The Hero's Paradigm

Movies are simply visual stories, and as such, follow the same pattern as all good narratives: introduction, conflict, rising action, climax, and conclusion. In his book Hollywood Worldviews, Brian Godawa presents a slightly more detailed paradigm of the typical narrative structure. This is very helpful in assisting the viewer to determine the meaning intended by the writers of a movie. His analysis is as follows:

Hero: who is the story about?
Goal: what is the hero’s strong desire that drives the story?
Adversary: who/what is the external opponent to the hero and his goal?
Character Flaw: what is the internal opponent that holds the hero back?
Apparent Defeat: what is the point where all attempts to achieve the goal are frustrated to the point of total futility?
Self-Revelation: what does the hero learn about the true nature of his character flaw and what he must do to overcome it?
Final Confrontation: what is the point where the hero and adversary meet face to face or their worldviews come into direct contact?
Resolution: how has the hero been changed and how will the future be different?

As an example, in Top Gun, Maverick (hero) wants to be the best Navy pilot (goal), but so does an equally skilled pilot named Iceman (adversary). Both pilots are very confident, if not arrogant, about their piloting skills. After a tragic accident, Maverick loses his confidence in his abilities as a combat pilot (character flaw), and as a result, is ready to quit the elite training program (apparent defeat). Maverick goes to tell Viper he is leaving when Viper says to him, “You feel responsible for Goose and you have a confidence problem – a good pilot is compelled to evaluate what’s happened so he can apply what he’s learned.” (self-revelation) Maverick then returns to combat flying and is called upon to repel several Russian Migs. The Migs get a lock on Iceman and he is now out of the fight. Maverick now has the opportunity to show he is the best Navy pilot if only he has truly regained his confidence. The battle with the Migs is Maverick’s time of testing to see whether he has truly overcome his character flaw. Maverick does find his confidence and finally scares off the remaining Migs (climax). Maverick returns to the ship to a cheering crowd who acknowledge him as the best Navy pilot (resolution).

Once we understand the different parts of a story, we can then begin to understand the message that the writers are attempting to communicate. Most often, the message of a movie can be found in observing the hero wrestle with and overcome his/her character flaw. In most cases, the hero is unable to defeat his adversary until he first overcomes his character flaw. It is in how the hero deals with his/her own internal issue that we find the message the movie is intending to convey. Thus, in Top Gun, in order for Maverick to be the best Navy pilot, he must first regain his confidence. In order to do that, he must “evaluate what’s happened so he can apply what he’s learned.” Therefore, the message of the movie Top Gun is that in order to be the best, you must learn from your experiences and move on.

The Three Bears (new version)

My four-year old son often times has trouble settling down and going to sleep. He is such a people person that he wants to talk and talk and never let me leave. Even when I do leave he lays in his bed talking or singing to himself. Too many times I have had to go back in his room and tell him to settle down. But tonight I tried a different approach. Tonight, I laid in his bed with him and said that I wanted to tell him a story (and not one from the bookshelf). So I told him a story that I literally made up in about thirty seconds.

Once upon a time there were three brown bears. There was Older Bear, Middle Bear, and Younger Bear. It was autumn. The leaves were beginning to fall and it was starting to turn cooler outside.

Older Bear said, “Winter is coming soon and then it will be time to hibernate. Bears need lots of good sleep in the winter so they are well rested for the spring.”

Younger Bear said, “I don’t need that much sleep. Besides, I want to play during the winter.”

Middle Bear said, “I don’t know Younger Bear. Maybe Older Bear is right.”

The nights turned colder and all the leaves had fallen off the trees and the first snow of winter began to fall.

“It’s time to hibernate,” said Older Bear. “Bears need lots of good sleep in the winter so they are well rested for the spring.”

“I don’t need that much sleep,” said Younger Bear. “Besides, I want to play.”

“I don’t know,” said Middle Bear. “Maybe Older Bear is right.”

“C’mon,” replied Younger Bear. “Let’s go play.”

So Middle Bear and Younger Bear went off to play in the snow while Older Bear found a nice
cozy cave where he could hibernate. After a while Middle Bear began to feel tired and changed his mind.

“I’m going to find Older Bear and go hibernate,” said Middle Bear to Younger Bear.

But Younger Bear continued to play. He made paw prints in the snow. He played with other animals. He had a great time playing all winter long.

Before he knew it, spring had arrived. The snow began to melt and leaves began to appear on the trees. Older Bear and Middle Bear emerged from hibernating. “Where’s Younger Bear?” they asked each other.

