Deus ex Machina?

Deus ex Machina is when something unexpected and out of nowhere saves the day. In the case of Harry Potter, someone else might "save the day," but we already saw this character earlier on, probably on numerous occasions, performing that spell, or at least practicing it, until at the very end when that character cast the spell and did it right.

That's not Deus ex Machina.

If Dumbledore were to stroll in at the last minute and wave his magic wand, then not only would that be a disappointing ending, Dumbledore would be the D e M.

In a different story, to use your example, if an MC was about to die, and at the last minute a guy walks in and says "I can save him with an operation that only I can do," and he does and the MC lives, that would be Deus ex Machina. But let's say that at the beginning of this story the MC met that guy, or at least heard about him, then later when he's dieing and someone says "Hey, how about that one guy who might be able to save him, let's call him." Then through a series of hurdles and unexpected delays, they get that guy who comes and does the operation, well, then that's NOT Deus ex Machina.

allen

Wikipedia says:

The phrase deus ex machina (Latin IPA: [ˈdeːus eks ˈmaːkʰina] (literally "god out of a machine") describes an artificial, or improbable, character, device, or event introduced suddenly in a work of fiction or drama to resolve a situation or untangle a plot (such as an angel suddenly appearing to solve problems).

I think what you are referring to in Harry Potter would not be considered deus ex machina because Harry is not saved by a random or previously unheard of character.

The "god outside of the machine" issue usually arises at the end of stories when the situation CANNOT be resolved as written without the introduction of a previously unintroduced/unfamiliar character. It means, literally, that the story (or machine) cannot be fixed (or ended in the way the author wants) without tampering with it from the outside (or adding an element from the outside).

For example, if in Lord of the Rings (either the books or the movies) the character of Gollum had only shown up at the very end (even if he had been mentioned in the history of the ring) to bite the ring off Frodo's finger and then fall into the lava, he would have been a "deus ex machina." But as written, Gollum is a central character in the story. He doesn't have to be brought in from "outside" in order to "save the day." It is believable because we know that he has been plotting to steal the Ring, we know that he has done everything he can to get it back and that the idea that Frodo will try to destroy it (or keep it for himself) will prompt him to further violence. Gollum's actions may be a twist but they are not a surprise.

The situation that you are describing from your story (cat with super spells) could also be considered to fall into this category (no pun intended) if it's only purpose in the story is to show up and rescue your MC. It doesn't matter how little or much you use the cat.

Think about Terminator 2. Arnold's character may be there only to save the life of whathisface Conner, but he functions in a bigger capacity and he is a constant presence. He doesn't just pop in and out when it seems that everything is lost.

Hope that's helpful.

BlueLucario said:

Okay, I know what Dues ex Machina is, "God of the Machine" if I'm not mistaken. . . .

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The origin of the term is that in ancient Greek drama, sometimes, when the characters got into an intractable situation, the resolution was to bring in a god, literally via a crane (the machine in question) to fix things. Hence, god from the machine. (Note: from, not of.) It was considered an inelegant solution -- in today's terms, a kludge -- and did not have a good reputation as literary technique.

(FWIW, I used a play on that phrase as the main title of my dissertation, long, long ago.)

The distinguished old A Handbook to Literature (Thrall, Hibbard, and Holman), begins its entry on Deus ex machina this way: "The employment of some unexpected and improbable incident in a story or play in order to make things come out right." It also notes, "The employment of the deus ex machina is commonly recognized as evidence of deficient skill in plot-making or an uncritical willingness to disregard the probabilities. Though it is sometimes employed by good authors, it is found most frequently in melodrama." (Pp. 136-7.)

FWIW.

Ken

Ahh, I think you've settled a worry for one of my MS's I thought is Deus Ex Machina ( quite literally a god). But as he alluded to in much of the story, and when he does turn up things get worse,until the MC does her stuff, I think I might be alright.

Phew. Thanks.

Disney's Emperor's New Groove offers an amusing example of Deus ex Machina when a character falls from a high parapet of the castle, then out of nowhere come two men hauling a trampoline and arguing over where it's supposed to go. Of course the character hits the trampoline and is saved.

Now, if Disney had somehow foreshadowed that trampoline earlier in the story, it would not be Deus ex Machina. But in this case, the Deus ex Machina was done tongue-in-cheek to rather amusing affect.

IdiotsRUs said:

But as he alluded to in much of the story, and when he does turn up things get worse,until the MC does her stuff, I think I might be alright.

