dave_medlo

A mcguffin is a narrative device used by an author to instigate a series of events, motivate characters or advance the story. They are not intrinsic to the plot, as they only exist to serve one purpose, but their importance to character development and storyline is immense. An ambition of the main character, for example, is a mcguffin - it is a character trait that only exists to propel said character into the intended story arc. The briefcase in Pulp Fiction, for example, is a good mcguffin; the contents are never seen but they are important enough to push forward several storylines.

I think mcguffins appear more often in our lives than we'd like to acknowldge.