IMPORTANT: This is a very rough and general deconstruction that is meant to simply illustrate that this story follows the pattern described on the main page.
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FADE IN: Meeting the Hero: Harvey as a kid; "..I'm no superhero, I'm just a kid form the neighbourhood…."
Hero Today: the grown Harvey.
Hero's Ordinary World: Cleveland [comic; images].
Hero's Backstory: the real Harvey narrates; Harvey got no real education; he's not going anywhere.
Hero's Inner Challenge: she says I'm a social embarrassment.
Hero's Romantic Challenge: 2 nd wife leaving him.
Developing the Hero: depressive.
Hero's Ordinary World: walking the streets; walking into his apartment.
Hero's Romantic Challenge: 2 nd wife leaves; Harvey begs her to stay.
Developing the Hero: the cough.
Hero's Ordinary World: working at his filing clerk job.
Herald: Mr Boats; "..when are you going to bring me some of the good stuff…"
Hero's Backstory: collecting records and comic books; obsessive compulsive.
Meeting the Mentor: Rob Crumb at the garage sale.
Developing Characters and Relationships: Harvey and Crumb hanging out; Crumb becomes a success; comes back to Cleveland.
Inner Challenge: "...I'd like to trade growth for happiness..."; being a nobody flunky like me.
Foreshadow of the Call to Adventure: looking at the deceased file.
Refusal: Harvey can't draw for shit.
Frustration: Harvey shopping and standing behind the Jewish lady.
Call to Adventure: are you gonna suffer in silence for the rest of your life or are you going to make a mark.
First Threshold:
Outer Cave: Harvey writing; burning the midnight oil.
Middle Cave: Harvey shows Crumb his work; Crumb offers to illustrate them.
Inner Cave: Harvey's voice is fine now.
Physical Separation: the comic is published.
Romantic Challenge: the movers outside talking about women.
Celebrating the Physical Celebration / Developing Characters and Relationships: Harvey shows his comic to his pals at work.
Developing the Hero: Harvey sells his comics but he can't give up his day job.
Developing Characters and Relationships: Toby Radloff; Jellybeans.
Trial 1: the short weekend; meeting Alice Quinn from school.
Developing the Romantic Challenge: Harvey lonely; sometimes I would feel a body next to me like an amputee feels a limb.
Trial 2:
Meeting the Goddess: Joyce can't find a copy of American Splendor.
Meeting the Goddess: Joyce writes to Harvey.
Developing the Romantic Challenge: Harvey and Joyce write to each other; Harvey invites Joyce to Cleveland.
Joyce arrives in Cleveland, they date and get married.
Toby wants to go to see 'Revenge of the Nerds.'
Trial 3:
Real Harvey and Real Joyce talk.
Harvey, Joyce and Toby go to see the film.
Joyce wants Harvey to get rid of stuff.
Goddess' Capabilities: Joyce can tell what illnesses people have.
Meeting the Oracle: Harvey calls; someone wants to do a play about Harvey's life.
Foreshadow of the Apotheosis: Joyce sees the kid at the airport.
Joyce sleeps late; Harvey can't get her out of bed.
Seizing the Sword:
Harvey repeatedly appears in the Letterman show.
Toby gets gigs with MTV.
Foreshadow of the Separation: Joyce wants to go to Israel.
Separation: Joyce leaves.
Foreshadow of the Atonement: Harvey finds a lump.
Near Death Experience: Harvey nearly dies of loneliness and he gets thrown off the Letterman show.
Reward: Joyce returns; sex.
Atonement with the Father: the lump is cancer.
Foreshadow of the Apotheosis: Fred arrives with Danielle.
Resistance to the Apotheosis: Harvey can't get into the apartment, lost his keys.
Apotheosis: Harvey welcomes Danielle.
Developing Characters and Relationships: Harvey and Joyce during the treatment.
Developing Characters and Relationships: Harvey talks about the other Pekars.
Ultimate Boon: Harvey makes it through the treatments, wins some awards and the cancer subsides.
Rescue from Without: they adopt Danielle.
Developing Characters and Relationships: Harvey with Danielle; she's part of his story now.
Inner Challenge conquered: Danielle doesn't find Harvey to be a social embarrassment.
Crossing the Return Threshold: actor Harvey turns into Real Harvey.
Master of Two Worlds: my life is total chaos.
Freedom to Live: happy retirement party.