Story Points Output
for

"When Harry Met Sally..."

Comments: The most evident throughline in When Harry Met Sally...is, as with most romantic comedies, the Subjective Story throughline. The Main and Obstacle Character throughlines are well balanced. In the film, the documentary style use of couples relaying stories of their own romances clearly defines the Objective Story Concern of Subconscious.

An interesting criticism made by one reviewer that can be applied to many romantic comedies is, "The film rests on the assumption that marriage is the state toward which everyone basically aspires, especially women. A man is the solution for a woman's problems. Feminist hackles, prepare to rise" (Kauffmann, 1989, p. 27).

PRINCIPAL CHARACTER:

Name: Harry
Gender: Male
Description: thirty something, slightly neurotic, short, dark curly hair, witty
Role: Sally's best male friend
Characteristics:
Motivation: Uncontrolled;
Methodology: Inaction;
Evaluation: Trust;
Purpose: Chaos;

Name: Sally
Gender: Female
Description: Slim, blond, pretty, particular in what she wants and how she acts
Role: Harry's best female friend
Extended Role:
Function:
Characteristics:
Motivation: Control;
Methodology: Protection;
Purpose: Knowledge; Order;

Name: Jess
Gender: Male
Description: Writer, man's man
Role: Harry's best friend
Extended Role:
Function:
Characteristics:
Motivation: Avoidance; Oppose;
Methodology: Nonacceptance;
Evaluation: Test;

Name: Marie
Gender: Female
Description: Petite, attractive with a self-destructive bent
Role: Sally's best friend
Extended Role:
Function:
Characteristics:
Motivation: Pursuit; Support;
Methodology: Acceptance;
Purpose: Thought;

STORY DYNAMICS:

· Resolve: Change (the result of Harry's story experience upon his "character" as it concerns how Harry changes his essential nature while attempting to solve the problem):

Harry changes his outlook on men and women's relationships when he realizes people of the opposite sex can be friends as well as lovers.


· Direction: Start (Harry's growth toward an ending or beginning as it concerns how Harry needs to start employing a character trait that he lacks, or needs to hold out for an external force to start):

Harry's loneliness increases when he fails to make the obvious decision to become romantically involved with his best (girl) friend. It is once he comprehends his friendship with her does not have to be exclusive of an intimate relationship, he can start living a fulfilling life, "And I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with someone, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible" (Ephron, Reiner, & Scheinman, 1988, p. 120).


· Approach: Do-er (Harry's preference for external or internal problem solving techniques as it concerns how Harry looks for a physical solution to his problem):

Harry's first approach to dealing with a problem is to work it out externally. When his wife asks for a divorce, instead of accepting her reasons he secretly follows her to determine what she has really been up to; when he unexpectedly runs into his wife at a later date, instead of bottling up his hurt and resentment for a more appropriate time he lets out his anguish at what is supposed to be a friendly house warming:

Sally
Harry, I know you're upset, but do we
have to talk about this right now?

Harry
What's wrong with right now? It's a perfect time
to talk about this. I just want them to see.
(he's becoming more and more upset)
I just want them to see the realities of what this leads to.
Everything's fine, everybody's in love,
everybody's happy--and before you know it,
you're screaming at each other about
who owns the stereo.

(Ephron, Reiner, & Scheinman, 1988, p. 78)


· Mental Sex: Male (Harry's tendency toward logistic or holistic (intuitive) problem solving as it concerns how Harry uses male problem solving techniques):

Harry does not need to be fulfilled mentally when seeking a solution to a problem. He needs only to be satisfied.


· Work: Decision (the kind of activity that forces the story forward as it concerns how in terms of the objective plot, decisions force actions):

Harry and Sally decide to share a ride to New York; Helen decides to leave Harry; Sally decides she wants more out of the relationship with Joe than he is willing to give; Jess and Marie decide they like each other better than their blind dates; and so forth.


· Limit: Optionlock (the kind of constraint that forces the story to a conclusion as it concerns how the story climax occurs because all other options have been exhausted):

Harry must go through a certain number of empty relationships before realizing Sally is "the one."


· Outcome: Success (the results of the objective characters' efforts to achieve the goal they set out to achieve as it concerns how the original goal is achieved):

Sally and Harry marry.


· Judgment: Good (the outcome of Harry's efforts to resolve his personal problems as it concerns how Harry ultimately succeeds in resolving his personal problems):

Harry listens to his heart, not his head, and marries his best friend.

THE OBJECTIVE STORY THROUGHLINE:

· Domain: Mind (a fixed attitude is the general area in which the objective story's problem resides ):

When Harry Met Sally... explores the different viewpoints men and women hold regarding the opposite sex, and examines the rules and regulations that can govern these relationships.


· Concern: The Subconscious (basic drives and desires is the area of shared concern in the objective story ):

Most everyone in the Objective Story is concerned with finding the kind of love that will last for the rest of their lives. Serving as a Greek chorus, the documentary couples relay their love stories, while the Objective Characters search for Mr. or Ms. Right.


