The Ultimate Hero's Journey
Page 9
The Matrix:“Do not try and bend the spoon. That’s impossible,” a kid dressed in Buddhist robes tells Neo. “Instead, only try to realize the truth: There is no spoon.” These words eventually allow Neo to see the Matrix for what it really is: Just an illusion.
Harry Potter:InThe Deathly HallowsHarry’s parents say, “We will be with you, always,” before he faces death at the hands of Voldemort.
Sideways: Maya tells Miles, “The day you open a ‘61 Cheval Blanc, that’s the special occasion.” The message is: Stop letting life slip through his fingers, leave the past behind, and live the moment.
Dodgeball: Patches gives Peter his scarf. “You’re a hell of a player, Peter. You earned it,” Patches says. And then he adds, “Hey, I’ve got some hookers in my room. What do you say we go celebrate? My treat.” Peter accepts the scarf but passes on the invitation.
Related:
170 – Right Words at the Right Time (2)
098 – The Awkward Innocent
The Hero shows kindness toward someone
who is usually shunned by others.
Description:
The Awkward Innocent is a kid, a rookie, or someone socially awkward who is trying to fit in. Others shun this person, but the Hero shows tolerance.
Note that the role of the Awkward Innocent is to point out candid truths, while the role of the Oblivious Innocent (stage 159) is to show cluelessness. Both can be used to comedic effect.
Examples:
Star Wars: C3PO makes irrelevant observations all the time. Luke listens to him, but Han shuns the droid: “Never tell me the odds!”
The Matrix: Mouse bothers Neo with philosophical conundrums. Neo listens patiently. The others make Mouse shut up.
Harry Potter: There are several characters like this: Dobby the Elf, Colin Creevey, Grawp the Giant, and especially Luna Lovegood.
Sideways: Jack does taste the strawberry in his pinot, but that’s because he is chewing gum. Miles reprimands him but also shows him patience.
Dodgeball: “I’m just saying, it happens,” Dwight says, justifying his prediction about Jason’s rival falling from a roller coaster. “My cousin Ray-Ray? Boop. Dead.”
Related:
159 – The Oblivious Innocent
099 – The Lieutenant’s Ineptitude
If you want something done, take the matter in your own hands.
Description:
The good guys are getting better, to the point that they outplay a major dark side lieutenant. The Villain gets angry and decides to personally take care of the task.
Examples:
Star Wars: The Millennium Falcon escapes from the Death Star. Darth Vader mind-chokes and kills a captain responsible for the failure. In the final battle, Vader takes matters in his own hands by piloting a fighter against the Rebels.
The Matrix: The police lieutenant says, “We can handle one little girl”, in reference to Trinity. Agent Smith answers, “No, Lieutenant, your men are already dead,” and heads inside the abandoned hotel to finish the job himself.
Harry Potter: Quirrell is unable to extract the truth from Harry, so Voldemort, despite being still weak, decides to face Harry personally.
Sideways: Miles would never take the initiative in approaching the two women, so Jack has to take the lead.
Dodgeball: The girl can indeed throw a ball. White says, “I’ll simply have to woo Kate a bit sooner than nature intended,” and tries to seduce her. He ends up getting crushed against a wall, and he deserved it.
100 – Presentation of Gifts
The Hero receives a gift from the Goddess.
Description:
The Goddess, who incarnates a life-giving force, gives the Hero something that helps to succeed in the next trials. This artifact will be of critical importance during the attacks that follow, all of which lead to the Final Battle.
Examples:
Star Wars: Luke officially receives Leia’s droids. C3PO tells R2D2, “It’s all right, you can trust him. He’s our new master.”
The Matrix: Neo receives a cookie from the Oracle. It makes Neo feel better and prepares him for a defining decision: Either to save himself or to save Morpheus.
Harry Potter: Harry receives Christmas gifts from Mrs. Weasley (Ron’s mother, in a Goddess role) and a brand new flying broomstick from Professor McGonagall.
