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A Macguffin is a plot device used in literature and film, often an object that motivates characters’ actions but has little meaning to the plot. Coined by Alfred Hitchcock, it is frequently used in thrillers and adventures. Examples include the Ark of the Covenant in Raiders of the Lost Ark and the Holy Grail in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Multiple Macguffins can be used, but writers must be careful not to make them the center of the plot. The characters’ relationships, gains, losses, and discoveries should always be more important.
A Macguffin, or Mcguffin, is a literary device used frequently in stories, plays, and films. It is usually an object that motivates the characters’ actions, while having little meaning to the plot. The term was coined by director Alfred Hitchcock and has become a common description for the plot device.
Often, a Macguffin will be the focus of thrillers, spy stories and adventures. The item usually has a power or meaning of some kind which may be mystical or practical. Most characters in the story will base their actions on the Macguffin, although the end result of their actions will usually be more important than actually obtaining, controlling, or destroying the Macguffin.
Alfred Hitchcock first explained the term in a 1939 lecture to Columbia University students. According to him, it appears in many stories, but especially in spy tales and thrillers. She later clarified her observations of him, saying the device is actually nothing. A Macguffin’s purpose is to motivate characters to action, and his powers are rarely performed to great effect.
Examples of the use of the plot device are numerous, particularly in movies. Indiana Jones movies frequently revolve around a Macguffin, such as the Ark of the Covenant in Raiders of the Lost Ark, the Holy Grail in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and the Crystal Skull in the 2008 episode, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of Crystals Skull. Other frequently cited examples are the statue in The Maltese Falcon and the Green Destiny sword in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
Occasionally, the Macguffins may actually be characters in the story. Director George Lucas refers to the R2-D2 robot as a Macguffin in the Star Wars film, as many characters spend the entire first film looking for it. Similarly, the search for Private James Francis Ryan drives much of the action in Saving Private Ryan, making the character something of a device.
There are no rules as to how many Macguffins can be active in a film at one time, though multiple Macguffins are usually only found in broad-based farce or comedy styles. In the recent hit Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, the letters of branding, Davy Jones’ chest and Jack’s compass are all consistently used as motivating elements that end up being quite irrelevant. Perhaps the winner of “most Macguffins in a picture” goes to the 1970s comedy What’s Up, Doc? in which the large cast of characters spend the entire film chasing four identical suitcases, each with a different content.
The Macguffins provide a great way for a storyline to move forward, but writers need to be aware of possible pitfalls. If you spend too much time on the device, it can become the center of the plot instead of the main motivating object. As Jon Turtletaub, director of the famous National Treasure films, pointed out, when you find treasure, something else should be more important. The relationships, gains, losses, and discoveries made by the characters on their journey should always be more important and poignant than the cunning Macguffin’s final discovery.
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