· Range: Hope (a desired future if things go as expected is the objective story's thematic focus ):

When Harry Met Sally...starts off with a future full of hope for Harry and Sally symbolized by their graduation from college. Sally is moving to New York in hopes of an exciting life as a reporter after she attends journalism school, and Harry hopes to find use for his law degree other than becoming a lawyer; one of the women of the documentary couples hopes her man will come to his senses and re-marry her; and so on. Throughout the story the Objective Characters are optimistic in their anticipation of finding love and happiness with the right person.


· Counterpoint: Dream (a desired future that requires unexpected developments is the objective story's thematic rebuttal ):

As an example of how "dream" is explored in the Objective Story, it is pointed out several times that it is highly unlikely that Marie's desire for her married lover to leave his wife for her will ever be fulfilled.


· Thematic Conflict: (the Objective Story's thematic comparison as it balances Hope against Dream):

The thematic conflict expressed in When Harry Met Sally...is the reasonableness of hoping for a romantic, albeit flawed, relationship, as opposed to the dream of a fairy tale romance.


· Problem: Logic (a rational sense of how things are related is the source of the objective story's difficulties ):

The way the Objective Characters use logic causes problems for them. For example, Marie doesn't use rational thinking to stop carrying on a dead end affair with a married man. Even though she understands logically he will never leave his wife for her, she unhappily continues on with it:

Marie
He's never going to leave her.

Sally
Of course he isn't.

Marie
You're right, you're right.
I know you're right.

(Ephron, Reiner, & Scheinman 1988, pp. 67-68)

Jess' negative reasoning sets him up not to enjoy his blind date with Sally:

Jess
So you're saying she not that attractive?

Harry
No, I told you she is attractive.

Jess
But you also said she had
a good personality.

Harry
She does have a good personality.

Jess
When someone's not that attractive,
they're always described as having
a good personality.

(Ephron, Reiner, & Scheinman, 1988, p. 69)


· Solution: Feeling (an emotional sense of how things are going is the actual remedy for the objective story's problem(s) ):

As an example of how emotional sensibility solves the problem of logical reasoning, once Marie allows herself to be fulfilled by a man who loves her, she achieves happiness and contentment.

Marie
Tell me I'll never have
to be out there again.

Jess
You'll never have to be
out there again.

(Ephron, Reiner, & Scheinman, 1988, p. 102)


· Focus: Uncontrolled (a disorganized response is the principal symptom of the objective story's problem(s) ):

Harry leaves behind his college sweetheart, Amanda, for New York which leaves their relationship open to the inevitable break up; Marie has no control over her married lover and their relationship; and so forth.


· Direction: Control (a method based on organization and constraint is the apparent remedy for the principal symptom of the objective story's problem(s) :

Amanda attempts to retain some control over Harry by asking him to regularly telephone:

Amanda
Call me.

Harry
I'll call as soon as I get there.

Amanda
Call me from the road.
Harry
I'll call before that.

(Ephron, Reiner, & Scheinman, 1988, p. 2)

Jess tries to conduct himself as a man who doesn't need a partner to make him whole, "You know I've finally gotten to a place in my life where I'm comfortable with the fact it's just me and my work"

(Ephron, Reiner, & Scheinman, 1988, p. 68).


· Stipulation: Memory (recollections is the standard by which progress is measured in the objective story ):

As an example of how the Objective Characters use "memory" to measure their progress toward the goal, Marie remembers a clever witticism in a magazine, of which Jess is the author; At Jess and Marie's wedding, Jess recalls how neither he nor Marie were attracted to Sally or Harry on their double blind date, leaving Harry and Sally free to progress further toward finding each other; and so forth.


· Catalyst: Dream (a desired future that requires unexpected developments is the type of item or event that accelerates progress in the objective story ):

As with the other Objective Characters, Jess and Marie share the same desire to settle down with a loved one, however, neither expects this to happen as Jess is content to live on his own and Marie is willing to continue on with her married lover. Their falling in love with each other is a happy surprise for the two of them and their friends. This new relationship moves the Objective Story forward as it puts pressure on the other single Objective Characters to commit to their own relationships.


· Inhibitor: Delay (putting off until later is the type of resistance that slows progress in the objective story ):

Marie and Jess live together for a time, postponing their decision to get married and live happily ever after, thus delaying the pressure put on other Objective Characters to make their own commitments.

THE MAIN CHARACTER THROUGHLINE:

· Domain: Physics (an activity is the general area which defines Harry's attributes ):

Harry participates in "the wave" at a football game while confessing his troubles to Jess; power walks; practices his swing at the batting cages; and so forth.


· Concern: Obtaining (achieving or possessing something is the area of Harry's greatest concern ):

Harry is concerned with losing his wife, keeping the apartment, dating many women, and finally, having Sally as his wife.


· Range: Approach (one's methodology of doing or being is the area of Harry's greatest sensitivity):

Harry's style is to confront issues head on. He is not always with tactful, but he is always with honest.


· Counterpoint: Attitude (one's demeanor while doing or being is the thematic opposite to the area of Harry's greatest sensitivity ):

Harry's attitude when confronting an issue is to blurt out what he is thinking or feeling and "let the chips fall where they may."


