According to Joseph Campbell (with Carl Jung's ideas), "A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man." (A Hero with a Thousand Faces)
So far, I am only starting this adventure to discovering what this actually means. However, from exploring different characteristics of the Hero's Journey, there is a strong sense that Francis Ford Coppola is directing with archetypes in mind.
Here is a checklist of some of the characteristics:
- The hero is inexperienced= Michael has not had much experience working with the "family business"
- The hero has a strange wise being as a mentor= Michael Corleone was given a "special gun" from Clemenza, the guide. He can be described as the "Mentor" because in scenes before he teaches Michael how to cook, and further along the gun training scene, he helps Mike along his journey.
-The hero has help from divine or supernatural forces= There is a background sense of religion in this movie, and his father (the Don Corleone) was shot 5 times and survived. Perhaps this is a deus ex machina?
These ideas show that Francis Ford Coppola is being consistent with the characteristics of the Hero's Journey. Michael Corleone is the hero.
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Megan- nice attention to literary features: does the "god from the machine"(look up ancient Greek theatre technology) ploy seem too contrived? Why do we always see it in stories we love?
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