Situations 27&28
COMPETITION AND CONCESSION

“You wish to find out a person’s weak points? Note the failings he has the quickest eye for in others. They may not be the very failings he is himself conscious of; but they will be their next-door neighbors. No man keeps such a jealous lookout as a rival.”

–A.W. HARE AND D.C. HARE

Competition

Competition is the act of seeking, or endeavoring to gain, what another is endeavoring to gain at the same time; common strife for the same objects; strife for superiority; rivalry.

This situation requires an Exceptional Person, an Adversary, and an Object.

This situation is somewhat similar to the last situation (Enmity of Kinsman) in that two people are competing for something, but it is different in the fact that enmity is a type of hatred and the characters in this situation don’t necessarily hate each other. In fact, in some cases they may enjoy the competition.

There are three types of Competition: Jealous Competition, Threatened Competition (usually between Superior and Inferior), and Desirous Competition (usually between two Ambitious people).

In Jealous Competition, two characters compete for the same Object. It’s as if they have been waiting years to put one over on each other. They just need an excuse to engage in a battle, and almost any battle will do. Think of two brothers who haven’t seen each other for a while coming home for Thanksgiving dinner. Old rivalries may rear their ugly head as the two compete for mother’s attention at the dinner table. Perhaps they will see who can eat the most food.

Whatever the Object they seem to be seeking, in the end it may be completely forgotten if the Object was just a vehicle to get them into a conflict. They may fight over a woman but in the end may hardly care about her. They desire a fight more than they desire the reward. Both parties are equally jealous in this case from the start.

Rivalry in this situation is a pretext to the darker feelings that may lie beneath the surface of the rivals. This situation thus breeds a tragic ending, usually leaving the Object fought for unclaimed, though sometimes the Object is completely destroyed as their jealousy turns to envy (“If I can’t have it, no one will!”).

Threatened Competition covers competition that is between one who is an expert in the field of the Competition and one who is a novice in it. They are usually not related though they may be very close—before the Competition, that is.

The rivalry between them is usually started by the Inferior One. As she does better and better for herself she will gain the notice of the Superior One, who may then feel threatened by her.

Several relationship types can work for this, such as:

• Immortal Being and Mortal Being

• Magician/Sorceress and Ordinary Man

• Conqueror and Conquered

• King and Noble

• Teacher and Student

• Rich One and Poor One

• Honored Man and Suspected One

• Queen and Servant

• Scientist and Uneducated

• Book Smart Person and Street Smart Person (depends on Competition)

In Desirous Competition two ambitious people, who may be equally matched, are shooting for the same objective or goal at the same time. Once a desire is sparked within each person, it is only fueled more by the competition. As soon as one sees the other is interested, desires rise ever higher—especially if it is mingled with sincerity of a faith or a conviction. There are so many types of desire to pursue:

• Power

• Honor

• Fortune

• Glory

• Fame

• Distinction

THE EXCEPTIONAL PERSON

The Exceptional Person is the one who seems to be in possession of the Object, or at least close to possessing it. He seems to be on top of it all, yet he is not happy. He can feel the presence of the Adversary and therefore cannot truly enjoy his prize. He may not even want this prize. The mere fact that the Adversary wants it may make him want it. He is obsessed with the Adversary:

• What is he doing?

• Where is he going?

• What will he think?

• Does he want this?

• I want him to see me with it.

He may think his life would be better without the Adversary but he almost needs him to “feed” off of. They have a dependent relationship.

THE ADVERSARY

The Adversary is equally obsessed with the Exceptional Person:

• Why does he have it?

• How did he get it?

• I deserve it more!

• I’ll show him, I’ll take it and smash it to pieces.

• Who does he think he is?

The Adversary has more motivation to compete with the Exceptional Person because he has nothing to lose at this point, while the Exceptional Person has everything to lose. The Adversary will take any chance that comes his way, however small, to become the Exceptional Person. If he works really hard, he may actually earn and deserve the reward. If he resorts to trickery or any other manner of immoral device, the feud will continue endlessly. The two parties will never trust each other again.

Our sympathies may lie with either the Exceptional Person or the Adversary depending on the circumstandces.

Whether Competition is used as plot, subplot, or incident, the elements of the beginning, middle, and end are the same:

BEGINNING: The Exceptional Person seems to obtain the Object desired. The Adversary finds out.

• What is the Object? Do they really care about it or is it just a symbol to them?

• Are other people impressed by the Exceptional Person? How does this make the Adversary feel?

• Does the Adversary react right away or bide his time in secret?

• Does the Exceptional Person flaunt his “winnings”?

• Is anyone on the side of the Adversary?

• Are there any shady characters around who would like to exploit or aggravate the situation for their own benefit?