· Thematic Conflict: (the thematic comparison within Harry as it balances Approach against Attitude):

Harry is most sensitive to the thematic concerns of approach vs. attitude, especially in the area of male and female relationships. As an example, after his chance encounter with his ex-wife he tries to convince Jess and Marie (who have just moved in with each other) to prepare for a possible break up:

Harry
(shouting now)
I mean it. Put your name in your books.
Now, while you're unpacking them, before
they get all mixed up together and you can't
remember whose is whose. Because someday,
believe it or not, you're going to be fighting
over who's going to get this coffee table,
this stupid wagon wheel coffee table.

(Ephron, Reiner, & Scheinman, 1988, p. 79)


· Problem: Logic (a rational sense of how things are related is the source of Harry's drive ):

Harry's reasoning that men and women cannot be both friends and lovers causes problems for him. His wife, who he loved, but married because he was tired of "the whole life-of-a-single-guy thing"
(Ephron, Reiner, & Scheinman, 1988, p. 25) leaves him, and his true best friend gives up on him after he explains to her their night of lovemaking was a mistake, "I'm not saying it didn't mean anything, I'm just saying why does it have to mean everything (Ephron, Reiner, & Scheinman, 1988, p. 106).


· Solution: Feeling (an emotional sense of how things are going is the item, event, or process needed to truly satisfy Harry's drive ):

Once Harry listens to his heart and not his head, he is able to seek emotional fulfillment.


· Focus: Reconsider (questioning a conclusion based on additional information is the area or item Harry believes the problem to be ):

After further deliberating a statement regarding male and female relationships he had made five years ago, Harry comes to the same conclusion.

Sally
I thought you didn't believe men
and women could be friends.

Harry
When did I say that?

Sally
On the ride to New York.

Harry
...Yes. That's right. They can't be friends...
(figuring this out)
...unless both of them are involved
with other people. Then they can.
This is an amendment to the earlier rule.
...although that doesn't work either.

(Ephron, Reiner, & Scheinman, 1988, p. 27)


· Direction: Consider (weighing pros and cons is the way Harry responds to problems ):

Despite Harry's reconsideration of his stand on men and women friendships, he continues to ponders the question throughout the story until he makes his leap of faith.


· Stipulation: Understanding (appreciating the meaning of something is the standard by which Harry's degree of concern is gauged ):

As Harry comes to understand how a man can be friends and lovers with a woman, (specifically Sally) he comes to terms with his failed first marriage, and appreciates his fleeting relationships with other women as meaningless.


· Unique Ability: Morality (doing or being based on what is best for others is the quality that makes Harry uniquely qualified to resolve the story's problem ):

Once Harry puts Sally's needs before his own, they are able to make the final step from friendship to marriage.


· Critical Flaw: Commitment (a decision to stick with something regardless of the consequences is the quality that undermines Harry's efforts ):

As long as Harry is dedicated to the logic he uses in relationships with women, he undermines his ability to be truly happy.

THE OBSTACLE CHARACTER THROUGHLINE:

· Domain: Psychology (a manner of thinking is the general area in which Sally operates ):

Sally takes the thought process very seriously. She uses her deliberate way of thinking to handle everything from heartache to everyday, practical matters:

I have this all figured out. It's an eighteen hour trip, which breaks down to six shifts of three hours each. Or, alternatively, we could break it down by mileage. There's a map on the visor, I've marked it to show the locations where we can change shifts. (Ephron, Reiner, & Scheinman, 1988, p. 3)


· Concern: Becoming (transforming one's nature is Sally's primary objective or purpose ):

As a young women, Sally is truly intent upon transforming her nature. She explains why she is moving to New York after graduating from the University of Chicago, "...nothing's happened to me yet...I'm going to go to journalism school and become a reporter" (Ephron, Reiner, Scheinman, 1988, p. 40.) Once in her thirties, Sally is concerned with becoming an old maid.


· Range: Rationalization (a logical alternative used to mask the real reason is the area of Sally's greatest impact ):

Throughout the story, Sally rationalizes her break up with Joe, "I just said to myself, you deserve more than this...I've had a few days to get used to it and I feel okay" (Ephron, Reiner, & Scheinman, 1988, p. 3).


· Counterpoint: Obligation (accepting a task or situation in exchange for someone's potential favors or in repayment for past favors is the thematic comparison of Sally's impact ):

As an example of how obligation is explored by Sally, she sticks out her relationship with Joe, thinking they will live a romantic fantasy life, although this never happens.


