The MacGuffin And Chekhov’s Gun: 2 Literary Devices Writers Should Know

Alfred Hitchcock gives us The MacGuffin. The MacGuffin is an object, event, or character that seems to be the central focus of the plot at the start of the story but, ultimately, proves to be unimportant. An heiress’s jewels are stolen, but the real plot is the detective’s desire for her despite her dark past. A driver must deliver a package cross country, but what is in the package is not important. Mysterious lights are seen over a rural sky the night a boy goes missing, but the story is not about evidence of UFOs but about a community coming together after a tragedy.

Example: The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett: The valuable Maltese Falcon statuette drives the characters to pursue, deceive, and betray one another. But the object is less important than what the characters are willing to do to obtain it.

2. Chekhov’s Gun

Anton Chekhov gives us Chekhov’s Gun. Chekhov’s Gun is the opposite of the MacGuffin. In this storytelling device, the writer unobtrusively introduces an object early on in the story—but its significance does not become clear until much later, usually in the climax. The treasured penknife the widow finds in her husband’s desk is used to help free her from a kidnapper’s ropes. The plastic toy the hero’s child gets with his take-away meal is tested to prove a plastic company is poisoning the environment. [Suggested reading:  How Chekhov’s Gun Can Help You With Description]

Example: And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie: Early in the novel, 10 people in a house discover a nursery rhyme describing 10 deaths. It seems like an eerie decoration, but then it becomes a blueprint for the murders.

The two devices work at opposite ends of the plot scale. In the first, you deliberately mislead the reader by using something showy and intriguing to get the story started. In the second, you carefully plant a clue that will become important at the end of the story. You can, of course, use these devices in any genre.

The MacGuffin and Chekhov’s Gun may seem like small storytelling devices, but they can have a big impact on your plot. One gives your characters something to chase, while the other plants something that will matter later. Use them carefully, and you can create curiosity and build suspense.

by Anthony Ehlers