MIDDLE: The Adversary carries out his plan to win the Object and get back at the Exceptional Person.

• At what point does he make his intentions known to the Exceptional Person?

• How does the Exceptional Person react?

• If the Object is a person, what does she think about it?

• Will the rest of the family take sides?

• How far is the Adversary willing to go?

• What type of obstacles will the Adversary face? Will they escalate?

• Do the Exceptional Person and Adversary switch places for a while, with the Adversary becoming the Exceptional Person?

END: The Adversary and Exceptional Person have a “showdown” of sorts.

• Do they forget completely about the Object sought?

• Who wins? Or do they both fail?

• Do they learn anything from the experience? Are they better people in the end?

• What happens to the family as a unit?

• Do any other characters influence the outcome to their advantage?

• Does something life changing happens for one of the Rivals, making this feud seem silly? (She could find out she’s having a baby or be diagnosed with a fatal disease.)

“Many people believe that humility is the opposite of pride, when, in fact, it is a point of equilibrium. The opposite of pride is actually a lack of selfesteem. A humble person is totally different from a person who cannot recognize and appreciate himself as part of the world’s marvels.”

–RABINO NILTON BONDER

Concession

To Concede means to yield, grant, or surrender.

In this situation, the Exceptional Person becomes the Sacrificer. He willingly allows the Adversary to win the Object sought. He sees how much the Adversary needs this win, not just the Object itself. The actual process of winning is what can foster growth in the Adversary.

The Sacrificer is comfortable with who he is. He is grateful for what he has and sees it as his duty to help others. There may be those around him who do not like the Adversary and try to get the Sacrificer to fight with him.

In the end it doesn’t work unless the Adversary pushes things too far and completely tries to humiliate and embarrass the Sacrificer. If he crosses that imaginary line the Sacrificer may, temporarily, turn into the Exceptional Person and fight it out a bit. Sooner or later he sees the truth behind the Adversary’s antics and vows to help him before he self-destructs.

The Sacrificer has much more power than the Adversary and can afford to give up an Object or two. He may receive benefits from his sacrifice if others see how altruistic he is being.

The conflict comes from the Adversary’s self-destructive nature. Perhaps the Adversary has no self-esteem at all and cannot comprehend someone doing something out of the goodness of his heart—the Sacrificer has to be lying, he thinks to himself.

Whether Concession is used as plot, subplot, or incident, the elements of the beginning, middle, and end are the same:

BEGINNING: The Adversary and Sacrificer paths cross. They may already know each other.

• How long have they known each other? Do they live together?

• How did they meet?

• Is either of them happy to see the other?

• Have they always had the same interests, hobbies, or objectives?

• What does the Adversary want?

• Does the Sacrificer care anymore about the objective?

MIDDLE: The Adversary makes his objective known. The Sacrificer reacts.

• Will the Sacrificer fight with the Adversary at first?

• How long will this go on?

• Will the Sacrificer rise above the situation? Why? What’s different?

• Is the Adversary a lot younger and inexperienced compared to the Sacrificer? Will this influence the Sacrificer’s decision to concede?

• What is at stake for the Sacrificer? The Adversary?

• Is the Adversary being pushed or controlled by someone else into doing this? Is his life at stake?

END: The Sacrificer concedes to the Adversary and feels better for it.

• Will the Adversary know the Sacrificer ”gave it” to him? Will this make him angry?

• Will the Adversary’s pride be hurt?

• How will the other characters feel about this?

• Has the Adversary gained or learned anything from this?

• How has their relationship changed? Is it over, or stronger?

EXAMPLES

Wall Street, OLIVER STONE

COMPETITION AS SUBPLOT— Bud Fox is a Wall Street stockbroker with a strong desire to get to the top. He meets with his idol, Gordon Gekko, who tells him, “Greed is good.” Taking this advice and working closely with Gekko, Fox soon finds himself swept into a world of shady business deals. He turns the tables on Gekko.

Adam’s Rib, GEORGE CUKOR

COMPETITION AS PLOT— Married lawyers Adam and Amanda Bonner find themselves on opposite sides of the courtroom. Adam is prosecuting a high-profile murder case. Amanda acts as the defense attorney.

A League of Their Own, PENNY MARSHALL

CONCESSION AS INCIDENT— Two sisters join the first female professional baseball league and struggle to keep it afloat. Dottie lets Kit win the last game to help her self-esteem.

Casablanca, MICHAEL CURTIZ

CONCESSION AS INCIDENT— Rick Blaine’s world is turned upside down when his lost love returns. On several occasions he allows people to win money and arguments with him to achieve his goals. He sets aside his feelings and competitive nature and allows his love to have the documents she seeks, even though there is nothing for him to gain from it but trouble.