(Warning: This blog post is very, very long, but I feel it's some of my best work. So it's up to you if you want to read it or not. Jerk. Also, there are greyed-out sections of text. Those contain spoilers. Just hover the cursor over the sections to read them.)
My wife and I went and saw TRON this past weekend, and I was struck by how much I enjoyed the film. I did have a bit of a problem with the ending (no spoilers, don't worry), but if they clear it up in TRON 3, I'll have no more issue with it. And for those of you who have seen the film, all I can say regarding the possibility of a third installment is "underwater color-change." 'Nuff said.
Anyway, yeah, TRON. This is going onto my blog, which means this monologue has to be writing-based, yes? That was the rule I set for myself, and so it shall be. Sort of. Anyway, while watching TRON, I was not only surprised by how much I enjoyed the movie, but I was also impressed to see the level to which the writers' employed Joseph Campbell's monomyth. At this time, I'd like to dissect the story, and analyze how Sam Flynn's experience reflects the hero's journey, and describe how Sam is but another of the hero's faces. (Note: Everything that I quote, I'm getting straight from the entry for the monomyth on wikipedia.org. So all credit goes to Professor Wiki Pedia in the year 20XX, pronounced "Twenty Exty-Ex.")
"The Call to Adventure" is the first step of the Departure or Separation stage. In this step, "the hero starts off in a mundane situation of normality from which some information is received that acts as a call to head off into the unknown." Many people, looking at the literal meaning of the words "departure" and "adventure" would assume that Sam takes this step when he enters the world of the computer, when he finds the hidden lab/office in his father's arcade, or, at the very least, when Alan Bradley tells Sam about the mysterious page he received from a number that has been twenty years disconnected. I disagree with all of them. I posit that the call to adventure is not actually seen in the film. Sam received the call to adventure earlier, much MUCH earlier, when Alan Bradley -- or whoever -- initially asked him to take over ENCOM, and run it the way his father would have preferred. Or maybe the call Sam receives is simply observing the way his father's company is being run. Either way, to Sam, the mundane situation is riding his motorcycle around the city without any responsibilities and living in a shack under a bridge somewhere in the ambiguous Pacific Northwest. The adventure to which he is truly called is adulthood, maturity, and following his father.
The call is often followed by a Refusal. "...when the call is given, the future hero refuses to heed it. This may be from a sense of duty or obligation, fear, insecurity, a sense of inadequacy, or any of a range of reasons that work to hold the person in his or her current circumstances." As mentioned, Sam's adventure is the willful taking and fulfilling of responsibility. And not just the responsibility of running a company -- which he says, specifically, he's not ready to do -- but any responsibility. Early on in the film, we're led to believe that Sam has little to no friends, notwithstanding not exhibiting any signs of being antisocial. He's not without charm, independently wealthy, and acts with confidence, yet he's single, a small dog his only companion. Other than his shares and an annual prank against ENCOM, he has no connection to his father's company. In their first conversation in the film, Sam tells Alan that he doesn't want to run his father's company, and mentions that this isn't the first time he's rejected Alan's challenge. Thus, his refusal isn't in expressing doubt about the page that came from his father's old arcade -- in fact, once he's told about it, he seems to jump at the chance to investigate. No, his refusal is in maintaining his perpetual bachelorhood with his motorcycles, dog, and pranks.
After the refusal, when the hero -- one way or another -- commits to the adventure, he receives Supernatural Aid. "...his or her guide and magical helper appears, or becomes known. More often than not, this supernatural mentor will present the hero with one or more talismans or artifacts that will aid them later in their quest." Sam hasn't committed to the adventure yet, at least, not the whole adventure of adult life, but he has decided to follow his father, even if only physically following a page to its source, his father's old office. Bruce Boxleitner is anything but supernatural or magical, but the page -- a number that has been disconnected for twenty years -- does have an otherworldly aspect to it. Even the keys to the arcade that Alan tosses to Sam hold mystical power. They unlock a door to Sam's past, and his childhood, while at the same time keep locked secrets that Sam doesn't feel he's ready to learn. But still, Sam takes the keys, and attempts to investigate.
