What the Heck Is Anagnorisis Anyway?

The Wizard of Oz

Anagnorisis is hard to pronounce but relatively easy to understand. After all, it refers to something familiar to anyone who reads or watches works of fiction. The Greek word loosely refers to change. It is the point in a story's plot when a character's eyes are opened, and they make a critical discovery. The Encyclopedia Britannica calls this a change from "ignorance to knowledge."

Anagnorisis is often crucial to plot resolution. It is the moment the protagonist gains some insight into their true nature, the true nature of another character, and/or the reality of a situation. The best way to understand this is to look at some examples, starting with The Wizard of Oz.

WARNING: LOTS OF SPOILERS AHEAD

The Wizard of Oz

When a tornado rips through Kansas, it whisks away Dorothy Gale and her dog Toto to the merry old land of Oz. The pair follow the Yellow Brick Road to the Emerald City to meet the Wizard of Oz. Dorothy wants to return to Kansas, and she has been told the Wizard can help. Along the way, the girl and her dog make some friends. They meet a Scarecrow in need of a brain, a Tin Man missing a heart, and a Cowardly Lion who, as his name suggests, lacks courage. Dorothy promises that the Wizard will help them too. Of course, her faith is misplaced.

While the Wizard is coming up with excuses to avoid granting their wishes, Toto pulls back the curtain, revealing that the Wizard is a fraud. He is just an ordinary man operating machinery. "Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!" he worriedly says. But it's no use. This is the moment of anagnorisis. Dorothy now understands that the Wizard doesn't have the power to help her (a critical discovery about another character). But it is also the moment when she learns something about herself. She had the power to go home all along, thanks to the magical ruby slippers she is wearing (a critical discovery about herself). Anagnorisis often leads to the conclusion of the story. It does just that in the Wizard of Oz.

Harry Potter

In the Harry Potter series, Harry believes Professor Snape is his antagonist. And why wouldn't he when Snape is so antagonistic toward him? Snape loved Harry's mother, Lilly. He agreed to protect Harry from Lord Voldemort because her son was all that was left of her. But Harry looked and acted a lot like his father, James, who often bullied Snape when they were younger. Harry was a permanent and painful reminder of James. Anagnorisis occurs when Harry discovers that Professor Snape had been protecting him the whole time. After Snape's death, Harry honors him by ensuring his portrait remains at Hogwarts.

The Sixth Sense

In The Sixth Sense, Malcolm Crowe, a child psychologist, is treating a boy named Cole who can see and talk to the dead. Initially, Malcolm thinks the boy is suffering from delusions. Later, he realizes that the ghosts Cole sees are real. Malcolm believes the spirits have unfinished business and that Cole can help them and himself by putting his unusual gift to good use. Cole is reluctant at first. After all, he is terrified of the ghosts. With urging from Malcolm, Cole agrees to help them. Near the end of the movie, Malcolm makes the critical discovery that he is one of the dead people that Cole can see.

Cole Sear and Malcolm Crowe from The Sixth Sense

Star Wars

At the end of the second Stars Wars movie, The Empire Strikes Back, Darth Vader reveals that he is Luke Skywalker's father. This revelation is a shock to both the audience and Luke. After all, everyone believed Luke's father, Anakin Skywalker, was dead, murdered by Vader. It turned out that Anakin was only figuratively dead. He was reborn as Darth Vader. This revelation completely changes how Luke sees Vader. He is no longer an enemy to be destroyed but a father to be saved.

The Expanse

The science fiction series The Expanse has a couple of good examples of anagnorisis. The first involves Gunnery Sargeant Roberta Draper, Martian Marine Corp, better known as Bobbie. When Bobbie is introduced, she is a brainwashed Martian Marine intent on going to war with Earth. After her fire team is killed in a bizarre attack on the moon Ganymede, she is sent to Earth to testify at a hearing. There, she learns members of her own government were behind the deaths. This is when anagnorisis occurs, and Bobbie sees her situation very differently. She races to the UN line and requests political asylum on Earth, a planet she hoped to destroy just weeks before. "We're on the same side. The right side," Bobbie tells Crisjen Avasarala, a prominent Earth official.

Bobbie Draper and Clarissa Mao from The Expanse

Another example is Clarissa Mao. She sets out to destroy James Holden, the leading man of The Expanse. She blames him for the downfall of her family and her father's imprisonment. When Clarissa is captured after almost killing leading lady Naomi, she is locked up on a spaceship called The Behemoth. Holden, it turns out, is being held in a nearby cell. Clarissa listens in on a conversation between Naomi and Holden. This is when anagnorisis occurs for Clarissa. She realizes that Holden has been on a virtuous path all along. If Holden's acts are virtuous, that makes her acts evil. Realizing her tragic flaws, she tries to undo the damage she has caused. "Do you think a truly good act at the end of your life can make up for the terrible things you've done?"

These two examples of anagnorisis in The Expanse don't conclude the stories of Bobbie and Clarissa. They serve to change the paths both characters were on. Bobbie started out as a brainwashed Martian desperate to go to war, and Clarissa as a spoiled rich girl seeking revenge. Both ended up as crew members serving under James Holden.

The Expanse is based on a book series

What Is Anagnorisis | Definition & Examples

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