Kinney uses the motif of fame and notoriety as a motivating force in Greg’s life throughout the entire Wimpy Kid series to highlight the coming-of-age tropes of self-definition and self-discovery. Greg Heffley spends much of his time thinking about how to become famous and popular, and how that popularity would improve his life. Most of the trouble that Greg gets into is in pursuit of fame. Though Greg generally resists his parents’ attempts to encourage values of Perseverance and Commitment in him, he demonstrates unfailing commitment to his pursuit of fame and popularity. He executes a long and complicated plan to get into Mariana Mendoza’s Halloween party, and he puts a lot of effort into his horror movie until things start to fall apart, and it seems unlikely to deliver the notoriety Greg desires. 

Ultimately, Greg is not truly all that interested in making a movie or having fun at a party with his best friend. He sees these activities as a vehicle for achieving significance that will earn him the respect of his peer group (in the case of the Halloween party) and validation from his parents (in the case of the movie). He does not “want to share credit on [the movie] since it was [his] idea” (196) and will not let

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