The algebra of the protagonist: sustainability, normativity and storytelling

Figures & data

Table 1. Want, Need, Lie and Ghost from Creating Character Arcs (Weiland 2016).

Story	Want	Need	Lie	Ghost
Thor	Be king	Humility and compassion	Might makes right	His father’s promise he would be King
Jane Eyre	Be loved	Spiritual freedom	Love is earned through servitude	Jane’s Aunt’s refusal to love her
Jurassic Park	Study dinosaur bones alone	Protect the future of life instead of the history	Kids are not worth the trouble	(unstated)
Toy Story	Be Andy’s favourite toy	Share Andy’s love	Your only worth is in being the favourite	Knowledge of what happens to unloved toys
What about Bob?	Be cured of mental problems	Be loved for who he is	People only pay attention to you if they think you are crazy	A divorce
A Christmas Carol	Money	Love of fellow humans	A man’s worth is measured by money	Unloving father

Weiland, K. M. 2016. Creating Character Arcs.

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