They wandered down to the stream and found Younger Bear. “Did you hibernate at all during winter?” they asked.

“Nope,” answered Younger Bear, “I played all winter long.”

Older Bear and Middle Bear went into the stream to catch some fish to eat. They were hungry after hibernating all winter. Younger Bear was hungry too from playing all winter. He also went down to the stream to catch some fish but he was too tired to catch any. He let out a big yawn and said, “I am so sleepy. I don’t have any energy to catch fish and I am really hungry.”

“I told you that bears need lots of good sleep in the winter so they are well rested for the spring,” said Older Bear.

“You’re right,” replied Younger Bear. “I should have hibernated so I would have energy to catch fish but I played all winter instead and now I don’t have any energy to catch any fish. Next winter I am definitely going to hibernate.”

“I think you’ve learned your lesson,” said Older Bear. So Older Bear went back into the stream and caught some fish and gave them to Younger Bear to eat.

When I finished telling the story, my son let out a big yawn. It couldn’t have been timed any better. He looked at me and said, “Just like Younger Bear.” He rolled over and grabbed his blanket. I kissed him goodnight and left his room and never heard anything from him the rest of the night.

The Pattern Behind the Magic

I couldn’t believe my teacher was telling me this! I had believed in the fantasy and the magic. I had been in awe of all the wonderful places and characters. But now my literature teacher had just ruined it all for me. There was actually a formula to a good story. I was in shock. How could all of the stories I had been so fond of all have the same pattern? Doesn’t this now diminish their greatness? Aren’t they all now equalized so that the great are the same as the weak? Such is the mind of a young student when he/she first realizes there is a man behind the curtain pulling the levers of that which we deem magnificent.

At first I was disappointed to hear that all stories follow the same pattern. But then I realized that knowing the pattern has opened up a whole new world for me when it comes to storytelling. It’s a world where I can better measure the greatness of stories and a world where I can create amazing stories myself. It’s a world where I can use the pattern I know as the bones for a story and quickly wrap those bones in some flesh of characters and setting. It’s a world where I can be ready at a moment’s notice when my kids change their bedtime request from asking Daddy to read them a story to asking Daddy to tell them a story. When my four-year old son wants me to make up a story to tell him he says, “Can you tell me a story and I mean not one from the bookshelf?”

You remember hearing about the pattern in your literature class, don’t you? First, there is the introduction. In the introduction we are introduced to the characters and the setting (i.e. when and where the story takes place). You remember the terms protagonist and antagonist, right? The antagonist is the one against the protagonist so the antagonist is the bad guy. The protagonist is the character whom the story is really about. At this point the author will also tell us a little about the characters and their personalities.

Second, a story has a conflict. Not just that it has conflict but a conflict. There is one singular conflict that the entire story revolves around. The conflict is what the story is really about so that, without it, there really would be no story. The conflict is often called the inciting incident.

Third, a story has rising action. This is the time period between the inciting incident and the eventual resolution of the conflict. It is during the rising action that we see that the protagonist and antagonist are on a collision course with each other. It is also the period of time when other minor characters may be introduced. The rising action builds the tension leading up to the climax.

Fourth, a story has a climax. The climax is the moment of greatest tension. The climax is when the protagonist and antagonist finally do battle. It is the moment that resolves the initial conflict.

Finally, a story will have a conclusion. The conclusion tells you how the conflict has changed the protagonist. The conclusion also gives you a glimpse of what the future may look like for the main characters.

In Finding Nemo, the main characters are Marlin and Nemo, father and son clown fish who live in the ocean and can speak remarkably good English. Marlin is an overprotective father who is scared of losing his only remaining son from a previous family tragedy. The conflict arises when Nemo is captured by a diver who serves as the antagonist. Marlin now faces the prospect of losing his one and only son. Thus, the story is about Marlin finding Nemo. The rising action is the great lengths that Marlin will go through against all odds to find Nemo. The climax is the moment when Nemo escapes from the diver and father and son are safely reunited. The conclusion is where we see Marlin allowing Nemo to swim off without Marlin being the overprotected worry-wart that he was at the beginning of the story.

So when my son asks me to tell him a story and not the ones from the bookshelf, I can think through the basic elements of a story and in a couple of minutes make up a story for him. I pick some characters and create a conflict for them. I have the protagonist jump through some hoops and then square off with the antagonist. The protagonist will win and everyone lives happily ever after. My son thinks I am the greatest storyteller ever. I am not looking forward to the day when he first learns of the formula. But then again, it will open up a whole new world for him as well.