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I can't remember who it was, but someone said that if a gun is going to be used in the final act, it has to be seen on the mantle in the first act (or something like that).

allen

underthecity said:

I can't remember who it was, but someone said that if a gun is going to be used in the final act, it has to be seen on the mantle in the first act (or something like that).

allen

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I think it's more to the effect of, if you show a gun on the mantle in the first act, it'd better go off by the third act.

BlueLucario said:

But a while back someone read my story, and told me that my Cat, who can cast spells is too convenient and always has a spell to solve the MC's problems.(According to him.) I don't use the cat that much. I use her occasionally.

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I think what they're pointing out here is that your heroine isn't solving the problem like she should; someone else is doing it for her. She doesn't know how to do something, so the cat conveniently provides the solution. You've said one of the things that should be done in a story is to throw obstacles in a character's path. The character failing is an obstacle; a cat doing it for her is not an obstacle.

underthecity said:

I can't remember who it was, but someone said that if a gun is going to be used in the final act, it has to be seen on the mantle in the first act (or something like that).

allen

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Chekhov wasn't it?

Anyway he's there right from the off, although the reader won't neccessarily know who he is. He's a mystery figure, kind of thing - though it's obvious someone has the power of life and death over one of the characters, it's only revealed who/what he is at the end. And then he makes everything worse for the MC.

edit: yeah Chekhov : "If in the first act you have hung a pistol on the wall, then in the following one it should be fired. Otherwise don't put it there."

Quite. The spell a person can do should be constarined by rules the reader knows. If a lottery solves the problem, the effects of winning the lottery should be a major theme of the book.

DeM originall referred to greek plays where the problems would build up and up and eventually a character playing a god would come down on a wire to save everyone one explain their mistakes. Fine for a morality play, in modern fiction however a degree of plausibility is normally required and so authors should not paint themsleves into a corner.

Having read a few bits about this just now Blue, the thought occurs to me:

With your cat, have you established the magic rules? what it costs? the limits?

If the cat can, say, only cast spells at midnight, or only certaan types of spells, or only once a day, or can cast what she likes but risks one of her legs falling off every time, that's not so bad. If it can do anything - well where's the danger to the MC?Maybe that's what he meant.

underthecity said:

I can't remember who it was, but someone said that if a gun is going to be used in the final act, it has to be seen on the mantle in the first act (or something like that).

allen

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Well THANK YOU ALLEN, sheesh now that is going to just irritate the immortal ARGH out of me until I figure out who that was, cos I remember that too
Sigh, haha.



ETA: Thanks IdiotsRus, that would have irked me. I should remember to read the whole thread before responding.

Take a look at the situations in which the cat helps the MC, is there a quid pro quo, does the cat do it for altruistic reasons or for gain? Is the MC getting into stupid situations and the cat, being smarter, gets him out? Maybe that's what your reader feels.

Just tossing stones in the pool of thought here. :}

BlueLucario said:

I don't use the cat that much. I use her occasionally.

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It's not what you do, Blue, it's what your character does.

So if she has a magical cat which casts spells, why not use that cat all the time? Why does she only use the cat occasionally?

I don't see Blue's first example as deus ex machina - it's just a poorly rounded off plot.

As I understood it, Deus ex Machina solutions are where the current desperate predicament is solved by something totally out of left field with no rhyme, reason or justification whatsoever.

Bufty said:

I don't see Blue's first example as deus ex machina - it's just a poorly rounded off plot.

As I understood it, Deus ex Machina solutions are where the current desperate predicament is solved by something totally out of left field with no rhyme, reason or justification whatsoever.

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Lightning hitting the bad guy just as the hero was going to lose? That was actually in a mystery novel I read several years ago.

Blue, if the miracle occurs with no previous religious connotations in the story and absolutely nothing hints to the reader that miracles are in the story, and the miracle ends the story -yes.

Because the solution is totally out of left field - like a GOD suddenly appearing for no reason whatsoever and fixing everything.

BlueLucario said:

Um... Well, I'm not sure if this counts but, the cat has short-term memory. When she is most depended on she forgets a spell. She won't be able to remember all the important information the MC needs. With the fight scene coming up, she will try to help Lily, but she ends up messing up and may cause her to lose the battle.

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Seems to me that this doesn't mesh what you said earlier - "my Cat, who can cast spells is too convenient and always has a spell to solve the MC's problems".

Either the cat solves the main character's problems - which is not good, because the main character should solve her own problems - or the cat makes things worse for the main character. The latter has pitfalls of its own, but isn't as bad as the former to me.