· Thematic Conflict: (the thematic comparison of Sally's impact as it balances Rationalization against Obligation):

Sally is able to extricate herself from situations or people where she feels an obligation, but she has a much harder time identifying the real reason she acts as she does. Sally is able to justify to herself for quite a long time why she and Joe need not marry. She accepts the state of living together in hopes of enjoying all the benefits that come with that kind of independence, until one day she is jolted out of this dream world and realizes a husband and children is exactly what she has wanted all along:

When Joe and I started seeing each other, we wanted exactly the same thing, we wanted to live together but we weren't going to get married because every time everyone we knew got married it ruined their relationship...(we would) say, we're so lucky, we have this wonderful relationship, we can fly off to Rome on a moment's notice, and then one day I was taking Alice's little girl for the afternoon--and she looked out the window and there was this man and this woman with two little kids...and Alice's little girl said, "I spy a family," and I started to cry...and I went home, and I said, the thing is Joe, we never do fly of to Rome on a moment's notice...Anyway, we talked about it for a long time, and I said, this is what I want, and he said, well I don't, and I said, I guess it's over and he left...(Ephron, Reiner, & Scheinman, 1988, p. 42)


· Problem: Conscience (foregoing an immediate benefit because of future consequences is the nature of Sally's drive ):

Sally strictly adheres to her own code of propriety. As an example, when Harry offers Sally a grape she refuses, informing him she never eats between meals. Sally foregoes marriage to Joe to avoid certain future consequences such as a non-existent sex life, "...every time everyone we knew got married, it ruined their relationship, they practically never had sex again" (Ephron, Reiner, & Scheinman, 1988, p. 41)


· Solution: Temptation (the urge to embrace immediate benefits despite possible consequences is the item, event, or process needed to truly satisfy Sally's drive ):

As Harry comforts Sally, she falls to the temptation of kissing him (and later, making love) thereby taking a chance on losing their friendship.


· Focus: Uncontrolled (a disorganized response is the area in which Sally believes the problem can be resolved ):

Sally focuses on Harry's rampant sexual behavior, "Harry, you're gonna have to move back to New Jersey because you've slept with everybody in New York" (Ephron, Reiner, & Scheinman, 1998, p.81).


· Direction: Control (a method based on organization and constraint is Sally's point of attack ):

Sally attempts to control all aspects of her life, even when ordering dessert, which drives Harry crazy:

Sally
You know what I'd like is the apple pie a la mode
...But I'd like the pie heated, and I don't want
the ice cream on top, I want it on the side.
And I'd like strawberry instead of vanilla
if you have it. If not, then no ice cream, just whipped cream,
but only if it's real. If it's out of the can then nothing.

Waitress
Not even the pie?

Sally
No, just the pie. But then not heated.

As the waitress leaves, Harry stares in disbelief at Sally.

(Ephron, Reiner, & Scheinman, 1988, p. 9)


· Stipulation: Conceptualizing (visualizing how an idea might be implemented is the standard by which Sally's impact is measured ):

The more clearly Sally visualizes a life without a husband and family, the more she is concerned with becoming old and alone.


· Unique Ability: Responsibility (the belief that one is best suited to accomplish a task is the quality that makes Sally uniquely qualified to pressure Harry to change his nature ):

Sally is best suited to show Harry how men and women can be both friends and lovers.


· Critical Flaw: Self Interest (doing or being based on what is best for oneself is the quality that undermines Sally's impact ):

Sally takes certain measures to protect herself from hurt. Although she thinks this strategy is the best thing for her, she is undermining her chance at happiness:

Sally
I've experienced my loss. I've had my
mourning period. I'm done with it.

Harry
What mourning period? One hour in Bloomingdale's.
You bought a pocketbook and heartbreak
flew right out the window. If you're so over Joe
why haven't you been seeing anyone?

(Ephron, Reiner, Scheinman, 1988, pp. 80-81)

THE SUBJECTIVE STORY THROUGHLINE:

· Domain: Universe (a situation is the general area of difficulty between Harry and Sally ):

Harry and Sally's off and on chance meetings are the circumstances under which their relationship develops.


· Concern: The Future (what will happen or what will be is the topic of contention between Harry and Sally ):

The greatest source of concern between Harry and Sally is what will happen to the future of their friendship if they become lovers.


· Range: Delay (putting off until later is the subjective story's thematic focus ):

Harry and Sally prolong their inevitable falling in love.


· Counterpoint: Choice (making a decision is the Subjective Story's thematic comparison ):

After Harry and Sally's first meeting, they choose not to see each other again. The second time they run into each other, Harry invites Sally to dinner; Sally decides against it. It is not until their third encounter that they decide to try out friendship.


· Thematic Conflict: (the Subjective Story's thematic comparison as it balances Delay against Choice):

After several starts and stops over the course of many years, Harry and Sally fall in love and marry. The prolonged friendship and eventual courtship was important for making the decision to marry, as it took a long time for Harry to grow and change. As Harry tells Sally when he proposes, "It took me eleven years to figure this out." (Ephron, Reiner, & Scheinman, 1988, p.120)


· Problem: Help (a direct assistance to another's effort to achieve their goal is the underlying cause of the difficulties between Harry and Sally ):

Each attempts to help the other find a new love, when it is really the two of them that need to get together. Sally asks Harry, "Do you think the fact that we're friends is keeping us from finding someone?" (Ephron, Reiner, & Scheinman, 1988, p. 127)

Sally
You know, Harry, you should get
out there too.

Harry
No, no, I'm not ready.

Sally
It's time.

Harry
No I can't, I can't.

Sally
You should.

Harry
Maybe I will.

