SLAYING THE TWO-HEADED DRAGON
Erin debunks the Myth of Dependency by proving that she can succeed and achieve her goals in the traditionally male realm of legal combat. The Two-Headed Dragon is the conflicting needs of her job and her children. Work and family both demand her time and attention. The heroine must juggle both tasks at once, just as the hero fighting the two-headed dragon must battle both heads at once. By finding a balance between work and family, the heroine slays the Two-Headed Dragon.
SLAYING THE OGRE TYRANT
Erin debunks the Myth of Female Inferiority by not only succeeding in her own goals, but by triumphing over P. G. & E. – the huge, heartless, multi-billion-dollar utility corporation, which is the epitome of male despotic power. While P. G. & E. is the external representation of the “Ogre Tyrant,” the real male monster archetype is inside of the heroine. Erin must slay her inner tyrant by controlling her own need to succeed at all costs. She needs to restrain her obsession with work, which is progressively destroying her relationships with her children and her boyfriend, George (Aaron Eckhart).
SLAYING THE KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOR
The Myth of Romantic Love is the one told in fairy tales and princess stories. The myth tells impressionable young girls that one day, a handsome prince charming will come and awaken you with a kiss. He’ll lift you onto his noble white steed and carry you off – solving all of your problems and taking care of your every need forever and ever. The Knight in Shining Armor is not a monster, he is an illusion. For the heroine, the illusion of a man who will solve all of her problems is more dangerous than the most vicious monster. By giving into this illusion, the heroine regresses all the way back to the beginning of her journey. She ceases to be a modern heroine, and becomes the traditional maiden in distress, who waits passively on a bed of roses for the brave hero to rescue her.
When Erin’s struggle with P. G. & E. dominates all of her time, George gives her an ultimatum… ‘you gotta’ either find a new job or a new man.” Erin debunks the Myth of Romantic Love by refusing to give in to George’s ultimatum. She tells George that she doesn’t need him to take care of her. Though she loves him, she refuses to let a man confine her identity and run her life. She confirms her status as a strong, vital, and independent woman.
STAGE FOUR: THE ILLUSORY BOON OF SUCCESS
At the highpoint of her journey, the heroine may feel that she has achieved dominance over her struggles. However, the heroine at this point is suffering a delusion, a lack of insight that Murdock calls the “superwoman mystique.” The heroine harbors “false notions of the heroic,” believing that she can be both a champion of the masculine world and queen of the feminine world simultaneously. The superwoman mystique is the false belief that one person can excel in two things at once. The superwoman can be a super-worker at her job, while also being a super-mom at home. But the mystique is a delusion, an illusion of balance, a denial of the fact that the heroine is human, not a superhuman being. Eventually, she must realize that something has to give. Erin’s realization of her illusory boon of success comes when George tells her over the telephone that her baby spoke her first words while Erin was busy at work.
STAGE FIVE: STRONG WOMEN CAN SAY NO
When the heroine realizes that she is suffering from the delusion of the superwoman mystique, she must restrict her own ambitions by saying “no” to some of the demands on her time and attention. The archetype that the heroine encounters at this stage is the “King” – the representations of male demandingness that are tearing her in two. The heroine must stand up to her boss, husband, boyfriend, etc., and say “No.” Erin displays her strength by saying no to George when he gives her his ultimatum, and she also says no to Ed when he tries to take her off the P. G. & E. case. But while the King archetype is the external representation of male demandingness, the real King that the heroine must face are the demands of her own “inner male.” The heroine must “silence the inner tyrant,” by saying “no” to her own unrealistic demands on herself.
While the external symbols of the King are represented well in Erin Brockovich, the internal King is never really dealt with. In the traditional male hero style, Erin merely pushes herself harder and harder throughout the film, never really giving in or admitting weakness. The “silencing of the inner tyrant” theme is represented more directly in Baby Boom (1987), in which the heroine, J. C. (Diane Keaton), realizes that she cannot be a super mother and a super business woman at the same time. J. C. says “no” to her CEO by refusing a big corporate career. She also says “no” to herself, realizing that her new baby is more important to her than a high-powered position.
STAGE SIX: THE INITIATION AND DESCENT TO THE GODDESS
At one point in her journey, the heroine re-encounters a version of the Goddess archetype that she disconnected herself from in the first stage. The goddess that Erin encounters is Donna (Marg Helgenberger), an ailing mother who is suffering from toxin poisoning as a result of P. G. & E.’s negligence. Erin’s sympathy for the ailing mother sets her on an external journey to battle P. G. & E. in order to gain a settlement that will heal the ailing mother. The external legal battle is symbolic of Erin’s inner journey to heal the ailing mother within herself. She desperately wants to be a good mother to her children. Her inner mother, however, feels neglected and malnourished, because Erin is focusing all of her energy and attention on her career.