As Sam steps into the abandoned arcade and turns on the power, he's drawn to the TRON console at the back of the room. Into the coin slot, he drops a quarter, the same quarter his father gave to him the night before he disappeared. As it is the last physical memento he has of his father, his willingness to lose it forever to play an arcade game seems particularly poignant. It's as if he's ready to let go of the last remaining connection to his childhood, but when the quarter drops out of the bottom of the machine, he's told by fate, God, or whatever mystical power that controls the universe that he still needs to grow before he can take that last step. He must, first, experience the Crossing of the First Threshold. "This is the point where the person actually crosses into the field of adventure, leaving the known limits of his or her world and venturing into an unknown and dangerous realm where the rules and limits are not known." Picking up the quarter, he notices grooves in the floor where the TRON console had been shifted, and, pulling it away from the wall, he finds a hidden passage. This is the first time Sam actually leaves the "known limits of his world." He may have been curious and intrigued, but this is the first time he's actually in a world that is entirely new to him.
This crossing takes him into the Belly of the Whale. "The belly of the whale represents the final separation from the hero's known world and self. By entering this stage, the person shows willingness to undergo a metamorphosis." Accompanied by Sam's attempt to use his father's quarter to play the game he had so long ago promised him, this point in the movie reveals Sam's growth. He is at the doorway to adventure, and he's no longer refusing it. It isn't the adventure he expected, nor is it the quest to which he was specifically called, but he is, at last, following in his father's literal footsteps. On his face, Sam's emotions are broadcast, and his thoughts are apparent. No one has been in this room since his father disappeared, and he knows it. At last, he's ready for the Initiation, the second stage of the hero's journey.
The first step of the Initiation is the Road of Trials. After accidentally transporting to the Grid, the virtual computer world, Sam is taken to the "Games," a dangerous gladiatorial arena. When he asks what he's supposed to do, the cryptic answer he receives is simply "survive." "The road of trials is a series of tests, tasks, or ordeals that the person must undergo to begin the transformation. Often the person fails one or more of these tests, which often occur in threes." The "Games" are battles between two people -- "programs" as they're called on the Grid -- fought with boomerang-like discs that, when they find their target, strike lethal blows. Sam fights three battles, and loses the third. Although he's fighting people from another world according to their rules, he's still able to survive each battle, including the one in which he's defeated. He has undergone a transformation, but he's not yet done.
Sam's Meeting with the Goddess is a process that takes place over many events. Or it's simply nebulous. "This is the point when the person experiences a love that has the power and significance of the all-powerful, all encompassing, unconditional love that a fortunate infant may experience with his or her mother. This is a very important step in the process and is often represented by the person finding the other person that he or she loves most completely." Although romance doesn't happen immediately, Sam's meeting with Quorra couldn't have come at a better time. She saves him from Clu, the tyrant of the Grid and antagonist of the film. Through the development of their relationship, we see that Quorra has a wide-eyed, almost naive outlook of the world. She also has an almost childlike innocence about her, through which we can see her capacity for all-encompassing, unconditional love. As she is also something of a disciple of Kevin Flynn, Sam's father, and the path through which Sam finally becomes reunited with his father, she has a connection to his parentage that no other woman in the film has. And as their feelings for each other deepen, it becomes clear that their initial meeting on the Grid illustrates this step perfectly.
The Woman as Temptress is also somewhat ambiguous. As the only two female characters in the film are Quorra and Gem -- the program who earlier told Sam to "survive" the Games -- the Woman would have to be one of them. The best fit, however, is a combination of both characters. "This step is about those temptations that may lead the hero to abandon or stray from his or her quest, which does not necessarily have to be represented by a woman. Woman is a metaphor for the physical or material temptations of life, since the hero-knight was often tempted by lust from his spiritual journey." As explained earlier, Sam's quest is to follow his father, but his father's advice, at this point in the film, is to do nothing. Clu, the antagonist, desires nothing more than for Sam and Kevin to act, to do something to reveal themselves to him. It was his plan, so the only way to foil that plan is to refuse to act, something that Sam cannot accept. So, with his decision to travel to the grid to find someone to assist him to return to the physical world, Sam forsakes his quest. And the two women involved in his decision are Quorra and Gem: Quorra, acting on her growing emotions for Sam, tells him about a man on the Grid who could help him, and Gem accompanies Sam on the final steps to the man, who ultimately betrays Sam and Kevin.
