Creative Writing and the Hero's Journey: Jarhead (2005) Deconstructed

From our deconstruction of hundreds of Hollywood blockbusters....

The Hero's Journey is the template upon which the vast majority of successful stories and Hollywood blockbusters are based upon. In fact, ALL of the Hollywood movies we have deconstructed are based on this template.

Understanding this template is a priority for story or screenwriters.

The Hero's Journey:

a) Attempts to tap into unconscious expectations the audience has regarding what a story is and how it should be told.

b) Gives the writer more structural elements than simply three or four acts, plot points, mid point and so on.

c) Interpreted metaphorically, laterally and symbolically, allows an infinite number of varied stories to be created.

and more...

Jarhead (2005) deconstructed

FADE IN: (Loop) narrative; his hands remember the rifle.

New World and Self: you are no longer black, green, etc.

Meeting the Hero: meeting Swoff.

Ordinary World: Fitch being himself.

On a Journey: on the bus.

Threshold Guardian: presenting his papers to the officer.

New World: the barracks.

Meeting the Shape Shifter: troy.

New Rules: being branded; games played in the barracks.

Developing the Shape Shifter: you want a brand, you gotta earn it. Welcome to the Suck.

Hero's Backstory: Swoff being conceived; his sister; breakfast conversations with dad; college;

Romantic Challenge: his girlfriend; I'll write you everyday.

Resisting the Transformation: Swoff in the toilet.

Meeting the Mentor: Sykes.

Developing Mentor: Sykes makes Swoff play the bugle.

Conscious Agreement to the Journey: I'm still here.

Magical Gift (becoming a sniper):

JFK shot.

Training in the assault course.

You are now snipers; I was hooked; Swoff fires the shot.

Push to the First Threshold: listening to the Iraqi statement on TV.

Belly of the Whale: watching Apocalypse Now.

Journey to the First Threshold: on the aircraft.

Goodbye to the Old Self: stewardess waves goodbye

First Threshold: arriving in Iraq.

Threshold Guardian: Kazinski's speech; the picture of the Kurdish child; kick some Iraqi ass.

Outer Cave: where did the Iraqi's get their weapons from? Forget politics; we're here, all the rest is bullshit.

Middle Cave / Meeting Allies: talking about the girlfriends back home in the tent.

Inner Cave: putting on their masks; running in the suits; hrydrating, dehydrating, patrolling the empty desert.

Developing Characters and Relationships: the scorpion fight.

Inner Cave: Waiting in the desert; masturbation; cleaning their rifles; studying the phillipino mail order catalogue etc.

Wondering what she's doing now.

Trial and Transformation 1:

Outer Cave: Sykes tells them how to respond to reporters; complaints against free speech, that's un-American etc.

Middle Cave: Talking to the reporters; Swoff admits he's scared.

Inner Cave: Putting on and playing football in their NBC masks.

Transformation: Taking off their masks; getting naked; Sykes sends the reporters away.

Developing Characters and Relationships: Sykes makes Swoff et al take all that shit down.

Trial and Transformation 2:

Cortez has a son; Kristina has found a new male friend who's a good listener.

Thinking about his girlfriend in the shower.

not being able to jerk off in the toilet.

Swoff calls home and is cut off.

Swoff wakes up and clutches his throat; "..you're making some weird sounds man"

Transformation: Swoff wants see what it feels like to watch somebody else fuck your girlfriend.

Trial and Transformation 3:

Outer Cave: Swoff gets some "good shit" from the soldier who writes the major's love letters.

Middle Cave: The party.

Inner Cave: The fire blows the explosives.

Transformation: Swoff is made a Private.

Developing Characters and Relationships: Swoff is made to burn the shit; the senior officer leaves a present.

New Self: Swoff threatens to kill the sausage boy.

Resisting the New Self: Swoff apologises.

Foreshadow of the Final Conflict:

The Arabs appear in the desert.

Developing Characters and Relationships: insulting the Arab passing in the car.

Meeting the Oracle: they're going to the mother of all battles.

Resisting the Journey to the Sword: resistance to taking the pills.

Shape Shifter Revealed:

Digging their holes.

The aircraft fly by; the war will move too fast.

troy is being thrown out. Swoff told to keep him from fucking up.

New Self: troy is branded.

Near Death Experience:

The war comes to them; Swoff pisses himself.

Retrieving the battery.

Pursuing the Iraqis.

Getting hit by friendly fire.

Swoff sees the charred remains; throwing up.

Pulled forward by the burning oil wells.

Digging their holes in the oily sand; the oil burns Fowler's face.

