Nayani Vijayaratnam

1How are protagonists represented in The Maze Runner (2014) and The Anomaly (2014)?

In this essay, I will be analysing the ways in which the protagonist are represented through the use of the four micro elements and how they may or may not fit the generic conventions of a protagonist.

The Maze Runner was originally a novel written by James Dashner, which was then rewritten by Noah Oppenheim, Grant Myers and T.S Nowlin in order to be made into a film directed by Wes Ball (2014). It is an American action, adventure, thriller and science fiction film with a BBFC certification of 12A.The main consists of Dylan O’Brien and Kaya Scodelario.

The narrative follows the male protagonist Thomas (Dylan O’Brien) who wakes up trapped in a maze with a group of other boys who call themselves Gladers. None of them have any memories of their lives before the maze, other than dreams about a secret organization called The W.C.K.D. The audience follow as Thomas, with the help of some of the Gladers, pieces together his past in order to find a way to escape the maze. The narrative of The Maze Runner supports Levi Strauss’s theory of binary oppositions, as there is a clear theme of good vs evil. This is presented to the audience through the idea of The Gladers vs The W.C.K.D. This also fits the generic conventions of an action adventure film, as there is danger (The Grievers) due to a dangerous a band of villains. (The W.C.K.D)

Throughout the film the audience witness several different representations of the protagonists such as inferior, strong, knowledgeable etc. In the opening scene of The Maze Runner, Thomas is represented as inferior to the other Gladers. The audience is able to identify this through the use of cinematography. A low angle shot is used to show the other Gladers looking down at Thomas, which represents him as subordinate. His weakness is further highlighted by the use of diegetic sound of laughter from which the audience can infer that the Gladers are mocking Thomas. Furthermore, his vulnerability is emphasised by the use of a medium close up shot, from which the audience are able to recognize the fear and anxiety he feels through his facial expressions. His fear and anxiety is emphasised by the use of diegetic sound of panting and breathing, which also creates tension as the audience anticipate what will happen next. This representation of Thomas is a countertype, as you would not expect a male protagonist to be fragile.

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Alby, the leader of the Gladers is represented as superior. This is shown to the audience through a wide shot of Alby on the ladder looking down at Thomas. From this the audience can infer that Alby is powerful. Moreover, in the shot the audience only sees him and not Thomas, which highlights his authority and importance. This representation of Alby is aided by the use of diegetic dialogue of ‘Do you understand me, Greenie?’ The demanding and serious tone in which he says this, shows his authority over Thomas and represents him as dominant. The audience sees this dialogue through the use of a focus pull from Thomas to Alby, which highlights his supremacy as the audience attention is only on him. In addition to this, the non-diegetic music fades away as Alby says this, which stresses the seriousness of what he is saying as well as his power and control. This is aided by the slow paced editing used in this scene, which allows the audience to follow the conversation between Alby and Thomas and further emphasises the importance of what Alby is saying. This is a stereotype, as you would expect a male protagonist to be strong and authorative.

Theresa, the female protagonist, is represented as aggressive and resilient. This is shown to the audience as she throws rocks at the rest of the Gladers, to keep them from climbing the tower. The mise-en-scene of rocks emphasises the violence and her strength, as they are hard objects that could seriously injure the Gladers. Cinematography is used to represent her as a predominant character. A high angle shot of the Gladers covering is used which allows the audience to identify her superiority and might, as there is one of her and a group of them. This is followed by a wide shot of Theresa, which represents her as fierce. The mise-en-scene of a knife represents her as powerful yet this is contrasted with her positioning, as she is sitting down, which represents her as insecure and vulnerable. This represents Theresa as a countertype as she is strong which is what the audience would expect from a male protagonist, not a female. However, this could be counter-argued as she does portray representations expected of a female such as fragility and weakness, in which case, Theresa would be considered a stereotypical female protagonist.

