The Monomyth and Modern Cinema

Photo by Angel Orrigi @angelorrigi

We are the storytelling ape, and we are incredibly good at it. As soon as we are old enough to want to understand what is happening around us, we begin to live in a world of stories. We think in narrative. We do it so automatically that we don’t think we do it. And we have told ourselves stories vast enough to live in. …

Plenty of creatures are intelligent, but only one tells stories.

- Terry Pratchett

The impact of stories and story-telling on the trajectory of human evolution cannot be denied. Whether it’s the earliest prehistoric fire-side tales, the more sophisticated myths and fables of the ancient and classical world, or modern literature and cinema, we can see how stories shape and transform our world. Stories give our actions direction and meaning. They spark our imagination. They give us a sense of origin, an understanding of the present moment, and a glimpse of possible futures.

But the best stories do even more than this. The very best stories serve as mirrors, revealing that which cannot be seen by the individual directly or unaided: the inner world of the mind, psyche, and soul. Better yet, these special stories provide a timeless blueprint for self-discovery and self-actualization. On the surface, they pretend to be about something else—a business man struggling to balance career and family; a regular Joe who finds out he is the chosen one of ancient prophecy; a Roman general betrayed by the emperor’s son and left for dead.

But underneath the particular details and cosmetics, the story is really about you and your journey of transformation. Pardon me: journeys of transformation.

It’s about the adventure we undertake again and again over the span of a lifetime, sometimes willingly, sometimes not, that leads us out of the familiar world of the ordinary into strange new realms fraught with challenges and trials and chance encounters. As I said, the particular details of each story change with culture and time, but underneath we find the familiar, time-honored pattern originally uncovered by Joseph Campbell and dubbed by him “the Monomyth”. In whatever form the story assumes, we find in its bones this age-old narrative pattern complete with its various insights into the human mind, and further still, into the Gaian Mind that permeates all of creation – Nature, Logos, God(dess), or whatever you choose to call it.

According to legend, the Delphic Oracle declared: Know thyself—then you shall know the universe and the gods. This only makes sense when you realize that the indwelling Self is the gateway to both, and is indeed synonymous with each. At least, that seems to be the essence of many spiritual traditions and teachings: look no further for a savior—you’re it. Or as Campbell himself put it,

The mighty hero of extraordinary powers is each of us. Not the physical self visible in the mirror, but the King within.

In the Monomyth, we find a map for intrepid spiritual explorers seeking knowledge of self, as well as an inventory of the characters we will encounter along the way. Because the pattern isn’t merely a sequence of events - it also includes a recurring cast, the Archetypes of Jungian psychology that represent universal aspects or themes of the human psyche. The Monomyth is a topic of great interest and importance to me for a number of reasons. But chief among these is the fact that even a rudimentary understanding of the patterns and symbols involved gives one the ability to watch familiar movies (or read familiar stories) with new eyes and glean previously unseen insights, lessons, and wisdom in the process. In other words, the Monomyth transforms literature and cinema into something more than mere entertainment.

Now remember: what I said above isn’t true of every story. The Monomyth is not universal. But once you begin to familiarize yourself with the aspects and archetypes of the hero’s journey, you will undoubtedly begin to detect its presence in movies, novels, and so on. And you may be surprised to find that some of the most popular and enduring films of the last fifty or so years were written to deliberately fit this pattern. Going forward, I will periodically post articles about the Monomyth in modern cinema, starting next week with a look at the 1991 Spielberg classic, “Hook.”

There’s a reason we’re called the NVRLND Tribe. Tune in next week to find out why!