Theme

8-11-12

 

Before I go any farther with this, I need to get a few more things sorted out: POV, theme, and setting.

 

I’m a little conflicted about POV. I would really like to do this all in one POV, but I totally hate to miss out on either Jael’s or Hitch’s narrative. If I nix Jael, I lose a ton of Storming stuff—and, really, it’s her and her relation to the dawsedometer that drives the story.

But I adore Hitch and all his thorny inner problems. I could probably tell the whole story without his POV, but the truth is I don’t want to.

I feel like Hitch has more internal conflict and theme-related stuff to provide.

Let’s look at that the thematic question for both their perspectives.

 

Weakness: Jael is insecure and doubts herself and her self-worth.

 

Who is she hurting: Herself, possibly Storming in general since she’s not believing in herself enough to fight back against Zlo (or the Engine Masters’ oppression), maybe Seb in the sense that she’s not standing up for him.

 

How can Jael “hurt” the people on the ground?

 

What does she want? Freedom to have adventures outside Storming and to be loved—and worthy of love.

 

Maybe she decides to stay ground side and abandon Storming because that’s how she gets what she wants.

 

What does she need? To be brave, to seize her opportunity to live up to her potential and go after her dreams. (She’s physically very brave—just not emotionally.)

 

What does she know at the beginning? That the world is a dangerous place, and that she is young and inexperienced and not good enough to handle it.

 

What is she wrong about in the beginning? She thinks her self-worth is tied up in externals and that her personal value and worthiness of love is based on her actions and her ability to excel.

 

What will she learn at the end? That she’s more capable than she knows. That she can be as big and brave as she needs to be. And that she is someone worth loving.

 

Her central problem: The realization that this ability and responsibility to act bravely and righteously isn’t a gift but a choice—and that she can do whatever she sets her mind to, under God.

 

Thematic principle: Force an insecure, sheltered, lonely young woman into a position in which she must act responsibly and bravely—or prove to herself that she is just as worthless as she’s always believed.

 

Theme: The ability to act responsibly and rightly is a choice we all have, not a gift only some of us are given.

 

And now Hitch…

 

Weakness: He’s an irresponsible wanderer, who has always put himself before his responsibilities to others. He lacks the moral fortitude to stick with the hard things.

 

Who is he hurting? Celia, Walter, the Carpenters, Griff, his dad.

 

What does he want? He wants a successful flying circus.

 

What does he need? To find something bigger than himself for which to live his life.

 

What does he know at the beginning? That responsibility is a chain that holds him down—and that he’ll inevitably break it and in so breaking, hurt others.

 

What is he wrong about in the beginning? That freedom is more fulfilling than the hard work and responsibility of loving relationships.

 

What will he learn at the end? That to find a life worth living, he has to stop running and risk everything by committing to a cause worth dying for (saving Storming and being a father and husband).

 

Central problem: The conundrum that in order to find true freedom of spirit (including redemption) he has to stop running and embrace the anchor of responsibility.

 

Thematic principle: Saddle a chronically irresponsible flyboy with a son he didn’t know he had and force him to choose between abandoning his son again and committing himself to a lifestyle of responsibility.

 

Theme: Responsibility is more fulfilling than freedom.

 

• Jael’s internal conflict is going to be her being torn between taking the easy route out and abandoning Storming—and pursuing her own dreams—or finding the moral courage to do what’s right.

 

Same for Hitch more or less. He has to choose between continuing with his freewheeling barnstorming lifestyle—or doing the right thing in taking responsibility for Walter.

 

• Jael’s views of herself and her abilities and limitations will change.

 

Hitch’s views about his responsibility to others will change.

 

• Jael will realize, once Zlo’s attack escalates, that if she doesn’t put up a fight, no one else will.

 

Hitch will fall in love with both Walter and Jael. Jael’s courage and commitment will influence him, even as his bravery will inspire her.

 

• In the beginning, Jael will be timid and uncertain of herself (helped by her limited English). She will be content to stay safe with the hidden dawsedometer in Scottsbluff, rather than take the fight to Zlo.

 

Hitch will be cocky, self-centered, and snarky—and intent on doing things the easy way (taking Campbell’s job and ignoring his family).

 

• At the end, Jael will have risked her life to save Storming, Scottsbluff, and Walter. In so doing, she will embrace her own abilities and her responsibility to use them.

 

Hitch will have stuck with Jael in her life-threatening battle. And he will remain in Scottsbluff to take care of Walter.

 

• The dawsedometer could be symbolic of Jael’s responsibility to take down Zlo.

 

Her key pendant could be symbolic of her memory and duty to her father.

 

The sky could be symbolic of freedom, and the ground could be symbolic of responsibility.

 

Don’t ever refer outright to freedom or responsibility.