Hero's Journey Deconstructed and Explained

 

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The Color Purple (1985) deconstructed [Hero's Journey, basic]

FADE IN: Loop: the two sisters playing in the field of purple flowers.

Meeting the Hero in her Ordinary World: Celie and Nettie playing together.

Antagonism in the Ordinary World: father makes Celie pregnant.

Elixir: having a baby.

Developing Antagonism: ain't you done yet; father takes the baby away.

Developing the Hero: Dear God…mama dies; two kids by her father etc.

Need to escape the Ordinary World: Father's attention turns to little sister.

Foreshadow of Antagonism [2]: Albert's eyes on the girls.

Call to Adventure: I got to marry your daughter.

Refusal: I can't let you have her; you can have the ugly one.

Journey to the First Threshold: following Albert on the horse.

Obstacle / Not Welcome: she ain't my new mami.

Developing the Antagonism: Albert having sex with Celie.

Foreshadow of the Transformation: the picture of Shug.

Fish out of Water: Celie entering and cleaning the kitchen.

Rules of this World: Albert hits Celie.

Foreshadow of the Elixir: Celie sees her daughter; in the store; she holds her.

Meeting the Mentor: Nettie arrives.

Threshold Guardian: please can Nettie stay?

Guided by the Mentor: Celie being pushed around; you got to fight back Celie.

Foreshadow of the Belly of the Whale: Albert looks at Nettie with bedroom eyes; Albert harassing Nettie.

Foreshadow of the Physical Separation: You are going to have to leave here soon.

Guided by the Mentor: Nettie teaches Celie to spell.

Antagonism: ain't you got nothing better to do.

Developing Characters and Relationships: Nettie and Celie on the swing.

Foreshadow of the Physical Separation: Me and my sister will never part; playing games; Albert eyeing up Nettie.

Belly of the Whale: Albert pursues Nettie on the horse; she fights him off.

Resisting the Physical Separation: Albert throws Nettie out.

Physical Separation: why? Nothing can keep me from you.

World of the Transformation: Celie shaves Albert; you cut me and I'll kill you.

Foreshadow of the Atonement: mailman arrives; Albert rushes to see the post; nothing for Celie.

Block to the Atonement: Albert will fix that mailbox so I can see if it's been messed with.

Marker: Celie reads in the shadow; Celie grows up into Whoopi Goldberg; Albert old; Harpo is grown up.

Road of Trials and Transformation:

New World / No Longer a Fish out of Water: Albert gets dressed; Celie knows exactly what Albert wants; Albert dresses in the suit; Celie makes sure he's perfect.

Foreshadow of the Transformation: the picture of Shug Avery.

Time Pressure: Albert leaves in a rush.

Elixir: Celie remembers Nettie; she say she'll write, but she never write; maybe she dead.

Trial and Transformation 1:

Harpo is in love with a big girl – Sofia.

Harpo introduces Sofia to Albert.

Albert insults Sofia; Sofia gives as good as she gets; Sofia takes control.

Sofia and Harpo get married.

Sofia wears the trousers in Harpo's house.

Harpo seeks advice from Albert; he advises he hit her.

Celie advises Harpo beat her.

Sofia confronts Celie; can't live with someone that beats me; girl you ought to bash his head open and think about heaven later.

Harpo and Sofia keep beating each other and in between the children keep coming; Sofia leaves.

Mailman arrives; nothing in the post again.

Trial and Transformation 2:

The storm; something is coming.

Albert brings home Shug Avery.

Celie opens the door for Shug; you sure is ugly.

Albert tries to take care of Shug; I need me a man you hear, a man; Shug orders Albert around.

Albert tries to cook; in the kitchen.

Shug throws Albert's efforts out the door.

Celie cooks for Shug, gives her the food and hides; Shug eats Celie's food.

Transformantion Mentor's Challenge:

Celie with Shug; what you staring at; never seen a naked woman before; Shug in the bath

Mentors Inner Challenge; my pa loves me.

Antagonist's Challenge:

Albert's pa arrives; Celie spits in the glass of water; pa puts down Shug Avery.

Trial and Transformation 3:

Harpo et al building a Juke Joint.

Shug Avery sings in Harpo's Juke Joint.

Celie sitting meekly in the bar; looks like Albert brought his maid.

Shug's father is a preacher and is against Shug and the new bar.

Shug sings and gives Celie some attention.

Sofia arrives with a new man; everyone calls him “buster;” Harpo dances with Sofia.

Harpo's new woman and Sofia fight; the fight in the bar.

Shug drags Celie away.

Celie dresses in Shug's outfit; Celie smiles; Celie tells Shug he beats her “for not being you.”

Celie don't like sleeping with Albert; climb on top of me and do his business; it feels like he going to the toilet; that mean you still a virgin.

Shug says “I think you beautiful”; they kiss; inferred sex.

Seizing the Sword:

Journey to the Sword: Celie starts to follow Shug.

Mentor's Inner Challenge: Shug visits her Daddy; spurned.

Outer Chamber: Celie wants to go to Memphis with Shug; this my only chance to break from jail.

Guardian of the Sword: Albert blocks Celie.

Inner Chamber: Celie follows Shug and Albert as she leaves.

Seizingt hw Sword: Celie doesn't speak up; Shug leaves; Celie falls over.

Near Death Experience:

Sofia says “hell no” to the white lady; punches the white man; Sofia knocked out; goes to prison; comes out of prison.

Sofia becomes a maid for the white lady; teaching her to drive.

Sofia in the store; Celie there and does the shopping for her.

Reward: Sofia gets to go home and see her children.

The white lady can't put the car into reverse; Sofia has to drive her home.

New Self : Celie and Albert sleeping together.

Atonement with the Father : Shug arrives; she is married.

Shug's father still ignores her; I'm married now.

Apotheosis:

Shug picks up the mail and finds a letter for Celie.

Shug takes Celie upstairs.

Celie opens the letter from Nettie and reads; Albert has been hiding the letters.

Olivia and Adam are alive and being taken care of.

Ultimate Boon: Celie finds all the old letters under the floor board; Celie reads the letters.

Denial / New Self: Shug runs to prevent Celie from cutting Albert with the razor; the tribal marks of the African boy.

Rebirth:

Around the dinner table; Celie stands up for herself around the dinner table.

Sofia laughs again; everyone is going away with Shug.

Magic Flight:

Celie goes away; stops Albert from hitting her; Albert pursues her.

Saying goodbye to the Old Self Behind / Celie on the train.

Antagonist's Challenge Conquered: Albert sends his father away; happy that Harpo and Sofia together again.

Hero's Outer Challenge Conquered: Pa is dead but he is not Celie's pa.

Reward: Celie gets the house.

New Self: Celie becomes a seamstress.

Crossing the Return Threshold: Albert waves to Celie.

Mentor's Challenge Conquered:

Celie and Shug walking through the purple flower fields.

Shug's singing competes with the church gospel singers.

Shug et al walk into church.

Challenge conquered: Shug confronts her father.

Master of Two Worlds: Albert arranges for Celie's kids to immigrate.

Elixir: Nettie arrives back with Celie's children.

Freedom to Live: Albert watches as the kids arrive.

Loop: the two sisters playing in the field of purple flowers.

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