(Ephron, Reiner, & Scheinman, 1988, pp. 50-51)


· Solution: Hinder (a direct detraction from another's effort to achieve their goal is the specific element that can resolve the difficulties between Harry and Sally ):

Sally obstructs Harry's efforts to restore their friendship, "Obviously, she doesn't want to talk to me. What, do I have to be hit over the head? If she wants to call me, she'll call me. I'm through making a schmuck out of myself" (Ephron, Reiner, & Scheinman, 1988, p. 109). By her doing so, Harry finally comes to realize he not only loves her as a friend, but she is the one he wants to spend the rest of his life with.


· Focus: Uncontrolled (a disorganized response is the area in which Harry and Sally's attention is concentrated ):

Each focuses on what they believe is a severe character flaw of the other's, especially one that negatively impacts their relationship. Harry thinks Sally holding in her hurt and anger is detrimental to her healing process; Sally is sure Harry's expression of emotion is self-indulgent.


· Direction: Control (a method based on organization and constraint is the nature of growth in the relationship between Harry and Sally ):

The direction Sally and Harry take in dealing with the difficulties that come from Sally's restraint and Harry's unchecked emotions is to try to guide the other to what they each thinks is the better way to be:

Sally
Harry, you have to find a way of not
expressing every feeling you have every
moment you have them.

Harry
Oh, really?

Sally
Yes. There are times and place for things.

Harry
Well, when you're giving your next lecture
series in social graces, let me know.
I'll sign up.

Sally
You don't have to get angry about it.

Harry
I think I'm entitled to a little anger
when I'm being told how to live
my life by Miss Hospital Corners.

Sally
You're about to cross the line Harry.

Harry
So what? Is that the end of the world?
Crossing the line? You know what your
problem is? You stand too far behind the line.
I don't even think you can see the line
from where you're standing.

Sally
...I don't have to take this from you.

(Ephron, Reiner, & Scheinman, 1988, pp. 80-81)

Sally...proceeds to place the mail in the box, one letter at a time, checking to see that each letter has safely entered the box. Harry stands impatiently waiting. Harry's impatience with Sally's letter mailing has gotten the best of him. He impulsively grabs the remaining letters in her hand, opens the box, shoves them in then hustles her off. (Ephron, Reiner, & Scheinman, 1988, pp. 45-46)


· Stipulation: The Past (what has already happened is the standard by which growth between Harry and Sally is measured ):

Harry and Sally share their past with the documentary camera, explaining how over time their relationship has grown:

Harry
The first time we met we hated
each other.

Sally
You didn't hate me, I hated you.
The second time we met he didn't even
remember me.

Harry
I did too, I remembered you. The third time
we met we became friends.

Sally
We were friends for a long time.

Harry
And then we weren't.

Sally
And then we fell in love.

(Ephron, Reiner, & Scheinman, 1988, pp. 121-122)



· Catalyst: Choice (making a decision is the type of interaction that increases conflict between Harry and Sally ):

Once Harry and Sally choose to become friends, their relationship quickly moves forward in a positive direction.


· Inhibitor: Hope (a desired future if things go as expected is the type of interaction that decreases conflict between Harry and Sally ):

Immediately after lovemaking, Sally is optimistic that she and Harry's relationship has promise for a greater degree of intimacy. Harry's reaction to Sally's expectations is panic and he spends the next three weeks avoiding her, slowing the growth of their relationship.

CENTRAL PLOT POINTS:

· Goal: The Subconscious (basic drives and desires is the central "objective" of the objective story ):

The goal common to all the Objective Characters is a romance between Harry and Sally "We've been praying for it...you belong together" (Ephron, Reiner, & Scheinman, 1988, p. 98).


· Consequence: The Future (what will happen or what will be is the result of failing to achieve the goal ):

If Harry and Sally don't get together, they are doomed to the bleak prospect of life without true love.


· Cost: Becoming (transforming one's nature is the prices that must be paid on the way to the goal ):

Harry becomes divorced; Sally is concerned about turning forty; the cost for Jess to become part of a couple is to leave behind certain pieces of his beloved bachelor furniture:
Marie points to a large wagon wheel that's been made into a coffee table with a round plate glass over it...

Marie
It's so awful that there is no way
to begin to explain what is so awful
about it.

Jess
I don't object to any of your things--

Marie
Look, if we had an extra room, you could
put it in there with all your things including
your bar stools and I would never
have to see it.

(Ephron, Reiner, & Scheinman, 1988, p. 77)


· Dividend: Obtaining (achieving or possessing something is the benefits enjoyed on the way to the goal ):

Jess and Marie achieve marital bliss; after each of their break ups, Harry and Sally get to keep their respective apartments; and so forth.


· Requirements: Memory (recollections is the necessary precursors to achieving the goal ):

Harry must remember Sally when he runs into her five years after their first meeting, and five years after that:

Sally
...he never remembers me.

Harry
Sally Albright--

(Ephron, Reiner, & Scheinman, 1988, p. 39)


· Prerequisites: The Past (what has already happened is the steps or items needed to meet the requirements ):

In order for Harry to remember Sally when they meet by chance, they must have shared a former time together. In this case, Harry and Sally's past is created in an eighteen hour car ride from Chicago to New York. After extensive discussions and debates concerning such weighty matters as love, death, friendship, and betrayal, they have learned enough about each other to make each one memorable to the other.