The final step before the climax in the Initiation stage is the Atonement with the Father. According to Wiktionary, the definition of atonement is "a repair done for the sake of a damaged relationship." In this case, Sam literally makes atonement with his father for disobeying his advice and, through the betrayal of Gem and her master, the death of Quorra. "In this step the person must confront and be initiated by whatever holds the ultimate power in his or her life. In many myths and stories this is the father, or a father figure who has life and death power. This is the center point of the journey. All the previous steps have been moving in to this place, all that follow will move out from it. Although this step is most frequently symbolized by an encounter with a male entity, it does not have to be a male; just someone or thing with incredible power." Kevin actually holds the power of life and death in his hands, even if it is only through his skills as a programmer. He investigates Quorra's code, discovers the corrupt sequence, and repairs it, effectively bringing her back from the dead. Also, Quorra mentions that Kevin has the ability to defeat Clu completely, but calling upon that power would destroy both of them. Sam and Kevin have a conversation on the most mundane of topics -- Kevin's old motorcycle, and the position of the company he left behind -- while they prepare for the final confrontation with Clu and his followers. By the normal way in which they converse, it appears as if the damage done by Sam's refusal to follow his father has been repaired, and atonement has been found.
Although Apotheosis occurs next in Campbell's pattern, in TRON, it happens before, after, AND during the atonement. "When someone dies a physical death, or dies to the self to live in spirit, he or she moves beyond the pairs of opposites to a state of divine knowledge, love, compassion and bliss. A more mundane way of looking at this step is that it is a period of rest, peace and fulfillment before the hero begins the return." Quorra's death is one example of the apotheosis, as well as Flynn's final sacrifice to ensure his son's safe return to the real world. As they wait on the transport, they rest from their efforts, and prepare for the final push to end their journey.
The last step in the Initiation stage is the Ultimate Boon. "The ultimate boon is the achievement of the goal of the quest. It is what the person went on the journey to get. All the previous steps serve to prepare and purify the person for this step, since in many myths the boon is something transcendent like the elixir of life itself, or a plant that supplies immortality, or the holy grail." To literally translate the description into events that took place in the movie, one has to broaden their understanding of Sam's goal. He desired to find his father. But originally, his quest was to follow his father. Into adulthood, into maturity, into Kevin Flynn's successor. When he decides to obey Kevin and continue his journey, Sam's adventure had reached its climax. The boon was in Sam's growth and transformation. The physical manifestation of the boon was his father's disc which he gave to Sam to get him back home, and to keep Clu contained on the Grid. With Kevin's sacrifice, he severs all ties to Sam, and names him his successor. As Sam returns to the real world using Kevin's disc, the physical representation of all of Kevin's experience, he inherits his father's power, knowledge, and will. The beam of light that transports Sam to the real worth is also a representation of purity, and exaltation. He is ascending to a higher plane of knowledge and existence, once on which Clu is unable to stand.
The steps of the final stage, the Return, are passed through fairly rapidly. The first step, the Refusal of the Return, mirrors Sam's original refusal of the call. "Having found bliss and enlightenment in the other world, the hero may not want to return to the ordinary world to bestow the boon onto his fellow man." He has found comfort in his life on the Grid and doesn't want to give that up. Nor does he want to abandon his father, taking his disc and leaving him with no way to escape the Grid. Returning to the real world would require him, again, to venture into the unknown, although this time, it would be the unknown of living a transformed, ascended life.
"Sometimes the hero must escape with the boon, if it is something that the gods have been jealously guarding. It can be just as adventurous and dangerous returning from the journey as it was to go on it." The Magic Flight takes place before the ultimate boon and, in fact, the refusal of the return in this film. The danger they face during the magic flight is with the literal flight between Clu's base and the beam of light that will take Kevin and Sam home. As Clu has exhibited god-like power throughout the film, it can definitely be said that the gods were jealously guarding the disc from theft.
(These paragraphs are rife with spoilers, so hover if you want to read. Otherwise, keep out!)
Rescue from Without, "Just as the hero may need guides and assistants to set out on the quest, oftentimes he or she must have powerful guides and rescuers to bring them back to everyday life, especially if the person has been wounded or weakened by the experience." As it seems Clu is ready to fire the final salvo against Sam and Kevin during the flight, Tron, Kevin's friend and companion before Clu betrayed them both and turned Tron to fight for him instead of against him, regains his senses. He attacks Clu, sending them both careening into obstacles and destroying their ships. This final redemption of Tron allows Kevin, Sam, and Quorra to arrive safely at the final portal leading to the real world. But Clu was able to regain his power of flight, and arrived first. As Sam and Quorra step into the portal, Clu lunges at them, but Kevin is able to use his power to keep Clu from attacking them. Ultimately, he calls upon the power to destroy Clu, and is killed in the process. Without Tron and Kevin sacrificing themselves, Sam and Quorra never would have made it into the light.
