The Master:
A Narrative Analysis
Man is not
an animal. We are not a part of the animal kingdom. We sit far above that
crown, perched as spirits, not beasts.
-Lancaster
Dodd
A Synopsis
Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Master is a film that is much more
than the sum of its parts. At its most
basic level, it is the story of Freddie Quell and his bungling attempts to
adapt to life post-WWII. His impulsive,
animalistic behavior causes him to be run out of any town where he lays his head,
until he meets the mysterious Lancaster Dodd, leader of a movement called “The
Cause.”
 |
| Freddie |
 |
| Lancaster |
Dodd defines himself as “a
writer, a doctor, a nuclear physicist, a theoretical philosopher, but, above
all, [a man]. A hopelessly inquisitive man…”
Dodd accepts Freddie into his family and attempts to assimilate him
into
his movement.
The Master is as complex as the larger-than-life Dodd. It draws on the life of the enigmatic L. Ron
Hubbard, and films such as John Huston’s documentary
Let There Be Light which examines the psyche of post-war
soldiers. The motivations of the
characters and much of the defining action of the film is implicit, adding even
deeper layers of complexity. It’s a film
that could ostensibly be about everything or nothing. It is a drama, a love story, an exposé of
Scientology, an anti-war parable, a study of the power of sexuality, an
examination of the birth and growth of both cult and spiritual movements, and
anything else you can think of.
This narrative analysis will
examine only the expositional elements of the film. Only the explicit actions and their potential
motivations will be explored simply because the implications of these actions
were made purposefully vague by the filmmaker.
It would be impossible to examine a singular interpretation of the film
without spending a great deal of time on other possible interpretations.
A Map:
Actantial Model
A Key
1. Subject:
The driving
character of the story.
a.
Freddie
Quell:
Freddie
is the subject of The Master. He is given a quest which he sets out to
achieve, and he has a series of helpers and opponents that interact with him on
his quest. Freddie also exemplifies the
Jungian hero archetype.
The journey of the hero according
to Jung can be divided into three sections:
Freddie begins the film in a state of preconsciousness
and is purely a reactionary animal. While
on a naval tour of what appears to be the Pacific theater of WWII, Freddie is
shown drinking alcohol made from the ethanol of torpedoes, simulating sex with
a sandcastle, and masturbating in public.
Freddie’s ego is awakened once he is discharged from
the Navy at the end of the war. He is
immediately put into a hospital for returning soldiers and treated for
post-traumatic stress disorder. The
realization of the ego, or self, creates the main
 |
| Freddie in the Hospital |
struggle of Freddie’s
story. He craves acceptance in society
and attempts to achieve this through work and relationships with women as
stable employment and marriage are societal expectations of men. Unfortunately, the animal of his preconscious
is still a major factor in his life. Freddie’s
heroic struggle is attempting to quell his animalistic impulses in order to
adapt to society.
Wholeness, or at least some semblance of wholeness,
is achieved after Freddie breaks from Lancaster and The Cause. He is able to take what he learned from his
experience with Lancaster and use it to adapt to society. Wholeness for Freddie is being able to hold
down a job and have a reasonably normal interaction with a woman, and he is ultimately
able to achieve these.
Freddie Attempts to Hold Down a Job
As a disclaimer, some have argued that the
subject of The Master is actually
Lancaster Dodd. The actant model graphed
above could easily be filled out with Dodd as the subject as could the Jungian
model of the hero. As mentioned in the
synopsis, The Master is incredibly
complex and often vague. An argument
could certainly be made for dual subjects, both Freddie and Lancaster, but
Freddie is the driving force of the story.
It is only through Freddie’s association with The Cause that we learn of
Lancaster and his goals. Once Freddie
splits from The Cause, the viewer is no longer privy to Lancaster.
2.
Object: The quest or goal given to the subject.
a.
Societal
Acceptance:
 |
| Freddie makes a drink from cleaning supplies |
Freddie’s
goal is to find a place in a world he doesn’t understand. It may not be a goal that he consciously
wants, but if he doesn’t conform to society he will die. This is shown in the intermediary period
between his dismissal from the Navy and his meeting Lancaster. During that brief time he assaults a customer
in a store, sexually assaults a woman, and accidentally poisons a man with one
of his alcoholic concoctions.
3.
Addresser: The one who assigns the object to
the subject. (
1)
a.
World
War II:
Little
information is given about Freddie’s life before the war. It appears that he was relatively adjusted or
at least that his strange behavior was attributed to him being young. His eccentric behavior is magnified by his
experience during the war. While he is
in the hospital, it is revealed that he was prone to hallucinations and fits of
 |
| Freddie During The War |
nostalgia. The fact that these symptoms
do not manifest during his time after the war implies that his experience
during the war was incredibly stressful.
