Mythic Patterns Within Movies Often in literature there are mythic patterns that can be seen throughout stories and fairytales that make reading more interesting. However this is also true for many movies.
It may not be apparent to avid movie viewers that there is a similarity that can be linked to most movies that are available to watch. A considerable amount of them contain one, if not more, mythic patterns that make the movie more interesting and provide a higher level of insight to the viewer. This is obvious in action movies where the star of the film almost always experiences a hero?s quest and in romantic movies the star undergoes a loss of innocence. Not surprisingly, the movie The Mighty directed by Peter Chelson, depicts mythic patterns that provide further insight into the characters in the film. The Mighty is a drama about a smart handicapped boy who befriends and oversized, awkward seventh grader who needs academic help. Both children help each other through their weaknesses by sharing their strengths. Within the contents of this recently released movie, there are numerous situations that can be analyzed to prove the presence of a mythic pattern.
Therefore the mythic patterns of loss of hero?s quest, dualities, cycle of life and loss of innocence are exemplified consistently through the movie The Mighty. Indeed, from the very beginning of the movie there are examples of the hero?s quest vividly depicted through the character of Max Kane. The Origin or history of this character is not given early in the movie and there is nothing to judge the character by except or the fact that he is an gawky, oversized seventh grader with a reading disability.
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As the story progresses, Max is depicted as neither foolish nor invincible. This is displayed through the fact that Max can not read as well as most children in the seventh grade making him not impervious to life?s hardships. However at the same time Max is being tutored by Kevin ?freak? Dillian, an extremely bright young boy with a physical handicap. As a result of this tutoring Max begins to see that ?every word is part of a picture and every sentence is a whole picture? (The Mighty), which helps the process of overcoming his reading disability quicken. This improvement in literature denotes that Max is no fool. For the most part Max is very unclear as to what his goal is as a young adolescence but the preaching of Kevin helps to give direction to Max?s life. ?A knight?s worth is determined by his deeds? , is what Kevin always says and these words give strength to Max. Max then realizes that his goal is to be a kind hearted Samaritan and to help those in need just like a great knight would. To reach this goal Kevin and Max embark on numerous journeys where they intend to do good deeds. Firstly Max and Kevin order a man in a coffee shop to stop harassing a young lady.
This seems very dangerous for the two young boys because the man is older and probably stronger but in the end the boys overcome the danger and emerge victorious when the man decides not to cause a seen and leaves the young woman alone. Another adventure the boys have is they attempt to recover a stolen purse from a local gang, ?the doghouse boys?, who are known for their violent actions. Even when beset with the danger of fighting this gang and tempted by keeping the purse which contains several hundred dollars, the boys once again overcome their obstacles and return the purse to the owner. Through all of these ordeals Kevin not only acts as a friend but also acts as the guide for Max and gives him help to beat the adversaries he faces whether it be a new book or another gang member.
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Soon afterwards Max?s bright world fades into darkness when his father is given parole and comes to take Max from his grandparents. After Max is taken into the evil world of his fathers, he begins again to believe that he is the spitting image of his father and that he will never ascertain his goal. However, when ?Killer? Kane begins to beat up on a helpless lady Max gains the courage to stand up for himself and tells his father that he remembers how is mother was brutally murdered. This was a break through for Max because he had never admitted to his father that he had remembered the scene of his mother?s murder which he had blocked out so to let go of the pain. As a result of this emotional breakthrough Max realizes that his true goal was to cast out the probability that he would be like his father even though everyone believed he was. After escaping the dark realm of his fathers, Max goes home and celebrates Christmas with his companion Kevin but a final emotional wound is inflicted on Max when Kevin suddenly dies. This wound helps Max to put life in perspective and be more assertive when it comes to living life to the fullest. All of these events coincide with the trials found in the hero?s quest.
Furthermore, the film The Mighty also contains many dualities found between characters. The most evident duality is good and evil depicted through the characters of Max and his father. Max is a kind hearted boy which is easily seen by the fact that he becomes friends with Kevin when no one else will. Also Max fulfills many good deeds by saving Kevin?s life from the ?doghouse boys?, returning a stolen purse and helping a young lady who is being harassed. On the other hand is Max?s father, ?Killer? Kane, who obviously is evil just by the fact that he is in jail for the murder of his wife. As if that was not enough, ?Killer? also kidnaps Max from his grandparents, almost kills another woman after picking up Max and makes fun of Max for having a handicapped friend. Without a doubt the qualities described in these characters vividly depict good versus evil. Another duality evident is intellectual versus learning impaired seen through Kevin and Max. Even though Kevin is physically handicapped he is a very gifted young boy who excels far beyond the expectations of any normal grade seven student. This is quite apparent through the fact that he is tutoring Max. To the same effect, it is seen that Max is not as bright by the fact that he is being tutored by Kevin.