3As the story develops so does Thomas and the audience witness him grow from a weak and fragile character to someone who is strong and fits the stereotypical ideas of a male protagonist. In the ending scene, Thomas is represented as dominant. The audience is able to identify this through the use

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of a wide shot, as he is positioned in front of the rest of the Gladers, which shows his superiority. This also represents him as protective and loyal as he does this in order to make sure Gally doesn’t hurt anyone else. In addition to this, he is represented as rational which the audience is able to recognize from the diegetic dialogue of ‘we can help you just put down the gun.’ This emphasises the representation of loyalty, as from this the audience are able to infer that Thomas is understanding and doesn’t want to leave Gally behind to die. This represents Thomas as a stereotypical male protagonist as he is shown to be loyal and strong, rather than disloyal and frail, which is what the audience would expect from a male protagonist. However, it could be argued that Thomas is still a countertype of a male protagonist as he is represented as being weak due to the fact that Gally has a gun, which connotes power and violence, in comparison to Thomas who has nothing to protect or defend himself with. This is presented to the audience through the use of a focus pull from the gun to Thomas. This can also be linked to Levi Strauss’s idea of binary oppositions, as there is the idea of Thomas vs Gally, who thinks that they belong to the maze in comparison to Thomas who believes that they are free.

The Anomaly was written by Simon Lewis and was directed and co-produced by Noel Clarke, who also stars in the film. It is a British action, sci-fi and thriller film with a BBFC certification of 15.The main cast includes Ian Somerhalder and Alexis Knapp.

The film is about an ex soldier, Ryan Reeve, who has less than 10 minutes to figure out why a conspiracy known as The Anomaly want him dead. He does this with the help of a kidnapped young boy named Alex and Dana, who he saves from a brothel. The film follows Levi Strauss’s theory of binary oppositions, as there is the idea of good vs evil, which is presented to the audience through the idea of Ryan Reeve vs The Anomaly.

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In the opening scene, Ryan is represented as compassionate towards Alex; this is shown to the audience through the use of diegetic dialogue of ‘hey, you okay?’ His sympathetic tone highlights the care he shows towards the young

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boy. His concern towards the boy is further highlighted through the use of a close up shot in which the audience is able to recognize his facial expressions of empathy. In addition to this, Ryan is represented as protective, which the audience is able to identify through the use of cinematography. A two shot of Ryan and Alex is shown in which the audience are able to see Ryan holding onto Alex’s hand, from which the audience can infer that Ryan is caring. This is followed by a fight scene, which represents Ryan as strong. This is shown to the audience through the use of slow motion which emphasises Ryan’s’ actions and power. His dominance is further highlighted through the diegetic sound of grunting in pain from the antagonists from which the audience can infer that Ryan’s attacks were strong and therefore representing him as mighty. Ryan’s authority, in this scene, is further highlighted through the use of a long shot in which the audience can see the antagonist below Ryan, this emphasises his superiority. This fits the stereotypical idea of a male protagonist as Ryan is represented as resilient and dominant.

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Dana, the female protagonist, is represented as inferior to Ryan. The audience is able to identify this through the use of a two shot which shows Ryan with his hands around her neck. From this the audience can infer that

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she is helpless as Ryan is overpowering her. Her weakness is further highlighted through the use of diegetic dialogue of ‘You’re going to do what I tell you’, which also represents Dana as submissive as she does not posses the power to challenge Ryan. Dana is a stereotype as she is represented as fragile, which is what the audience would expect of a female protagonist.

The narrative of The Anomaly links to Vladimir Propp’s theory of the seven types of characters, which he believes are present within every film. Dana identifies as the damsel in distress/ princess as she is trapped in the brothel run by foreigners. The audience is able to identify this through the diegetic dialogue of ‘I’m never allowed to leave, Sergio owns me’. From this dialogue the audience are also able to recognize that Sergio owns the brothel and therefore identifies as the villain in relation to the theory. Ryan identifies as the hero, which the audience are able to acknowledge from the diegetic dialogue of ‘I’m going to handle Sergio’ which was in response to Dana. Although Sergio identifies as the villain, The Anomaly organization run by Harkin Langham is recognized as the major villain as he is responsible for majority of evil events that have occurred for example, the death of Alex’s mum.

In both The Maze Runner and The Anomaly, the directors use the micro elements in similar ways in order to create different representations of the protagonists within the film. They both successfully do this, mainly, through the use of sound and cinematography, as this seems to be the most effective way to create different representations. Both films have strong male protagonists, which means that there is a strong theme of power and dominance within both films. This is not the same for the female protagonists within the films as Theresa is a countertype and Dana is a stereotype, which means that while The Maze Runner has a strong theme of superiority from a female, The Anomaly doesn’t.