· Preconditions: Conceptualizing (visualizing how an idea might be implemented is the conditions imposed on meeting the story's requirements ):

Although Harry may have been able to recall how he knew Sally in the past for several reasons, it was his suggestion that he and Sally sleep together during their trip from Chicago to New York, "So, you want to spend the night in the motel" (Ephron, Reiner, & Scheinman, 1988, p. 13) and her subsequent rejection of him that makes it easiest for him to remember her five years later.


· Forewarnings: Understanding (appreciating the meaning of something is the foreshadowing events that indicate the approach of the consequence ):

Jess explains to Harry what he thinks Harry is doing by not allowing himself to fall in love with Sally, which basically is sabotaging his chance at happiness:

Jess
I don't understand this relationship.

Harry
What do you mean?

Jess
You enjoy being with her?

Harry
Yes.

Jess:
You find her attractive?

Harry
Yes.

Jess
And you're not sleeping with her.

Harry
No.

Jess
You're afraid to let yourself be happy.

(Ephron, Reiner, & Scheinman, 1988, pp. 52-53)

THE OBJECTIVE STORY ACT ORDER:

· OS Signpost 1: The Conscious (considerations):

Joe contemplates Sally's remark about Harry coming on to her; one man does not consider marring any other woman after he sees a certain girl walk into the Horn and Hardart Cafeteria, "...this girl walked in--(He points to the woman beside him)--and I turned to Arthur and I said, 'Arthur, you see that girl? I'm going to marry her.' And two weeks later we were married. And it's 50 years later and we're still married." (Ephron, Reiner, & Scheinman, 1988, p. 1); and so forth.


· OS Journey #1: (as the Objective Story continues through Act 1 it grows from a concern with The Conscious into a concern with Memory):

The Objective Story progresses from characters contemplating relationships between men and women, to memories of personal experiences.


· OS Signpost 2: Memory (recollections):

Marie encourages Sally not to wait too long to begin dating explaining, "Do you remember David Warsaw? His wife left him, and everyone said, give him some time, don't move in too fast, and six months later he was dead" (Ephron, Reiner, & Scheinman, 1988, p. 33); in a conversation with Jess, Harry recalls why Helen left him; several of the documentary couples remember what their loved ones were wearing when they first met; and so forth.


· OS Journey #2: (as the Objective Story develops in Act 2 it grows from a concern with Memory into a concern with The Preconscious):

Emphasis moves from the Objective Characters' recollections of their romantic relationships to the impulses that drive them.


· OS Signpost 3: The Preconscious (immediate responses):

Team players unthinkingly shout out answers during a game of Win, Lose, or Draw at Jess and Marie's party, "Big Mouth, baby mouth, big baby mouth, Martha Raye as a baby. Baby teeth, baby spittle, spit on a baby, baby burp, burp the baby" (Ephron, Reiner, & Scheinman, 1988, p. 84); Sally simulates an orgasm to prove to Harry that the ecstatic sexual impulses women have that he thinks he is responsible for, can be faked; Harry boasts to Jess how women respond sexually to him:

Harry
...the other night I made love to a woman
and it was so incredible, I took her to
a place that wasn't human. She actually meowed.

Jess
You made a woman meow?

(Ephron, Reiner, & Scheinman, 1988, p. 56)


· OS Journey #3: (as the Objective Story moves towards a climax in Act 3 it grows from a concern with The Preconscious into a concern with The Subconscious):

Emphasis move from the unthinking responses of sexual love, to the deeper meaning of love-its drives and desires.


· OS Signpost 4: The Subconscious (basic drives and desires):

Harry lets his anger loose after running into his ex-wife; Sally is in tears at the news of Joe's engagement, "The truth is he didn't want to get married to me. He didn't love me" (Ephron, Reiner, & Scheinman, p. 89); Marie is happy she is no longer alone and lonely; the New Years' Eve party epitomizes everyone's wish to be with "that special someone" and so forth.

THE MAIN CHARACTER ACT ORDER:

· MC Signpost 1: Understanding (appreciating the meaning of something):

Harry takes the fact that Sally has only had two lovers to mean she has not had great sex; he thinks he has a good appreciation of how men's and women's relationships work; and so forth.


· MC Journey #1: (as Harry continues through Act 1 he grows from a concern with Understanding into a concern with Doing):

Harry begins to appreciate he can be friends with a woman without sex as the focal point, and develops a platonic relationship with Sally. "A woman friend. This is amazing. You may be the first attractive woman I have not wanted to sleep with in my entire life" (Ephron, Reiner, & Scheinman, 1988, p. 44).


· MC Signpost 2: Doing (engaging in a physical activity):

Harry follows his wife; redecorates his apartment; shops for books on "personal growth" and so forth.


· MC Journey #2: (as Harry continues through Act 2 he grows from a concern with Doing into a concern with Learning):

Harry goes through the painful process of divorce, and eventually learns to accept his new status as a single man.


· MC Signpost 3: Learning (gathering information or experience):

Harry is concerned with "getting out there" in the dating scene.


