Why MacGuffin or Meaning?

What's all this?

The first time I heard the word MacGuffin was after watching Pulp Fiction. The suitcase that Marsellus Wallace is trying to obtain is one of the most famous examples of a MacGuffin, or a prop that exists only to move the plot forward without any inherent meaning or purpose.

I love movies and I love when they speak to me. And I really love figuring out what it is that is speaking to me.

I grew up in a church culture that labeled some art as acceptable and some as unacceptable, or even immoral. As a 20-something adult, I threw away books that I thought might be satanic, and as a horror fan, that was a lot of books. Movies and television were run through a filter of cursing or nudity or LGBTQ content or liberal politics. If they didn’t meet certain standards, they were meaningless, because how could one find meaning in something that was profane?

Finding the sacred in art from the unapproved list has been a journey, but it has also forced me to really examine what I consume. Not to make sure it meets some list with an approved number of swears or sex or violence, but to see if it makes me want to be a better version of myself. To see if it helps me process some emotion or philosophy that I haven’t fully understood before. These so-called MacGuffins make me want to try to determine if they really are worthless, or if they have a purpose of their own.

This isn’t a faith-based publication, but Christianity is the language I was raised with, so when I start thinking about meaning, it’s going to be hard to avoid that filter. This isn’t a strictly lefty publication, but my politics are and I consume art through that filter. This isn’t a strictly feminist publication, but I am a cisgender woman, and that colors how I view art.

Meaning is a subjective term. So something that is meaningful for me might not carry as much meaning to you. MacGuffin or Meaning isn’t about giving a definitive answer, but rather asking all of us to consider a little more closely what we’re watching. Take a look at that glowing suitcase and see if there’s something more there. Maybe it’s just a glowing suitcase, and that’s okay. But maybe it’s something more, and finding out can be fun. I look forward to unpacking with you.