. The end-result is not “better” or more than the starting point, just different. He has simply gained a new set of skills or assumed a new position... or a different vocation.
It's clear that the Trump of today, nearing the end of the election cycle, is the same Trump at the beginning of his candidacy. He is not a man who has experienced a grand inner conflict leading to a change in what he believes to be true. He still has the 'Truth', but he has also learned something from his journey. He has learned to be more presidential. And, if his story arc plays out according to the usual narrative structure, he will have a different vocation by the end of his arc. He will be the next President of the United States of America... as long as his story arc doesn't turn from an epic into a tragedy.
In contrast, a positive character arc is one where the protagonist starts with a lie, and then comes to realize the truth at the end of the story. A positive character arc is about self-redemption. A flat character arc is about saving others. In a negative character arc, the protagonist ends up destroying himself and/or others in the process. Here, the protagonist either starts with the truth and rejects it in favour of the lie, starts with a lie and doubles down on the lie, or starts with a lie and realizes that the truth is tragic. Keep this in mind as we delve further in the Trump story arc.
Trump Story Arc, Act 1
The first act of any story must have the following elements (2):
Inciting incident. This is the moment when the dramatic conflict announces itself. It's the first perception of the predicament to come.
Trump's announcement of his candidacy fits the description of the inciting incident because this moment sets up the conflict to come. It is at this moment that Trump is taken out of his normal world (hosting the Apprentice, being a businessman and a civilian) and is thrust into the world of politics. During the inciting incident, the character is not yet locked into the conflict. He still has the option to back out, or in Trump's case, to drop out of the race.
Objective. What is the goal of our protagonist? This should be very specific, very clear. How badly does he/she want something and what are the lengths he/she is willing to go to get it?
This one's easy. Make America Great Again. Trump is willing to sacrifice everything to achieve this goal. He's putting up his own money. He's sacrificing time with his family (and new born grandchild). He's turning many former friends and colleagues (fellow members of the establishment) into enemies, which would negatively impact his businesses.
The stakes. The stakes have to be clear in order to show the audience how and why this tension is important to them, or – more importantly – what will happen if the character does not solve his/her problem. It should be huge – a matter of life and death.
Oh yeah, the stakes are huuuge. If Trump fails, then according to the narrative, the Republic will never again be what it once was. It will never again know prosperity. It will never again know freedom. It will collapse in financial and economic ruin, and the values and liberties unique to America and the West will forever be lost as more and more people with incompatible values enter the country and overtake the democratic system with sheer force of numbers.
Lock-in. The first act concludes once the main character is locked into the conflict, propelling him/her forward on a new quest to accomplish a specific goal. This is the point of no return.
I would identify Trump's speech (the infamous 'Mexico is sending their worst' speech) as the lock-in. Up until this point, people haven't taken him too seriously. Many believe he's running as a joke or as a publicity stunt. Trump could have backed down and played along with this narrative. However, when he gives his speech about illegal immigration, this is the moment when he breaks the first of many sacred 'Lies' – the lie that accepting millions of illegal immigrants from Mexico is good for America and that it is the morally righteous thing to do. His Truth galvanizes much of the Republican and independent voter base to support his candidacy. The establishment and their media attack dogs immediately besiege him with an unending barrage of vicious slurs. Trump is now locked into this conflict as there is now too much momentum for him to turn back.
The stage is now set for a long, bitter, and epic fight for the future of the American Republic. Please stay tuned for Act 2 of Trump's epic story arc. In Act 2, you will learn how the pattern that his story arc has followed thus far (as of October 22nd of 2016) might help us predict the outcome in the last and final Act of his epic story arc.
References:
(1)http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/flat-character-arc-1/
(2)http://thescriptlab.com/screenwriting/structure/three-acts/55-act-one-the-beginning