Dissection of Plot Device

Definition of Plot Device

Plot device(s) may be seen as 'object(s) of power'. George Lucas called R2-D2 'the main driving force of the film. He called it 'the MacGuffin' (the term MacGuffin was popularised by Hitchcock meaning 'plot device'). In the words of Lucas, 'it's the object everybody is searching for'.

A plot device is a technique in narrative used to move the plot forward. This is a terribly difficult thing to do well but awfully important to do so. They need to be perfectly crafted and woven into the plot to such a degree that, in a way, they become one with each other. Harmony. They may not be separated. If they are ill-thought-out separate entities, the reader will lose the suspension of disbelief and become annoyed at the evident failure of your plot, story, and writing.

Understanding and Examples of Plot Devices

Do not fall into the grave known as deus ex machina (literally meaning 'God from the machine'). This comes from Greek plays, where an actor would come on as a god at the end of the play to resolve all problems of the plot.

The first man to fight against this nonsense was Aristotle. Aristotle made it quite clear that he hated such things and that a well-crafted plot [story] would not need such machina. Aristotle gave us the notion that, in fact, the resolution of a plot must arise internally and naturally, following the prior events/incidents (acts) of the plot/story. This, we know as the three-act structure, where the plot is a matter of cause-and-effect. Act I leads naturally into Act II, and Act II leads naturally into Act III, thus, the beginning is intertwined with the end.

Now, the moment I said 'object of power', most likely, the great plot device came to mind... the One Ring. Tolkien created a perfect plot device here. In fact, 'plot device' is rather indistinguishable from 'object of power' (or desire). The One Ring is the archetypical plot device. It is the definition of plot device. Naturally, therefore, we would all soon be living in the shadow of Tolkien, so they say. But, in truth, we are not because Tolkien didn't invent the plot device/object of power or desire. Most fiction used such things. From The Odyssey and Jason and the Argonauts to Arthurian Legend to Star Wars to His Dark Materials and Harry Potter to Percy Jackson and just about every other book and film.

Indeed, Harry Potter himself is a plot device rather than a character, in many ways. The Philosopher's Stone from HP is, of course, 'the MacGuffin' [plot device], and then she has her 'objects of power' in form of 'Horcuxes', as Jason had the Golden Fleece and Tolkien had the Rings of Power. Again, perfect understanding and use of plot device by these writers.

I don't use the term 'MacGuffin' since you only ever hear it in film-making and it's different in the purely Hitchcockian sense as opposed to the general sense of 'plot device'. For writing, we must stay with the terms plot device/object of power or desire.

Dissection of Plot Device

For further understanding and insight, let's dissect the 'plot device'.

First, we must notice that there are many types of plot devices. We have the 'character [plot] device' (such as Harry Potter) and we have the set of ordinary plot devices. Again, we have deus ex machina, but we also have the object of power or desire, and the red herring plot device, and also the 'plot voucher'. I assume, we only need to go into a few of these devices. In reverse order, then.

Plot Voucher

This is a term coined by Nick Lowe. It means an object which is typically given to the protagonist before an action which allows them to escape from a seemingly impossible situation.

Done poorly this is similar to deus ex machina, only, it's the secular version, where instead of using a god to get you out of your [plot] mess, you've used an object or weapon of some kind. Of course, it could purely be for dramatic reasons and artistic. But, Aristotle won't be happy if you fail with your plot voucher.

James Bond is a good -- or bad, depending on your view -- example of using the plot voucher. A lot.

Speaking of Lowe and Tolkien, Lowe said, [of Tolkien's plot device the One Ring] 'Tolkien, on the whole, gets away with the trick by minimising the arbitrariness of the ring's plot-power and putting more stress than his imitators on the way the ring's power moulds the character of its wielder and vice-versa.'

Red Herring

The red herring plot device is something which misleads or distracts from important information or characters. It could literally be a logical fallacy or it could be a literary device which leads readers towards false conclusions.

You see this mostly in mystery/crime fiction. The typical example is when facts are presented so that the reader is tricked into thinking that a given character is the murderer when it is actually another character.

Character Device

You may have two forms of character devices. The first is in the sense of Harry Potter and the second is in the sense of him being a character voucher plot device, where an antagonist/protagonist spy, suddenly or magically appears to reveal secret information which leads the hero to victory. Once again, unless you do the character voucher perfectly, it's going to turn out horribly.

The former sense and, to my mind, the main sense of the term, is that of a character vehicle or vessel. Harry Potter is both a character and merely a plot device. He is our eyes to the world. He is that by which we view the plot. He is in the world, so we can be. He's just 'us' or 'you' in a fictional, exaggerated way. It was, indeed, quite genius of Jo to make it this way. But, she did not invent this method, either. You will notice that in urban-low or urban-high fantasy it is common for this typical hero's journey, where a boy or girl (or young man or woman) enters from his or her small, normal world, into a new massive, magical or different world. And, indeed, it's true even for high fantasy. Tolkien did it. Lewis did it. Rowling did it. Pullman did it. Lucas did it. Collins did it. Riordan did it. It seems bloody everybody does it.

Please note that there are more types and more so in science fiction. I will note one more, mostly seen in science fiction. It is that of the 'language device'. It's a way in which they (typically the humans of the world/galaxy) are able to translate alien languages into English. Of course, this is purely so, we the readers or viewers can understand it. Doctor Who does this with the TARDIS' 'telepathic field' [universal translator].

Also, see 'plot twist' and 'literary technique' as a whole.