Sideways: Miles receives two boxes of wine from Stephanie’s winery. Jack paid for them, though.
Dodgeball: Like Neo, Peter receives homemade cookies: Kate was baking some.
Related:
045 – The Herald’s Gift
101 – The Temptress
The Hero is tempted to stray from the path.
Description:
The Hero faces yet another test: A temptress with a seductive offer. If obstacles don’t work, maybe detours will.
The Temptress isn’t always a woman; it can also be feminine energy or some entity representing good emotions and sensuality. This character or artifact is not directly related to the dark side, but it represents the (erotic, material, etc.) temptations of the Ordinary World.
The Hero either ignores the temptation or negotiates a compromise.
Examples:
Star Wars: Two beautiful girls, the Tonnika sisters, stare with curiosity at Luke when he enters the Cantina. He ignores them and walks away, following Obi-Wan.
The Matrix: Dujour, the girl with the White Rabbit tattoo, tempts Neo into going to a party with her and her friends. Neo accepts because of Trinity’s message (“Follow the White Rabbit”).
Harry Potter: Temptation for kids has a name: Sweets. The Cart Lady offers to sell sweets to the kids, but Ron rejects the offer: He holds in his hand a disgusting sandwich his mother prepared. Harry buys the lot, though.
Sideways: Stephanie teases Jack by serving full cups of an expensive Estate Syrah. Jack tells her she’s a bad girl. She answers, “Yes, and I need to be spanked.” Jack negotiates a date with her and Maya.
Dodgeball: Peter is the tempter. He tries to convince Kate to join the team using a bribing package. She accepts, but for different reasons. Those movie passes were expired, anyway.
Related:
152 – Temptation Rejected
102 – Attack 7: False Enemy
The audience is lead to suspect the wrong character.
Description:
The False Enemy makes a move against the Hero or plots to do so.
This attack is only apparent; the Hero is not being betrayed, but actually being protected.
The misdirection about this character (i.e., keeping his allegiance to light side a secret) is created by subtracting context from his actions.
Examples:
Star Wars: Chewbacca is a Wookiee, a monstrous creature that pulls people’s arms out of their sockets when it loses at holographic chess—or so Han Solo says.
The Matrix:InThe Matrix Reloaded (2003), Seraph attacks Neo. Is Seraph a real enemy? No, he did it to confirm that Neo is The One in order to grant him access to the Oracle.
Harry Potter: Harry’s False Enemy is already a classic: Professor Snape, who seems to be cursing Harry’s broomstick when he is actually protecting Harry from Quirrell’s curse. Snape continues with his act until the end of the saga, when he sacrifices himself to protect Harry.
Sideways: In tone with the human depth of the movie, Jack is Miles’s False Enemy. Jack pressures Miles to act as his wingman and seduce the girls. Despite the sexual scope of Jack intentions, the encounter with Maya ends up being the way in which Miles finds true love.
Dodgeball: (Not applicable).
Related:
095 – Attack 6: Intimidation
113 – Attack 8: Shock and Awe
103 – Maternal Love
Some character shows affection or compassion for the Hero.
Description:
A motherly figure shows love for the Hero despite the Hero’s Immaturity and Weakness.
She loves the Hero not for being the One (as
the Mentor does), nor in a romantic way (as the romantic interest character does), nor because the Hero is a savior (as other people do), but simply because of the person the Hero is.
Examples:
Star Wars: Aunt Beru is the closest to a mother that Luke has. She worries and advocates for him. “Luke’s just not a farmer, Owen. He has too much of his father in him.”
The Matrix: The Oracle is the closest to a mother that Neo has. The scene in the kitchen is a show of that affection: She treats Neo kindly, offers him a cookie, and offers him consolation after he concludes that he is not The One.
Harry Potter: Professor McGonagall is the closest to a mother that Harry has. She secretly gives Harry a Nimbus 2000, the fastest model of flying broomsticks.