Rebirth: preventing Fowler.

Rebirth: Swoff calms the horse.

Atonement with the Father: Sykes sits down and talks to Swoff; he loves is job.

Apotheosis: Sykes and troy sent out to see Kazinsky; "..fucking show me..".

Ultimate Boon: Swoff and troy have an Iraqi in their sight; permission given for the JFK shot.

Refusal:

The major denies their request to take the shot.

troy argues with the Major for the perfect shot.

Magic Flight:

The planes take out the site.

Rescue from Without: Troy's already got his papers; have to get back.

Crossing the Return Threshold: Going back to camp over the dunes.

Master of Two Worlds:

The party around the fire; this shit is over; shooting their guns in the sky.

Freedom to Live / Challenge Resolutions: Returning home as heroes; meeting the Vietnam Vet on the bus; his girlfriend has left him; doing their various jobs; Fergis arrives; Troy's funeral;

(Loop): narrative.

FADE OUT: the Jarheads.

Learn more

The Complete 188 stage Heros Journey and other story structure templates can be found at http://www.managing-creativity.com/

You can also receive a regular, free newsletter by entering your email address at this site.

Kal Bishop, MBA

**********************************

You are free to reproduce this article as long as no changes are made and the author's name and site URL are retained.

Yoga Journal Magazine Subscriptions

Dependency On Results

It's good to care about how you're playing because that's what makes golf fun, but there comes a point where you care too much or you care about the wrong things. Playing to impress people counts as one of those things. I would call this "ego golf".

You know you're an ego-golfer when your happiness hinges on your success on the golf course. When the good shots provide emotional highs and the bad shots make you feel depressed. A simple round of golf can be an emotional roller coaster for the serious ego-golfer. If you find that your good shots make you feel the desire to snap your clubs and throw them into the nearest pond then the diagnosis is coming out positive for ego golf. But you know you've really got it bad if you lie awake the night before a tournament worrying about your performance. (That has been me at times).

Other signs of the ego-golfer include bragging about your achievements and making excuses for your failures. And anything that involves straining to hit the ball further than your playing partners for no reason other than to see the look of awe on their face and know that you are more of a man than them. Alright, I still enjoy that one, but hell who's perfect ;).

The irony, the bitter irony, of this whole situation is that being an ego golfer makes you play worse. It's utterly self defeating. You get tense, nervous, sometimes euphoric and sometimes angry and make a lot of bad decisions. And golf really isn't much fun any more because as we all know golf has a nasty way of knocking you down one way or another.

Fortunately there is a definitive test to determine whether you are an ego golfer, which happens to be the cure as well.

Here's what you're going to do:

It is incredibly easy. You are going to play a really bad round of golf. Intentionally.

If a normal round for you is 80 then go out and take 100. If you're normal round is 90, aim for 110... go crazy and shoot 120, you get the idea. The whole point of this is to play about as well as the average baboon on ecstasy and have your playing partners believe that you are really trying.

A golfer who has no desire to impress anybody will probably find this an amusing thing to do, but overall it won't be a big deal at all. Maybe even a bit pointless.

However for an ego golfer this could be a huge epiphany. It can completely destroy the mindset of trying to impress other people. To intentionally play badly in front of others is the ego's worst nightmare, right? Topping the ball off the first tee in front of a large crowd. But soon you'll realise that nothing bad happens at all when you do this. Playing badly does not hurt you. The worst that can happen to you is people will playfully joke about it with you and that's just fun. In fact, you'll probably have a great time without the pressure of needing to impress people.

The key to this process helping is to make it seem believable to other people. If they find out what you are up to the whole thing will be ruined. Your acting must be on top form. If somebody mentions how badly you are playing appear to be distressed and be all like, "Yeah, I don't know what's wrong with me." If your ego forces you to tell someone well then you'll just have to do it again!

If you're feeling conservative just do this on a practice round but it's most effective to do it in a competition and completely screw up. Get the dreaded point one on your handicap. The most bold amongst you will do it whilst playing foursomes when the need to impress is highest. NOTE: www.goodatgolf.com will not be held responsible for any bloody noses inflicted by your partner's fist after you have hit two of his brand new ProV1's out of bounds, followed by lipping out from 4 inches for birdie after he has hit the best approach shot of his life.

But seriously, try this out. If you're scared all I have to say to you is you must be an ego-golfer, otherwise you wouldn't care! That's right I have you now, mwahahaha. Meh.

Happy hacking to one and all.

Fraser Hasell is the owner of www.goodatgolf.com.

Free Yoga And Pilates Workouts