Explication (Polti's Second Dramatic Situation - Deliverance)

I chose the Second Dramatic situation because when I read the book I felt Alex was leading an unfortunate kind of life until the end of the book – when he found deliverance. The Dramatic Situation specifies an Unfortunate, a Threatener and a Rescuer - however in this book I believe that there are multiple Threateners and Rescuers. The main character Alex, whose life is less than rewarding, takes the primary role of the Unfortunate.

One of the biggest threateners in Alex's life is the breakup with his ex-girlfriend. "Alex had more or less admitted from the outset that it was his breakup with Liz that had driven him here…" (21) the breakup led Alex to seek therapy and caused him to have malfunctioning relationships with other women. Throughout the book, Alex feels that the breakup with his ex is hanging over his head, causing him to slip into depression and question his stability as a person. The therapy sessions that Alex must attend are also seen as a threatener. "Twelve minutes, asshole, Alex thought, though he also thought, you're damn right I don't want to talk…" (20) he resents going to them, when he is in the sessions his mind is elsewhere, and the Doctor who is 'helping' him, Alex feels is not helping him at all, in fact he may be adding to his problems. The other big threatener is Alex's thesis. Alex is under a ton of stress in regards to his PHd, always working on it but feeling like he is getting no where. Alex's thesis makes him feel worthless, he contemplates quitting everything constantly because of it. In this book, it seems as though Alex's life can be heading no where but the gutter. However, I would not have chosen Dramatic Situation Two if I felt Alex did not have rescuers, and ultimately – deliverance.

Rescuers are found throughout the novel. Strategically placed in order to give Alex motivation to carry on. Without these rescuers Alex would be a lost cause, and the novel would be an extremely different story. As one of Alex's threateners is established near the beginning of the book there is also a rescuer in order to create a balance. Alex meets Esther and is somewhat reluctant to go for a coffee with her because he has work to do, however he agrees to go. "Alex felt himself blushing…What force had sent her suddenly hurtling across his path?" (10), Esther turns out to be the biggest rescuer Alex has in the book. She is always motivating him to do his thesis, presenting different ways to work on it. Esther is always there for Alex to provide advice, and a safe place to talk when he is in need of some help. It appears that Esther knows what is best for Alex, and he always listens to her. Its an interesting relationship between Alex and Esther – she has a serious disease and needs help – so Alex is always there to be the helping hand for her. It could be the fact that Alex can actually help someone else and be a positive part of her life that makes Esther a rescuer.

The other rescuer is an odd one; Alex's newly acquired friend just midway in the novel – Steven. This relationship is peculiar. Steven is Alex's friend, however Alex uses him not as a model of what to do properly, but what not to do. In short, Alex does not want to be a father like Steven is, separated from his mother, spending close to no time with his son and fighting rigorously for that time. Alex finds motivation from Steven near the end of the book and that leads him to his deliverance in the end.

Alex finds deliverance through his son that lives half way around the world. From his countless talks with Esther and his motivation found from Steven, he realized that he does have a purpose in life. His purpose, he realized – through the help of his rescuers – is to go to his son and be a father. Alex is truly delivered from an unfortunate soul to a proud happy father by the end of this book. There is one line that I feel truly captures the feeling of Alex's deliverance (and it mentions his primary rescuer as well) "He kissed Esther's Hand, then slipped quietly through the door and into his life." (472).

(word count: 738)