Thinking Theme by William Bernhardt

Author:William Bernhardt [Bernhardt, William]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-9993420-8-4
Publisher: Babylon Books

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Effective Subplotting

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In the previous chapter, I discussed using symbols to indicate theme. Another way to get there—without announcing it in so many words—is through subplots. Too often, writers use subplots to complicate (or lengthen) the story. I want my characters to be more complex, so let me add a personal trauma. Or I’m afraid the story drags, so let me add a sex scene (requiring a partner, a shower, etc.). Subplots should deepen the characters and the tale. But you can also use subplots to heighten the theme in ways that aren’t telling but will be perceived by most readers.

Subplots can emphasize theme.

The father figures in all the various subplots of Cruel Justice helped reinforce the theme. John Mortimer used essentially the same approach in his Rumpole stories. The main plot and subplots were thematic mirrors of one another. For that matter, the same linkage appears in almost every episode of Rick and Morty. The SF story involving the title characters is connected thematically to the domestic story involving the parents or sister. Can you do this in your story? Once you’ve recognized what the central theme might be, it will be easier to create parallels in your subplots without doing anything forced or unnatural. Subplots should relate back to the main plot in some way. This is an extension of the same idea. In addition to relating to the plot, the subplots will also relate to the central theme.

Let me use another great film as an example: Tootsie. This is a terrific comedy that, given the depth of its exploration of gender identity issues, was well ahead of its time. The movie revels in its gender roles, gender stereotypes, gender confusion—all working together to reinforce the central theme. As you may recall, the actor played by Dustin Hoffman disguises himself as a woman to get work on a soap opera. Ultimately, he discovers that being a woman has made him a better man. But there’s much more than that happening. He has a girlfriend, played by Teri Garr, and becoming a woman helps him understand why he has been such a poor boyfriend. He develops a relationship with Jessica Lange—who only likes him as a woman. Her father wants to marry him. The soap’s leading man wants to seduce him. And he has to deal with sexual harassment from a director. None of these subplots was chosen by accident. All draw attention to the central thematic questions. What does it mean to be a man? What does it mean to be a woman?

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