Sideways: Miles’s mother prepares the guys an opulent dinner, offers Miles money, and throws exaggerated compliments at Jack: “That they didn’t make you the biggest movie star in the world is a sin!”
Dodgeball: (Not applicable).
104 – The Hero’s Improvement
Hey, the kid packs a nice punch after all.
Description:
The Hero finally surprises everyone by scoring a clear win.
The Hero’s talent is in ascent (not the overall arc, which is always in descent). He or she is getting better, and people notice.
Examples:
Star Wars: Luke plan of rescuing Leia and making their way toward the Millennium Falcon succeeds.
The Matrix: Neo defeats Morpheus in his first dojo session. Mouse says, “Take a look at his neuro-kinetics. They’re way above normal!”
Harry Potter: Harry gets appointed as Gryffindor’s seeker—the first time ever for a first-year at Hogwarts.
Sideways: Miles is enchanting with words. “Half my life is over, and I have nothing to show for it. I’m a thumbprint on the window of a skyscraper.” (Yeah, that’s Bukowski. Oh, well).
Dodgeball:Average Joe’s defeats Blitzkrieg, Germany’s national dodgeball team. Their coach, David Hasselhoff, is not happy: “Ihr seid alle Schweine! Losers!”
Related:
085 – Surpassing Peers
105 – The Villain’s Disturbance
The Villain is disturbed by some powerful presence.
Description:
The Villain feels the presence of either the Hero, the Mentor, or the Goddess.
The Villain is totally focused on acquiring the Boon, to the point of obsession, so this feeling has a negative psychological effect on the Villain.
Examples:
Star Wars: Vader is disturbed by the feeling of Obi-Wan’s presence in the Death Star.
The Matrix: Smith tells Morpheus that he doesn’t tolerate the presence of humans: “It’s the smell. It’s repulsive, isn’t it?”
Harry Potter: Just as Harry’s scar hurts when Voldemort is close by, every time Quirrell encounters Harry, the professor avoids all physical contact.
Sideways: Victoria is disturbed by Miles’s late call, a chat that doesn’t end well.
Dodgeball: White is furious with Kate (who is working for him) because she keeps hanging out with Peter and the rest of the team at the rival gym.
Related:
009 – Mutual Creation
160 – A Cross of Swords
106 – A Well-Complemented Team
The Hero’s allies have their own bag of tricks.
Description:
The team’s talents are both complementary to those of the Hero (think the Watsons to your Sherlock) and also complementary to each other.
The Mentor is wise; the Goddess is talented and a natural leader. There is sometimes a big, strong character; there can be a nerd; there is a loyal sidekick; there is a mysterious character whose talent is revealed toward the end, and so on.
Examples:
Star Wars: Obi-Wan is wise, and Han is street-wise. Leia is a natural leader. Chewbacca is big and strong. C3PO is a nerd, and R2D2 is loyal.
The Matrix: Morpheus is wise, Trinity is a natural leader, Dozer is big and strong, Tank is a nerd, and Mouse is loyal.
Harry Potter: Dumbledore is wise, Hermione is a natural leader and a nerd, Hagrid is big and strong, and Ron is loyal.
Sideways: These characters are fused in a more realistic, non-archetypal way. Also, the talents in romantic stories are different from those in an epic story or from those in a thriller, or other genres.
Dodgeball: Patches is street-wise but also a homophobic bigot. Gordon is a nerd but also a wimp. Jason is loyal but kind of a loser. They all have their own weaknesses to overcome, it seems. Kate is the most normal person in the team, and a natural leader.
Related Stage:
108 – People Take Sides
107 – Breaking the Law
In fiction, rules exist to one end: To get broken.
Description:
Going by the book won’t work. Extraordinary achievements demand extraordinary tactics.
The Hero does the opposite of what the rules order, and does it with little remorse—a result of the Hero’s disregard for authority.
Examples:
Star Wars: In a galaxy dominated by a fascist Empire, everything Luke and friends do goes against the rules.