No
matter what specifically happened to him during the war, it caused him to
become unbalanced. His animalistic
behavior created by the stress of war conflicts with the expectations of
society.
4.
Addresse: Who receives the object.
(1)
a.
Freddie:
When
Freddie achieves balance and wholeness, he becomes an accepted member of
society. His life has the potential to
achieve some level of fulfillment, and he is also allowed to live because he
has become adjusted.
b.
Society:
When
Freddie was running untethered through the streets, society was in danger of
falling apart. Freddie’s impulsive
behavior brought out the impulsive behaviors of others. People would react violently to his actions,
and he would often fuel chaos by providing people with alcohol. Freddie was imbalanced within himself, but he
was also causing an imbalance within society.
When he achieves wholeness, society becomes balanced once again, thus
avoiding a potential breakdown.
5. Helper:
Entities that assist
the subject in achieving their goal.
a. The Cause
Though
The Cause in not necessarily a sympathetic movement, arguably becoming a cult
by the end of the film, it is a necessary part of Freddie’s journey. The Cause gives Freddie a clear set of rules
and boundaries as well as a support group.
By becoming a member of The Cause, Freddie must become conform to
society’s expectations, effectively completing his quest.
i.
Lancaster:
Lancaster
is Freddie’s means of access to the cause.
Lancaster becomes Freddie’s friend and mentor. He treats Freddie with a loving strictness,
and is willing to put in the necessary effort to bring about change.
ii.
Peggy:
Lancaster’s
wife Peggy may in fact be The Cause’s most loyal follower. She keeps Lancaster’s own impulses in check,
keeping him focused on “curing” Freddie as well as the goals of The Cause.
6. Enemy:
Entities that
hinder the subject’s quest.
a. Freddie:
The
biggest enemy that Freddie faces is himself.
His preoccupation with sex and alcohol often lead to violent
outbursts. All of Freddie’s helpers are
attempting to help Freddie control himself.
b. Lancaster:
Lancaster
is both beneficial and detrimental to Freddie’s quest. He genuinely wants to help Freddie become a
functioning member of society, but he is not doing it in Freddie’s best
interest. Lancaster’s argument, and the
basis of the cause, is that man is not animal, man is a higher being. By taking someone who is more animal than man
and being able to elevate him above the bestial world, he is giving legitimacy
to the basis of his movement.
Lancaster
is not the epitome of the evolved man that he would have his followers to
believe. Arguably, his entire movement
is his attempt to deal with his homosexuality.
It becomes apparent as the film progresses that his fascination with
Freddie may be more romantic than charitable.
While publicly Lancaster encourages Freddie to control his urges, in
private, Lancaster encourages him to continue consuming alcohol. He also encourages Freddie to attack
outspoken dissenters of The Cause.
Lancaster Singing to Freddie
Freddie
becomes Lancaster’s mad guard dog, and his means to partake in many of the
bestial impulses that he condemns. Freddie’s final task in order to complete
his quest is to break from Lancaster’s grasp.
c. The Cause:
As with
Lancaster, The Cause is crucial in Freddie’s rehabilitation, but it does so for
its own gain, not out of kindness towards Freddie.
d. John More:
John
More is a skeptic that confronts Lancaster at one of the Cause’s gatherings. Lancaster becomes enraged when John questions
his claims that The Cause’s methods can cure disease and unlock the memories of
past lives. Though John is in the right,
he is not in the right in terms of Freddie’s journey. The doubt that he casts causes Freddie to
react violently. He beats John near to
death in his hotel room later that night.
Not
only do John More’s accusations cause Freddie to regress, if he had been
successful in convincing Freddie of The Cause’s shortcomings, Freddie would not
have been able to achieve his goal.
Ostensibly, the only person that could have “cured” Freddie was
Lancaster. If John has been able to show
Freddie the truth about The Cause, Freddie would never have been able to adapt
to society.
John More Confronts Lancaster
e. Val:
Val is
Lancaster’s son who is not a true believer in The Cause. At one point he tells Freddie that Lancaster
is "making the whole thing up". Much like
John More, Val attempts to reveal the truth to Freddie about The Cause. If he had succeeded, Freddie would have never
achieved his goal.
Freddie's Violent Doubt
7. Axes:
a. Axis of Desire:
The
axis of desire is the relationship between the subject and the object. (
2)
In The Master, the object that the subject (Freddie) desires and requires
to complete his quest is acceptance into society.
b. Axis of Power:
The
axis of power is the relationship of the helpers and enemies to the subject
and his quest.