STAGE SEVEN: URGENT YEARNING TO RECONNECT WITH THE FEMININE
The encounter with the goddess awakens a realization in the heroine that she has lost a crucial part of her feminine identity in dedicating herself so wholeheartedly to the goal of success in the male realm. The “urgent yearning to reconnect with the feminine” is symbolized by a need to encounter and reintegrate the Anima archetype. Anima integration in the heroine means reconnecting with the feminine body, feminine feeling, feminine passion, and emotion. For many heroines, it is the reawakening of love, sex, and passion in her character. J. C.’s anima is awakened in Baby Boom when she falls in love with a new man. Erin’s anima is awakened when she falls in love with George.
THE WILD WOMAN ARCHETYPE
In her enormously popular bestseller, Women Who Run With the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype (1992), Clarissa Pinkola Estes speaks of the “wild woman archetype” – the passionate, emotional, impulsive side of the female Self that represents the “instinctual nature of women.” To an extent, Erin is in touch with her “wild woman” from the beginning. She is impulsive, strong, passionate, and comfortable with her feminine sexuality. She uses her seductive persona to con the weak men she encounters to help her on her journey, and she uses her passion to plow through the barriers put in front of her. Erin’s inner “wild woman” is seen in full force during her love scene with George, in which she wears a tiara that she won as a teenager in a beauty contest. But Erin’s yearning to reconnect with the feminine is most deeply connected with her realization that she is neglecting her children and missing their childhood. She yearns to reconnect with the traditional feminine archetype – the nurturing, caring, loving mother who is devoted to her children rather than outside goals.
STAGE EIGHT: HEALING THE MOTHER/DAUGHTER SPLIT
In Murdock’s model, the heroine’s final reconnection with the Mother Goddess is facilitated by a mediating figure – the symbolic representation of ancestral feminine wisdom and healing embodied in the “Grandmother Spider” archetype. The Grandmother is a benign figure, a woman who understands the needs of both mother and daughter, and therefore the most expedient healer of the mother/daughter split. Erin does not encounter an external Grandmother figure, but she symbolically heals her own mother/daughter split by healing Donna, the ailing mother, with a big settlement check from P. G. & E. While the money is a great boon, it is clear in the final scene between Erin and Donna that the real healing for both characters is not accomplished through money, but through the caring relationship established between the two women.
; STAGE NINE: FINDING THE INNER MAN WITH HEART
The function of the heroine’s love interest typically parallels the anima’s function in the male hero’s journey. In Erin Brockovich, George displays the traditionally feminine qualities usually associated with the anima. He is sensitive, supportive, loving, empathie, nurturing, and mothering to both Erin and her children. George also delivers the typical anima message of emotional wisdom to Erin – that her obsession with work is disintegrating her relationships with her family and loved ones. Though his male sex places him in the role of the animus, his function as the hero’s love interest is more closely in tune with the function of the anima, which inspires the hero to reintegrate the feminine forces of intimacy, sensitivity, and love in her Self.
STAGE TEN: BEYOND DUALITY
As in the hero’s journey, the integration of the opposite sex archetype is tantamount to a “hieros gamos” or sacred marriage – resulting in “the birth of the divine child.” As the embodiment of both feminine and masculine character traits, the fully developed heroine is the “Master of Two Worlds.” She has found success in the business world, and fulfillment in her personal world. According to Jung, the mythological archetype that represents psychological androgyny is the Hermaphrodite – a common figure in myth and dreams. The hermaphrodite archetype represents a sense of personal completeness that goes “beyond duality,” because he/she is one figure, not a duality but a singularity. For Murdock, the principal symbol at the final stage is the circle. As a “perspective for life,” the circle is all-inclusive. It represents the eternal cycle of life, the concentric sphere of human relationships, and rebirth within the circular enclosure of the womb.
Murdock’s and Campbell’s models are both very similar and very different, yet oddly complementary. While Campbell’s mythological male hero integrates his archetypes in order to achieve legendary status in death, Murdock’s contemporary female heroine integrates her archetypes in order to achieve psychological balance in life.
“ARCHETYPES OF THE HEROINE’S JOURNEY”
Derived from Maureen Murdock’s The Heroine’s Journey (1990)
CHAPTER ELEVEN SUMMARY POINTS
The heroine’s journey is Maureen Murdock’s reconfiguration of Campbell’s hero’s journey model. Murdock’s model is especially relevant to the challenges of modern “liberated” women in contemporary society.
Murdock’s heroine integrates her archetypes in order to achieve a sense of psychological balance between the contrasting goals of success in the world of personal competition – (the masculine realm) – and contentment as a traditional mother, wife, and caregiver – (the feminine realm).
Stage one, separation from the feminine, is a rejection of traditional feminine values. This stage is typically accomplished by a separation from a traditional mother, housewife, or caregiver – represented by the Goddess archetype.
Stage two, identification with the masculine, is a meeting with a male mentor who fulfills the role of the father figure or wise old man archetype.
In Stage three, the road of trials, the heroine must debunk the three false myths of femininity.
The myth of dependency is debunked when the heroine slays the two-headed dragon. She demonstrates that she can master both her personal life and professional life without having to rely on a man.
The myth of female inferiority is debunked when the heroine slays the ogre tyrant, demonstrating that she can be just as powerful as a man in the realm of competition.
The myth of romantic love is debunked when the heroine slays the knight in shining armor. She demonstrates that she is not an old-fashioned “maiden in distress” and that she does not need a handsome prince charming to rescue her. She can rescue herself.
