Many writers make the mistake of
having the hero rescued from death by a timely intervention of an ally – may I
say it? Deus ex Machina. Literally “god from the machine.” The idea is
that in an impossible situation, the hero receives the help of his patron god,
and everything is hunky-dory. It’s one thing to have such a plot device be a
reasonable part of your story, such as in the Percy Jackson novels, or
the Kane Chronicles by the same author. They’re about gods
and goddesses and demigods. It makes sense for godly intervention in those
stories, and even so, the heroes are the ones that act!
So the hero in your story is
fulfilling his exemplary role and fighting tooth-and-nail against the baddie.
It’s the ultimate showdown. It’s the classic gunfight of the Western, the
swordfight of the swashbuckler, the military battle of the epic, or the
high-flying kung fu fight of a martial arts story. These showdowns are not
fully satisfying unless the hero is taken right to the edge of death. He must
be clearly fighting for his life.
In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Harry faces Voldemort/Quirrel
after passing the series of obstacles guarding the Sorcerer’s Stone. Harry
fights Voldemort/Quirrel, and though Harry’s touch brings pain to
Voldemort/Quirrel, the contact brings Harry such agony that he passes out. But he
wakes, the resurrected hero.
Most of the time, heroes survive
this brush with death and are reborn again. Usually the villains die or are
defeated, but sometimes, the hero dies. These dead heroes usually fall under
the tragic hero archetype. We knew from the beginning that they were going to
die. Instead of living on mortally, these heroes are Resurrected in the sense
that they will live on in the memory of the survivors, those for whom they gave
their lives. The martial arts movie Hero perfectly executes the death of
the hero (if you have not seen it, watch it… it’s a beautiful movie) in a rain
of arrows. Maximus, in the film Gladiator,
does not survive the final confrontation, but we see him in Elysium, reunited
with his wife and son. In a way, he is resurrected, finally returning to the
things he loved but could not have.
As I said before, the Resurrection
is the climax, an explosive moment, the highest peak in energy, or the last big
event in a story. It can be the showdown, but it can also be a difficult choice
or an emotional confrontation.
Sometimes the climax is quiet, a
gentle increase of emotion. A quiet climax gives the sense that all the
conflicts have been harmoniously resolved. After a hero has experienced the
death of a loved one, there may be a quiet climax of acceptance or
understanding.
Some stories need more than one
climax, or a series of rolling climaxes. Subplots may require separate
climaxes. The hero may have separate climaxes for different levels of
awareness. He may have a mental climax, where he changes or makes a decision
internally. This decision may bring about a physical confrontation, and
resulting from that, the hero may undergo a change of feeling, emotion or
behavior. All three of these climaxes may mount at a single time also.
A climax should provide the feeling
of catharsis for the reader, a purifying emotional release or emotional
breakthrough. Laughter, tears, and shudders of terror are the triggers that
bring about this healthy cleansing. The energy of the act builds up until a moment
of climax, when the energy is at its peak. The resolution of this energy leaves
the reader, writer, and protagonist in a strange place of comfort and
giddiness. The catharsis is the logical climax of a hero’s character arc, a
term used to describe the gradual stages of change in a character. A common
flaw in stories is that the writers make heroes grow or change, but do so
abruptly. Change needs to happen over time, in degrees or gradual stages. The
Resurrection is the hero’s final attempt to make major change in attitude or
behavior.
This stage of the Hero’s Journey is
the hero’s final test, his chance to show what he has learned. Heroes are
purged by final sacrifice or deeper experience of the mysteries of life and
death. Those who survive go on to close the circle of the Hero’s Journey when
they return home.
If you have any questions about the
Hero’s Journey, don’t hesitate to ask. I know a lot more about it than I’ve
said here, and I would be happy to clear anything up, if you need me to. This
is a rather general overview, since I don’t want you guys to have to read
insanely long posts, but if you would like a more in depth analysis as it
pertains to writing, check out The
Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers by Christopher Vogler. If
you are just interested in the Hero’s Journey in itself, check out A Hero With A Thousand Faces by Joseph
Campbell.
What
examples of the Resurrection can you think of from books or films you’ve
experienced lately?
In the Hunger Games, that's when Katniss and Peeta decide to eat the poison berries, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't know. I haven't read the book >_<
DeleteAnother, more obvious example I just thought of is the ending of Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows.
ReplyDelete