The Matrix: For Neo, breaking the rules of the world and breaking through his own limitations are one and the same thing. Morpheus tells him, “What are you waiting for? You’re faster than this.”
Harry Potter: Where do the three kids go during the night? They go to the forbidden third floor corridor, to the Forbidden Forest, to a cave full of giant spiders, and every other place they were expressly told to avoid.
Sideways: The guys pour wine in their cups when the server is not looking, they fake a car accident, and they lie about a few other things, too.
Dodgeball: This story goes the other way, once again: What saves the team is precisely rules--the Dodgeball Rule Book that Gordon always carries with him.
Related:
075 – Book of Laws
108 – People Take Sides
Allegiances around both the Hero and the Villain become clearer.
Description:
We see both teams holding separate meetings, as a symbol of the consolidation of the theme.
The Hero is the underdog and appeals to castaways, rebels, uncomprehended geniuses, truly noble people, and some shady character who adds a dark touch to the team.
Other kinds of people coalesce around the Villain: The establishment, the fearful, the conformists, the greedy. They are all used as it better fits the Villain’s ends.
Examples:
Star Wars:InThe Revenge of the Sith(2005), Darth Sidious holo-meets his lackeys: The members of the Federation of Commerce, fearful senators, and separatist planet leaders. On the other hand, the Rebel Alliance is formed by ex-Jedi, smugglers, lost droids, and freedom fighters.
The Matrix: We see the three Agents working together in the Matrix, and Morpheus’s crew working together in the real world.
Harry Potter: The Quidditch game is a symbol of polarity: The brave Gryffindors versus the cunning and brutal Slytherins.
Sideways: Jack and Miles represent the good guys’ team and the bad guys’ team at the same time. The struggle is internal.
Dodgeball: Here the teams are literal: Average Joe’s and the Purple Cobras both defeat their opponents, which puts them on a collision course with each other.
Related Stage:
106 – A Well-Complemented Team
109 – Praise to the Great Mentor
Some characters praises the Mentor,
thankful of having him on their side.
Description:
As long as the good guys have the Mentor on their side, they have a chance. The problem is: That situation is not going to last for long.
This stage is a foreshadowing one: The Mentor is praised in anticipation to the character’s fall. The word “great” is usually in order.
Examples:
Star Wars: Obi-Wan disables the tractor beam to
clear the way for escape. Han doesn’t have much faith in the old man, but Luke defends his master, calling him “a great man.”
The Matrix: Neo’s Mentor is referred to as “the great Morpheus.” The Oracle says, “Without him we are lost.”
Harry Potter: Dumbledore is referred to as “the greatest headmaster Hogwarts has ever seen.” Hermione tells Harry, “As long as Dumbledore’s around, you’re safe.”
Sideways: Jack proposes a toast: “It’s going to be great. Here’s to us.”
Dodgeball: Average Joe’s wins another match. “As long as we got Patches, we got a shot,” says Peter. The ESPN-8 commentator says, “With Patches O’Houlihan at the helm, I guess it must be the luck of the Irish.”
Related:
114 – The Mentor’s Orders
116 – The Mentor Is Gone
110 – Run for Your Life (1)
The current strategy: Survive.
Description:
The Hero and friends are still trying to figure out what the hell is going on. In the meantime, they make decisions on the spot. Tactical decisions. Okay: They run.
You know who has a plan, though? That’s right—the Villain. The plan has only one weakness: It underestimates the Hero.
Examples:
Star Wars: Luke, Han, and Leia just want to escape the Death Star. The Empire is focused on finding the location of the Rebel base. Darth Vader sensed Obi-Wan’s presence but failed to sense Luke’s.
The Matrix: The good guys’ only strategy right now is to escape from the Matrix before they get caught. The Agents are focused on capturing Morpheus. They didn’t kill Neo when they could have. “They have underestimated how important you are,” Morpheus says.
Harry Potter: Quirrell is focused on acquiring the sorcerer’s stone; Harry only tries not to get killed by his cursed broomstick.