(2) In The Master, the helpers push Freddie
toward his goal, while his enemies attempt to use him for their own means.
c. Axis of Transmission:
The
axis of transmission is the relationship between the addresser and
addressee. The addresser wishes to deliver
the object to the addressee, enlisting the subject to do so.
In The Master, this axis is a little more
complex than usual since the addresser is an event as opposed to a specific
entity. The war puts Freddie on a quest
to achieve balance and acceptance in society.
In doing so, both society and Freddie achieve wholeness.
Propp’s Narrative
Analysis (
3)
Most if not
all stories can be broken down into a basic six part analysis consisting of the
preparation, the complication, transference, the struggle, the return, and the
recognition. The problem with this model
in the case of The Master is that it
relies on an explicit dichotomy between hero and villain. This does not exist in The Master.
The hero of
the story is most definitely Freddie Quell, but the villain is not as obvious. In the actantial model above, a list of
Freddie’s enemies was set forth.
Ironically, most of the proposed enemies were also his helpers. In order to discern the villain, the object
must be examined.
Freddie’s
goal is to find a place in society which requires him to adapt to it. The person that consistently interferes with
this goal is Freddie himself. Though
Lancaster and The Cause use Freddie for their own means, they are crucial
components in Freddie’s quest. Since the
main conflict in this film is Freddie vs. Freddie or man vs. himself, many of
the tropes examined in a structural narrative analysis either do not apply or
apply in a secondhand manner.
This
application of Vladimir Propp’s narrative structure will examine only the
aspects that can be explicitly applied to The
Master.
1.
The Preparation
a.
A
prohibition or rule is imposed on the hero.
i.
The
rules of society are imposed on Freddie
b.
The
prohibition or rule is broken.
i.
Freddie
consistently breaks societies established rules and norms
c.
The
villain seeks to deceive the victim.
i.
Freddie
convinces himself that he can live without conforming to society’s rules by
simply running away from consequences.
 |
| Freddie Running Away |
2.
Complication
a.
The
villain harms a member of the family.
i.
Freddie’s
actions cause him to be punished.
b.
A
member of the family lacks or desires something.
i.
Freddie
craves acceptance.
c.
The
hero plans action against the villain.
i.
Freddie
decides to fight against his animalistic instincts.
3.
Transference
a.
The
hero is tested, attacked, or interrogated.
i.
Freddie
meets Lancaster and is subjected to “Processing.” His initiation into The Cause forces him to
face himself.
Freddie Confronts Himself
b.
The
Hero receives a helper.
i.
Freddie
meets Lancaster who makes it his business to help Freddie.
c.
The
hero is transferred to the location of the object.
i.
Lancaster
takes Freddie far away making it possible for him to avoid the consequences of his
previous actions and focus on his quest.
4.
Struggle
a.
The
hero and villain join in combat.
i.
Through
a series of tasks, Freddie learns to control himself.
b.
The
villain is defeated.
i.
Freddie
is able to become a functioning member of The Cause and society.
c.
The
initial lack is set right.
i.
Freddie
is able to adapt to society’s expectations.
5.
Return
a.
The
hero returns.
i.
Freddie
returns to his hometown, to a girl he loved before the war.
b.
The
hero is pursued.
i.
Lancaster
contacts Freddie and tells him to come to England.
c.
A
difficult task is set for the hero.
i.
Freddie
must decide whether to commit to The Cause or reject it.
d.
The
task is accomplished.
i.
Freddie
rejects The Cause.
e.
The
hero arrives somewhere and is not recognized.
i.
Freddie
travels to England where he is unknown.
6.
Recognition
a.
The
hero is married and crowned.
i.
Freddie
has a normal interaction with a woman.
In their last meeting, Lancaster says to Freddie, “If you figure a way
to live without serving a master, any master, then let the rest of us know,
will you? For you'd be the first person in the history of the world.” Freddie is able to become the master of
himself, effectively controlling his impulses.
Conclusion
As stated at the beginning, this is an incredibly complex piece
of cinema. It is purposefully enigmatic
making it difficult yet exciting to interpret.
The main purpose of The Master is
to answer the question posed by its title.
Who is the Master? Each character
has something that controls them, whether it be a goal, a belief, another
person, or an uncontrollable force, and each character is attempting to become
the master of their own life. For Freddie,
the master of his life is his bestial nature.
He sets out on a quest to control this side of him so that he can be
accepted into society.
He is given the tools to control his impulses by Lancaster Dodd and his
cause. At the beginning of the film,
Lancaster defines Freddie as a “hopelessly inquisitive man,” just like
himself. At the end of the film,
Lancaster is still on his journey for answers. Whether or not Freddie is able
to completely assimilate into society is unknown, but either way Freddie has
come to accept himself. He may never
achieve his goal, but he has found what the others lack. Contentment.
