Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Tuesday Tropes: Save The Cat


Actions speak louder than words. I said that last week, didn't I? Goes to show just how true that statement is. If you want people to like your characters, it only makes sense to have them do good and benevolent things.

Save The Cat - used to establish a character as a hero, or one that we're supposed to like, by acts of kindness or by risking their life for another. This trope is known as Pet The Dog for "bad" characters.


This trope is the polar opposite of Kick The Dog.

Superman literally does this in the 1978 film (with a good example of Kick The Dog just seconds later).

Sounds simple enough, right? Save a helpless animal. Assist the elderly across the street. Slip some coin into a beggar's mug. Endless possibilities. But things get interesting when Pet The Dog comes into play. This is typically used to show the audience that a villain (or someone with bad intentions) has a soft side, and may redeem their wrongdoing by the end of the story.

Remember this? A thief watches a passenger plane go down, he goes inside to steal stuff, and ends up rescuing many of its passengers. The rest of the movie focuses on proving that this fellow did the rescuing, all because he gave his shoe to a hobo. I'd tell you more, but that would be a spoiler.

It's funny, if you think about it. Dogs are loyal, but we kick them. Cats are selfish, but we save them. Interesting times we live in, right?

Have you saved a cat in your writing? Or have you ever pet the dog? Was it a small thing or a big deal?

I'm David, and did I perpetuate animal stereotypes?

*DPK runs for the hills*

31 comments:

  1. I really enjoyed your post. I think "pet the dog" instances often help make an antagonist three-dimensional, even if there's no attempt to rehabilitate the character in the end.

    Another "pet the dog" strategy that I like is when the antagonist has a "good" goal, but becomes so obsessed by it that he/she becomes evil.

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  2. LOL. Too funny, DPK. Great observations! ;)

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  3. "Pet the dog" is a far more interesting trope than it's "Save the cat" counterpart. When a "bad" guy does something good, and a "good" guy does something bad, it adds another layer to the story.

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  4. That's one of my favorites! It's definitely saved my main character from being completely unlikeable.

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  5. I just realized I managed to do this in my wip without really thinking about it. *sigh* I think I need to come up with something more interesting about my MC!

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  6. I think that's why Dr. Horrible's Sing-a-Long Blog is so funny. The villain is the protagonist who has a soft spot for the girl at the laundromat and wants to rule the world for almost noble reasons. While the hero is a selfish jerk who goes out of his way to steal Dr. Horrible's love interest and make the villain look bad. The hero's actions make the villain more willing to commit violence. "Brand New Day" is the song that highlights that the most.

    And I saw Hero on tv when I was high school. I really felt for Hoffman's character. Heroes sometimes appear out of the unlikeliest people. Han Solo wasn't a hero either, had the wrong reasons for helping the Republic--okay, for helping Leia--but the act sucked him onto the hero route anyway.

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  7. It's been forever since I saw the movie 'Hero' that was a great flick!

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  8. The bad guy who turns into a hero makes for an interesting story! The hero with flaws makes a great character too.

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  9. All I can think about now is Hellboy rescuing the box of kittens (yes, I know he's already the good guy, but he's also a demon)

    Plus I think labelling all cats as selfish is very unfair. If you've ever owned a cat and been ill at home for the day, they will not leave your side. (The fact that you're warm and comfy to curl up on is just a bonus!)

    From one very devoted cat owner!

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    1. All in good fun, hence the angry mob. I've known a few awesome cats. :)

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  10. Save the cat is such a simple principle. The best one always are. Also I LOVE the book SAVE THE CAT!!!

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  11. I do like a good "pet the dog" moment. Great post, as usual.

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  12. OMG! I've done the Pet The Dog without even realising it. Great post BTW, you've given me a lot to think about again :o)

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  13. This is one I use a lot. It works so well! My personal favorite example is in The Fugitive when Harrison Ford's character saves a patient by using his medical knowledge to change a diagnosis even while he's trying to escape.

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  14. I've been advised to use Pet the Dog, although I was somewhat overwhelmed by TV Tropes when I looked it up because there were so many links within the article. This actually explained it better to me.

    I think Terry Pratchett's "Death" rescued a bag of drowned cats and was generally extremely fond of cats, which I thought an interesting quirk.

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  15. My favorite of this is on Phineas and Ferb. The bad guy pets the cat all the time by saving the Perry the Platypus. It has made him one of the most likable bad guys. I have my bad guy save someone at the end of my book.

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  16. Just bought "Save the Cat".. arrived yesterday. Now I've gotta start looking for the companion books, 'Kick the dog', 'pet the dog', and 'Stereotype the dog'. :p

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  17. David, your blog gives me a break from my reality! Lol! Thank you for your encouragement to other writers. I've nominated you for the Beautiful Blogger Award. Come by and get it at http://sherilswift.blogspot.com/2012/05/beautiful-blogger-award.html

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  18. LOL.. enjoy the way you express yourself and make your points :-)

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  19. I love the way you put this!! This is really cool! Yes, I've used this Pet the Dog scenario... maybe not in quite the same way because my 'bad guy' doesn't turn 'nice' so to speak. But he's got a softer side.

    Awesome post!

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  20. I've also seen 'Pet the Dog' used to make a bad guy think he's ok when he really knows what he's doing is wrong. Unless that's a complete other trope?

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  21. Even a villain with a soft side doesn't necessarily choose the hero route. Your antagonist is the one with goals in opposition to your protagonist, so it's possible that good people end up on the wrong side of the fence. But it's most easily shown through some kind of 'pet the dog' act. :)

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  22. My character Jordan pets a dog and lets it lick his face and stuff in the sequel to my book. I guess that's about as far as I've gone with that trope thus far.

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  23. I like to say 'Pet the Pooch.' It's more alliterate.
    I try to make sure we have a little pet the pooch in my villains but I never usually use actual dogs in my execution (of the trope not the dogs)

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  24. This is interesting. I guess I did that in a way with one of my characters. He wasn't a bad guy, but the MC starts off hating him at the beginning, then falling for him. It was minor--lending a friend $20, knowing he probably wouldn't get it back. But it showed my MC that he wasn't such a jerk.

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  25. thats funny! i just read the "save the cat" site that shows the 15 beats of a great movie/novel! they give lots of examples...but you prob already heard of that!

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  26. Hero was an excellent movie, and a unique story plot.

    I have a MC now that is actually a pretty bad guy, and I need to find a way for him to pet the dog or save the kitty. Not as easy as it seems with a young Werewolf serial killer. But Hanibal was sympathetic, and evil to the core, so there is hope . .

    ......dhole

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  27. I've used a variation of "save the cat." It's a good way to start a story with action, and establishing some solid characterization.

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  28. Cute. I never thought about it like that, but you're right. Funny, huh?

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  29. Yes, I have but if I told you, I'd have to kill you. Haha. No, it would give away too much in my book.

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  30. I love this. I've seen it so much, but never had a name to put to it. Thank you. :)

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