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"People who shut their eyes to reality simply invite
their own destruction, and anyone who insists on remaining in a state
of innocence long after that innocence is dead turns himself into
a monster."
James Baldwin
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(Note: This material is copyrighted. Please see our copyright
notice.)
Using the film Legend
to teach the Hero's Journey
Three quests in one film
One of the films we have used most successfully in teaching the hero's
journey pattern (to both younger and older students) is Legend,
which stars a young Tom Cruise. The film actually shows three quests (Jack,
Lily, and Darkness). We show the film only after students have studied
the Journey pattern and know it well enough to apply it.
The film's opening narration offers a good look at the plot and themes
in the films.
- Once long ago,
- before there was such a thing as time,
the world was shrouded in darkness.
~
- Then came the splendor of light,
- bringing life and love into the Universe, and the Lord of Darkness
retreated deep into the shadows of the earth, plotting his return
to power...by banishing light forever.
- ~
- But precious light is protected, harbored in the souls of Unicorns,
the most mystical of all creatures.
- Unicorns are safe from the Lord of Darkness, they can only be
found by the purest of mortals...Such a mortal is Jack, who lives
in solitude with the animals of the forest.
~
- A beautiful girl named Lily
loves Jack with all her heart. In their innocence,
they believe only goodness exists in the world.
- Together they will learn there can be no good without evil...No
love without hate...No heaven without hell...No light without darkness.
~
- The harmony of the Universe
depends upon an eternal balance.
Out of the struggle to maintain this balance
comes the birth of legends.
The death of innocence
Legend is the story of Jack and Lily, two innocent young people
who violate an unwritten law which forbids interacting with unicorns.
Their mistake gives Darkness an opportunity to throw the world into eternal
darkness and winter.
When Lily, who is pure (with a streak of mischievousness), realizes
her responsibility for the calamity, she determines to set things right.
Her quest begins on two levels. On a physical level, she wants to save
the captured unicorn and help return the world to normal. On a psychological
level, she needs to integrate her "shadow" self, acknowledge and incorporate
the darker side of her pure nature. (The scene where this happens, where
she becomes one with the dancer, is excellent for helping students understand
symbolism.) Naive and inexperienced, Lily quickly gets herself captured
by Darkenss.
Jack, who is a peaceful and passive forest child, must rescue Lily
after she is captured by Darkness. To accomplish this task, he must (like
Lily) manifest and incorporate his shadow self. Gump tells him that he
must be the hero to lead them to rescue Lily and the unicorn.
"Me?" asks Jack. "I know nothing of weapons."
"You'll learn," says Gump.
Themes and approaches
This is a movie about harmony and balance. It offers the opportunity
to discuss traditional duality myths and some philosophies which may be
new to students, especially the Chinese concept of the Yin/Yang. (For
a good explanation of Yin/Yang and other Taoist concepts, see Tao:
The Watercourse Way, but Alan Watts.)
The film also offers the opportunity to explore symbolism and metaphor.
We like to discuss the archetype of the "world tree" or "tree of life"
as a beginning. (See page 69 in The Hero's Journey: A Guide to Literature
and Life for a discussion of the world tree.) You can also discuss
unicorns, the symbolism of water, and fairies ("Oonagh" or "Una" was actually
the name of a fairy queen in Celtic folklore.)
In all, Legend is an engaging film which offers teachers an
excellent opportunity to explore the journey pattern on several levels,
and it provides the additional opportunity to expand students' awareness
of symbol, metaphor and archetypes.
Questions and themes for review
Here are some questions about the film which you may use to discussion
or writing assignments.
- The text at the opening of the movie describes an eternal balance
between opposites (which are really just two sides of the same system):
black and white, love and hate, light and darkness, good and evil. Do
you agree with this concept? Why do you agree or disagree? What characters
or elements in the movie symbolize the two poles of this balance?
- Like the Garden of Eden story in Genesis, the Legend begins with
a "fall" from grace. What causes this fall? How is this similar to the
story of Eden?
- After the unicorn is hit with the poison dart, Lily removes her ring
and throws it into a pool. She says she will marry whoever finds the
ring. The stone on the ring is half dark and half clear. What Eastern
symbol is similar to the ring? Why do you think the stone is made in
two contrasting halves?
- Why do you suppose the heroine's name is "Lily"? What characteristics
of the flower make it an appropriate name for her?
- Gump is furious that Jack showed Lily the unicorns and then let her
touch one. But when Jack tells him, "I did it for Lily. I did it for
love," Gump says, "For love, you say. Well, love is another matter,"
and he toasts Jack. Why did Gump change his mind?
- As Jack, Gump and the others are discussing the situation, Jack says,
"We must find a champion, bold of heart and pure of spirit." Gump point
to him and says, "You'll do." Jack had never considered himself as the
champion, nor did he really want the job. What does this tell us about
many heroes and how they are made?
- Jack's first challenge is to get a weapon, something he has never
used before. Gump knows where to find what Jack needs, but he cannot
go with Jack into the cave. What does this tell us about the job of
a mentor or guide? Ultimately, who must take the Journey?
- In Legend each of Jack's tests and trials is more difficult than
they last. Each test builds on what Jack has learned from the tests
before it. Make a list of Jack's tests in the order in which they occur.
How does each one prepare Jack for the next one?
- Give two or three incidents where Jack's inexperience and impulsiveness
almost draw him off track. How is he pulled back toward his goal?
- Through his challenges, Jack has a mentor, someone who helps him
stay composed and focused? Who is this? Give examples of when and how
he helps Jack.
- Darkness asks his father why he is fascinated with Lily, why she
"distracts" him. The father says Lily fascinates him because "her soul
is pure." Why would a pure soul appeal to Darkness?
- After the group falls into the dungeon, they encounter the "creature"
who helped Blix and who was taken by the mummy. When this "creature"
takes off its helmet, we discover it is Bronton's brother. There are
many stories in mythology about brothers, one who goes into evil one
into good. What do you think this theme suggests?
- At the end, Darkness falls into the void, but before he goes, he
tells Jack, "You think you have won. What is light without darkness?
I am a part of you all. You can never defeat me. We are brothers eternal?"
What might he saying about the nature of good and evil?
- At one point, Lily is ready to sacrifice her life for the unicorn.
She is unaware that Jack and the other are near, trying to help/save
her. Why is she ready to give her life for the life of the unicorn?
What does her willingness tell us about how she has grown or changed?
- At the end of the movie, Jack dives into the pool, as he did at the
beginning of the movie. This time, however, he is able to retrieve the
ring. How has Jack changed so that he is ready and now capable of retrieving
the ring?
- The last scene shows Gump, Una and the others waving good-bye to
Jack and Lily. Everything is beautiful, but then superimposed over the
scene is the image of Darkness laughing. Why do you feel the movie ended
this way? What is the movie trying to say?
- Chart the quests for Jack, Lily or Darkness. Include all stages of
the Hero's Journey.
- Lily's quest could be to discover and absorb her own dark side, to
acknowledge the "seed of evil" within her. Give some incidents from
the film which could illustrate this quest. Why do you feel Lily must
do this?
- How is Jack transformed by his quest?
- Was darkness transformed?
- Compare Darkness with Darth Vader in the Star Wars trilogy. (You
could also compare the relationship between Luke and Vader to the relationship
between Lily and Darkness.)
For additional study:
- Polarity/duality (especially the concept that opposites are really
just two sides of one system or experience)
- Famous polarized brothers (i.e., Cain and Abel, Ahriman and Ohrmazd
in Persian mythology)
- Fairy folk
- Carl Jung's model of the self, especially the "shadow"
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