· MC Journey #3: (as Harry moves towards the story climax in Act 3 he grows from a concern with Learning into a concern with Obtaining):

Once Harry goes through the process of learning what it is like to have many meaningless one night stands versus a meaningful relationship with one woman, he is ready to achieve the state of marital bliss.


· MC Signpost 4: Obtaining (achieving or possessing something):

Harry is concerned with regaining his friendship with Sally, then making her his wife.

THE OBSTACLE CHARACTER ACT ORDER:

· OC Signpost 1: Conceptualizing (visualizing how an idea might be implemented):

Sally comes up with practical ways for her and Harry to share the driving for their trip to New York; and so forth.


· OC Journey #1: (as Sally continues through Act 1, his impact on Conceptualizing deepens until it switches to Becoming):

At the beginning of Act 1, Sally cannot envision how she could be friends with someone she has fundamental differences with. By Act 2, she is willing to accept someone's differences for the sake of friendship:

Sally
Would you like to have dinner with
me sometime?

Harry
Are we becoming friends now?

Sally
Well, I...
(accepting their new status)
I guess we could.

(Ephron, Reiner, Scheinman, 1988, pp. 43-44)


· OC Signpost 2: Becoming (transforming one's nature):

Sally is not concerned with becoming part of a couple immediately after her break-up with Joe, "Look, there is no point in my going out with someone I might really like if I met him at the right time but who right now has no chance of being anything to me but a transitional man" (Ephron, Reiner, & Scheinman, 1988, p. 33).


· OC Journey #2: (as Sally continues through Act 2, his impact on Becoming deepens until it switches to Being):

Sally becomes single and sets out to be independent of a romantic relationship.


· OC Signpost 3: Being (temporarily adopting a lifestyle):

Sally claims to be happy that she has never been Harry's girlfriend:
Sally: I am so glad I never got involved with you. I just would have ended up being some lady you had to get out of bed and leave at three in the morning and go clean your andirons. And you don't even have a fireplace. (quite irritated now) Not that I would know this. (Ephron, Reiner, & Scheinman, 1988, p. 58)


· OC Journey #3: (as Sally moves towards the story climax in Act 3, his impact on Being deepens until it switches to Conceiving):

Sally tires of being lonely, and is especially upset at the idea of her ex-boyfriend marrying.


· OC Signpost 4: Conceiving (coming up with an idea):

Sally cannot handle the idea of Joe getting married; and so forth.

THE SUBJECTIVE STORY ACT ORDER:

· SS Signpost 1: The Present (the current situation and circumstances):

How matters stand between Harry and Sally are established during their first meeting, (Harry: You realize, of course, we can never be friends...) and reestablished at their chance encounter five years later:

Harry
...men and women can't be friends,
where does that leave us?

Sally
Harry--

Harry
Yes, Sally--

Sally
Goodbye.

(Ephron, Reiner, & Scheinman, 1988, pp. 14, 27-28)



· SS Journey #1: (as the relationship between Harry and Sally develops through Act 1 it grows from a concern with The Present into a concern with The Past):

The animosity that develops between Harry and Sally in their initial meetings is put in the past when they decide to become friends.


· SS Signpost 2: The Past (what has already happened):

Harry and Sally disagree about what has already happened:

Harry
When we first met, I really didn't like
you that much--

Sally
I didn't like you.

Harry
You did, too. You were just so up tight.
Now you're much softer.

Sally
...I just didn't want to sleep with you,
so you had to write it off as a
character flaw.

(Ephron, Reiner, & Scheinman, 1988, pp. 42-43)


· SS Journey #2: (as the relationship between Harry and Sally develops through Act 2 it grows from a concern with The Past into a concern with Progress):

Harry and Sally compare their past romantic relationships and help each other move onward to new romances.


· SS Signpost 3: Progress (the way things are going):

After Sally and Harry exchange horror stories of their dates with other people, Sally remarks, "It might be months before we're actually able to enjoy going out with someone new...and maybe even longer before we'll be able to go to bed with someone new" (Ephron, Reiner, & Scheinman, 1988, p. 53). They conflict when Harry reports that, although he had a horrid time, he still went to bed with his date.


· SS Journey #3: (as the relationship between Harry and Sally moves towards a climax in Act 3, it grows from a concern with Progress into a concern with The Future):

Harry and Sally move from being "just friends" to a happily married couple.


· SS Signpost 4: The Future (what will happen or what will be):

The future of Harry and Sally's friendship is jeopardized when they sleep together.

OVERVIEW STORY POINTS:

· MC Backstory: (the occurrences from Harry's past which account for the personal problems with which he begins the story):

Harry has always been a logical person, and up until meeting Sally, his logic has always worked for him, especially in the area of romance:

Sally
Amanda mentioned you had a dark side.

Harry
(pleased with himself) That's what drew her to me...
when I get a new book, I read the last page first.
That way, if I die before I finish I know how it comes out...

Sally
(irritated now)
It doesn't mean you're deep or anything.

(Ephron, Reiner, Scheinman, 1988, p. 5)


· OC Backstory: (the occurrences from Sally's past which account for the motivations with which she begins the story):

Because it is a behavior she would never participate in, Sally opposes the way Harry treats women when he uses them without any intention of developing a meaningful relationship:

Harry
Why are you getting so upset?
This isn't about you.