The Crossing of the Return Threshold. "The trick in returning is to retain the wisdom gained on the quest, to integrate that wisdom into a human life, and then maybe figure out how to share the wisdom with the rest of the world. This is usually extremely difficult." Master of Two Worlds. "This step is usually represented by a transcendental hero like Jesus or Buddha. For a human hero, it may mean achieving a balance between the material and spiritual. The person has become comfortable and competent in both the inner and outer worlds." I combined these because they're both exemplified by nearly the same set of actions. Sam returns to the real world, and after making a digital copy of the world of the Grid, he puts it on a string to wear around his neck. He will hold it close to him forever. The card containing the digital copy of the Grid sits on his chest near his heart, signifying that he truly is transformed by his experience. Though his father may have died, the world he created will live on through Sam. And as Sam's transformative experiences sit so close to his heart, he will never revert to what he was. In his conversation with Alan Bradley upon his return, he informs him that he is taking control of his father's company, and is leading it in the way he would have wanted. He has become the master of his own world, and of the worlds his father left for him. The wisdom he gained during his ordeals he will use to lead the company towards a pure, ascended existence.
Finally, the Freedom to Live. "Mastery leads to freedom from the fear of death, which in turn is the freedom to live. This is sometimes referred to as living in the moment, neither anticipating the future nor regretting the past." The closing shot of the movie is of Sam riding on his motorcycle, watching the sunrise. There is no destination mentioned, no object to which he is riding. He is only existing. There are no thoughts of remorse for the loss of his father, nor exultation in his safe return to his home, nor even planning for the next step. He's not even focused on where he's going. He has transcended beyond thoughts of the past or future, and while the time will come later to decide how to live his life -- there is no way to spend every day without planning, after all -- he has gained the ability to live freely. Nothing needs to be planned, so nothing is. Sam has finished his transformation, and has become something more. He simply is.
(Well, that ends my analysis, but I did mention a problem I had with the film at the beginning of the post, so here it is!)
At the close of the film, it's revealed that Quorra escaped the grid with him. I understand the implications of translating a human consciousness into digital data, creating a virtual construct of that data, and placing the construct into a virtual existence. I have no problem with that whatsoever. But the reverse? That is not acceptable. A computer can create a copy of a program, and can, if the occasion calls for it and is properly equipped, created programs itself. But it doesn't matter how advanced the computer, how cool the laser, it can't CREATE A HUMAN BEING!! Sam's body could have been left at the desk the whole time, and, upon his return, his consciousness, with all of the experiences from the computer, was recompiled in his body. But Quorra? No. I'm sorry. It's just a laser, it can't "make" a body. I find it unbelievable. And the response "Duh, it's science fiction, they can do whatever they want" is a bullshit cop-out. They have to establish, in some way, that the technology has this capability, specifically. Like if someone was transported to another physical location, I could accept it. If the technology exists to break someone down into their component atoms, make a digital copy of their consciousness and DNA, transfer that copy to another location on earth, then recombine their physical selves, using the DNA data analyzed at the point of origin, and upload their consciousness into the new body, great. But that has never been established. Asking me to just accept something with giving me any warning beforehand or any proof of its existence is too much, movie!
But there is a way out. If the virtual construct of Quorra combined with Sam's consciousness upon his "teleportation" to the real world, I'm fine. That way, she only exists in Sam's mind. He can see her and hear her, and she's an entirely separate entity from him, but she does not exist without him. No one else can interact with her the way he can. She sees and hears everything he does -- so she can finally experience a sunrise, like she had dreamed about for so many years -- but she doesn't influence the world outside of Sam's mind. Kinda makes a physical relationship with her impossible, and a relationship with anyone else logistically improbable. Unless he was able to find someone with whom he develops a deep relationship, knows about Quorra, AND would be willing to share her mind w/ Quorra's consciousness, he's stuck. However, I think I just came up with the plot of the third movie. Disney should pay me.
Well, I hope you enjoyed your own journey through Sam Flynn's experience with the monomyth. It is something I'm trying to apply to my own story, and I've seen that as I pay attention to the underlying motives behind my characters and Campbell's Hero, the story takes on a life that I had never anticipated. It finds depth that I had never explored. I am really looking forward to its conclusion. However, in the meantime, to the batcave! (That's where I spend time writing. Alfred's pissed.)