In Stage four, the illusory boon of success, the heroine confronts her own “false notions of the heroic.” She sees that she is trying to live up to the “superwoman mystique”, the false belief that she can be a champion of both the male and female realms simultaneously.
In Stage five, strong women can say “no,” the heroine debunks her own false myth by saying “no” to some of the unrealistic demands that she has put on herself. The heroine encounters and renounces the king archetype, either by saying “no” to a demanding male figure in her external life or by “silencing the inner tyrant” within herself.
In Stage six, the initiation and descent to the goddess, the heroine re-encounters aversion of the goddess archetype that she separated herself from in the first stage. She begins to identify with some of the traditional feminine roles that she rejected earlier.
In Stage seven, urgent yearning to reconnect with the feminine, the heroine encounters the anima archetype – the representation of feminine beauty, emotion, sensitivity, and passion that she needs to reintegrate into her Self.
In Stage eight, healing the mother/daughter split, the rift between traditional and contemporary versions of the feminine is healed, and the heroine becomes “whole.” This stage of healing is often facilitated by a compassionate mediator… the Grandmother Spider archetype.
In Stage nine, finding the inner man with heart, the heroine encounters and integrates her animus archetype, typically represented by a sensitive male love interest
In the final stage, beyond duality, the heroine has integrated all of her archetypes. She has found psychological balance and a sense of “wholeness.” The fully developed heroine represents the “androgynous” balance of both feminine and masculine personality traits.
CHAPTER ELEVEN EXERCISES
1. Identify five movie heroines and analyze their journeys in reference to Murdock’s model.
2. Identify the stage of “separation from the feminine” in Gorillas in the Mist.
3. Identify the stage of “identification with the masculine” in G. I. jane.
4. Identify the stage of “the road of trials” in The Wizard of Oz.
5. Identify the stage of “the illusory boon of success” in Working Girl.
6. Identify the stage of “strong women can say no” in There’s Something About Mary.
7. Identify the stage of “initiation and descent to the goddess” in White Oleander.
8. Identify the stage of “urgent yearning to reconnect” with the feminine in How to Make an American Quilt.
9. Identify the stage of “healing the mother/daughter split” in Girl, Interrupted.
10. Identify the stage of finding the inner man with heart” in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.
11. Identify the stage of “beyond duality” in Gone With the Wind.
ADDRESSING THE HEROINE’S JOURNEY IN YOUR SCRIPT
1. In Erin Brockovich, the first stage of Separation from the Feminine is not seen explicitly, though it could be inferred. How do you address this stage in your heroine’s story? Would the heroine’s story be strengthened by a more explicit separation from a real feminine figure?
2. The masculine archetype in Erin Brockovich is represented by a traditional father figure – a surly, but good-hearted, older man. Consider the masculine archetype in your heroine’s story. Would you be better off with a more traditional father figure or a less traditional one? Should he be completely positive or should he offer negative values as well?
3. While Erin faces a few rivals, there is no real villain in her story – as is typical of heroines’ journeys according to Murdock’s model. If P. G. & E. were represented by a physical character, would Erin’s story be stronger, or was it better to leave the huge utility corporation as a faceless, menacing specter?
STAGES OF THE HEROINE’S JOURNEY AT A GLANCE
STAGES
EXAMPLES/ARCHETYPES FROM ERIN BROCKOVICH
Separation from the Feminine
Erin loses her babysitter and searches for a job
Identification with the Masculine
Erin’s new boss, Ed
The Road of Trials
Erin works on the P.G. & E. case
The Illusory Boon of Success
Erin �
�balances” success at work with family life
Strong Women Can Say No
Erin stands up to George and Ed
Initiation & Descent to the Goddess
Erin identifies with Donna
Yearning to Reconnect with Feminine
Erin falls in love with George
Healing the Mother/Daughter Split
Erin “heals” Donna with the P. G & E. settlement
Finding the Inner Man with Heart
George displays archetypal qualities of the anima
Beyond Duality
Success in business world & fulfillment at home
PART FIVE
Alfred Adler
Chapter Twelve
THE INFERIORITY COMPLEX
Alfred Adler was a colleague of Freud’s who, like Jung, was also banished from Freud’s inner circle of psychoanalysts when his theories began to diverge from the original interpretations of the “Master’s.” Specifically, Adler proposed two concepts that were considered subversions of orthodox theory. First, Adler believed that deep-seated feelings of inferiority and a need to compensate for these feelings were the primary root of neurotic conflict, rather than the basic drives. Second, Adler believed that the rivalry between siblings for the love and attention of parental figures is often a greater unconscious motivational force than the Oedipal rivalry between father and son. By supplanting the Oedipal complex with the inferiority complex, and by placing Sibling Rivalry over Oedipal rivalry as the primary neurotic conflict, Adler earned the status of persona non grata in Sigmund Freud’s address book. Nevertheless, Adler went on to become an extremely influential and significant theorist in the field of analysis, and his theories of the Inferiority Complex and Sibling Rivalry became as popular as any theory originally composed by “the Master.”
Psychology for Screenwriters Page 20