Sally
Yes it is. You're a human affront to all women.
And I'm a woman.

(Ephron, Reiner, & Scheinman, 1988, p. 58)

It would be interesting, however, to see if she still felt the same way if she were to ever fall to the temptation of engaging in sex without love.



· SS Backstory: (the history of Harry's and Sally's opposing points of view which accounts for the conflict with which they begin the story):

Harry has a history of sexual relationships with women that may have included love (his marriage), and more likely, lust, but definitely not friendship. Sally's (few) sexual relationships were always based on love and, it is her belief, friendship.


· OS Backstory: (the analytical reasons for how things have come to be as they are for all the story which involves all of your characters):

In When Harry Met Sally..., the importance of finding and settling down with a mate is established. The Objective Characters subscribe to the logic that marriage will ward off loneliness, a ticking biological clock, and the humiliation that comes with being single in a society that caters to couples:

Marie
(horrified)
But you were a couple. You were together.
You had someone to go places with.
You had a date on national holidays.

(Ephron, Reiner, & Scheinman, 1988, p. 20)


· Master Character Synopsis: (a description of your story as it would appear when seen purely from the perspective of character):

All the characters in When Harry Met Sally...do their utmost to help each other find the proverbial "happily ever after." Harry, the Main Character, is certain that men and women cannot be both friends and lovers. He has no qualms about making a pass at Sally, his college girlfriend's friend, on their way to New York following graduation. Sally, Harry's Obstacle Character, is turned off by his crassness, and even more so by the (il)logic he uses when it comes to relationships between men and women. In spite of their shaky beginning, Harry and Sally's relationship develops when they decide to become friends, and in trying to make the other happy, they attempt to set the other up with their respective best friends, Marie and Jess. The joke is on them as Marie and Jess fall for each other, then hold their breaths in the hopes that Harry and Sally will finally realize they are meant for each other.


· Master Plot Synopsis: (a description of the events of your story as they would appear when seen purely from the perspective of plot):

The plot of When Harry Met Sally...starts when Harry remembers Sally after running into her five years after their first meeting, and five years after that. Their friendship begins as they share their problems. Harry suffers through a divorce and experiences a series of meaningless one-night stands. Sally fears growing old, alone, and childless. All of their friends are rooting for a romance between the two, and understand their delaying tactics may sabotage their chance for future happiness, however, Harry and Sally fear for the future of their friendship if they engage in sex. If they don't take a chance on their love, they are doomed to a loveless life. But, as with the other Objective Characters, they are able to overcome all obstacles and fall in love.


· Master Theme Synopsis: (a description of your story as it would appear when seen purely from the perspective of its thematic comparisons):

The thematic conflict expressed in When Harry Met Sally...is the reasonableness of hoping for a romantic, albeit flawed, relationship, as opposed to the dream of a fairy tale romance. After several starts and stops over the course of many years, Harry and Sally fall in love and marry. The prolonged friendship and eventual courtship was important for making the decision to marry, as it took a long time for Harry to grow and change. As Harry tells Sally when he proposes, "It took me eleven years to figure this out." (Ephron, Reiner, & Scheinman, 1988, p.120) Harry is most sensitive to the thematic concerns of approach vs. attitude, especially in the area of male and female relationships. As an example, after his chance encounter with his ex-wife he tries to convince Jess and Marie (who have just moved in with each other) to prepare for a possible break up, shouting in anger as he does so.

AUDIENCE APPRECIATIONS:

· Nature: Actual Dilemma (the primary dramatic mechanism of a story as it concerns how Harry's decision to change results in success):

Harry is experiencing an actual dilemma as once he realizes he is in love with Sally, he must act fast or take the chance of losing her forever.


· Essence: Positive Feel (the primary dramatic feel of a story as it concerns how the objective characters in the story are closing in on the problem):

When faced with difficulties in the story, the characters put their efforts into finding a solution. For example, Marie sends flowers to herself in an attempt to make her married lover jealous and leave his wife; to ward off the depression that's bound to set in after her break up with Joe, Sally immerses herself in her work, takes up tap dance, and shops:

Sally
I found this book that gives you some
really good tips on how to enjoy being alone.

Harry
Like what?

Sally
Like never eat standing up. Make a nice meal
for yourself and sit at a table.

(Ephron, Reiner, & Scheinman, 1988, p. 46)



· Tendency: Unwilling (the degree to which Harry feels compelled to participate in the quest as it concerns how Harry unwillingly participates in the effort to find a solution to the story problem):

Harry does not readily seek a solution to his problem. He is unwilling to accept his wife's request for a divorce, "...Helen comes home, she says, 'I don't know if I want to be married any more.'...I say, why don't we think about it, take some time, don't rush into anything" (Ephron, Reiner, & Scheinman, 1988, p. 34); Post-divorce he is unwilling to date; after making love with Sally he is unwilling to develop an intimate relationship; and so forth.


· Reach: Both (the manner in which the audience identifies with the main character as it concerns how both women and men will tend to empathize with the main character in this story):

Women and men will empathize with Harry as he grapples with the complications of love and friendship with the opposite sex.