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This does not insist that Max is intellectually insufficient, it just means that he learns at a much slower rate then other students. This intellectual difference portrays a very common duality found often with children this age. Finally, a duality that can be inferred is bravery versus courage found in Kevin?s mother and Kevin?s father. From the very first moment that Kevin?s mother, Gwendolyn, is introduced, she is always trying to make Kevin comfortable and safe. It is explained how she stuck around and took care of Kevin after the doctor had explained about the birth defect where as Kevin?s cowardly father picked up and ran when hearing about this defect of Kevin?s. The courage that it took for Gwendolyn to stay with Kevin is quite a complete contrast to the cowardliness shown by Kevin?s father. Clearly the use of dualities in the movie are easily seen through examples such as these. Certainly there are also many indications of a loss of innocence falling upon various characters throughout the movie. The primary fall from innocence within the movie is when Max has broken through the emotional wall that has blocked out the murder of his mother. It is then that Max takes a stand against his evil father and must cope with the fact that he does not like who his father really is.
This is easily seen as a fall from innocence because Max who before may have believed that is father could have been a unjustly convicted victim now realizes how wretched he really is. Another fall from innocence experienced in the movie is when Kevin dies on Christmas night. This is quite a shock to Max because Kevin had explained that there was new treatment for his disease and that he was going to be the first to be a ?biologically improved human?. Since Kevin had given Max so much insight into reading and life in general, it was only natural for him to believe such a far fetched idea. When the time finally came and Kevin passed away, Max was not ready for the emotional trauma that he experienced which caused him to run out into the snow in a violent tantrum. Max?s ignorant beliefs that Kevin could not be wrong blinded him to the upsetting death he was faced to live with. This was a very sad and sorrowful fall from innocence, however it opens Max?s eyes for the better in the long run. One last fall from innocence that is displayed in the movie occurs when Max?s grandparents receive a letter in the mail from Landford penitentiary. They are informed that Max?s father, ?Killer? Kane is being released on parole after only nine years of a thirty year sentence. This becomes very upsetting for the loving old couple. Their belief in their countries great justice system is shattered after receiving this disturbing news. Max?s grandfather even goes to the point to load and clean his shotgun, so to take justice into his own hands. Disappointed and disgusted by the justice system that these people so heavily trusted can definitely be seen as a fall from innocence. The characters mentioned above have all went through pain and agony as a result of losing their innocence, which often is seen when analyzing this mythic pattern. Of course there is also evidence of different cycles of life presented in the movie.
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These cycles do not coincide with normal events in life but that is what makes them so intriguing. For example, Kevin Dillian leads a quite unusual life. He was born with a birth defect which resulted in his bones not growing at a normal rate. This causes problems because his internal organs become to big for his body. As a result his legs do not function properly. However this set back does not effect the boys determination to thrive as an individual. Through his life he has devoted his mind to the gaining of knowledge and as a result he has become an extremely bright boy. He does not let his physical handicap extinguish his growth as a person. He attends school like a normal boy and stands up for his rights especially against the ?doghouse boys?, who often persecute his appearance by calling him ?freak?. The cycle of life that Kevin goes through is unusual but at the same time he reflects the same aspirations and goals that many young children have. However his determination and strong will power could not undermine fate. Not surprisingly Kevin died at the young age of twelve which cut his cycle of life short. He never got to experience a first kiss or his wedding day which makes the death all the more tragic. On the other hand Kevin?s mother has a very ordinary life cycle. She is a mentally strong woman who had the chance to experience life to its fullest. She married a magician and had a son. However her son was handicapped which changed the outcome of her life. It is quite tragic for her when Kevin dies because that goes against the ordinary cycle of life.
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It is obviously strange when a mother outlives her son all the more agonizing for the mother. Then there is Max who leads his life in a world of his own. ?Sometimes I go to this place where you float like a cloud. No, you are a cloud. You have no name and no one knows you?. This perfectly describes the kind of person Max has become because of a horrific early childhood experience. When he was young he witnessed his mother be murdered by his father but was to emotionally scarred to remember the incident. He blocked it out of his mind and from that point on his life as been lonely and oppressed.
Max is learning disabled which means he can not learn as quickly as the other students.
This disability pushes him away from leading a normal life because he is persecuted by his peers. He has no friends and lives like a hermit with no one to confide in. This is a very usual cycle of life for young people who have been scarred by a traumatic event. All three of these situations exemplify different cycles of life but the amazing miracle of the movie is how these three different life cycles come together and are joined through love and friendship. Let?s be honest, how many lifestyles in this world are really normal anyway? Obviously, in the movie The Mighty the mythic patterns of hero?s quest, loss of innocence, dualities and cycle of life are exemplified. All of these mythic patterns can pertain to the numerous characters found in the movie. After analyzing in detail the contents of the movie there is no doubt that by interpreting the characters one can vividly grasp the variety of mythic patterns present. This exemplifies the connection between literature and movies. In both, mythic patterns can be seen as a dominant literary device that can intrigue and grasp the attention of the reader or viewer. In short, it is evident that mythic patterns are not only restricted to the contents of books but can also be seen in film
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