7- Heroes and their Quests

7- The Journey of a Hero

Written by Alicia Trifonopoulos, Loïc Lefort and Pavitra Upadhyaya

In our lives, we have heard about Superman, Batman, Spiderman, Iron Man… These heroes have shown us their extraordinary powers which make each of them distinctive. Have you ever thought of common people like yourself as being a hero or heroin in your own remarkable journey starting from birth and ending at your death? This means that each one of you has a unique power to surmount any obstacle which comes your way. Ordinary people like Philippe Petit from Man on Wire, Joe Simpson from Touching the Void and Terry Fox have proved that heroes exist in the real world as well.

Touching the Void, a hero’s journey

           Touching the Void (Kevin Macdonald, 2003, United Kingdom,106 min.) is a documentary film which centers on a hero’s journey. The main hero of the film is Joe Simpson because we see his journey back to safety whereas the second hero, Simon Yates, helps create a difficult situation for the main hero to surmount on his own.

Picture of Joe Simpson, Simon Yates and Richard Hawking (from left to right)

One of the well-known heroes from the ancient times is Hercules. Joe Simpson, just like Hercules, goes through a cycle known as the Journey of the Hero by Joseph Campbell.

http://www.sfcenter.ku.edu/Workshop-stuff/Campbell-Myth-quest.gif

A more simplified version can be separated into three parts: the separation, the initiation (or the supreme ordeal in the diagram above) and the return (or the unification in the diagram above).

The separation is the twist in the hero’s normal life which obliges him to go on a difficult quest. In Touching the Void, Joe Simpson and Simon Yates embark on an adventure together: climbing the West Side of the Siula Grande which was previously unclimbed because of its dangerous structure. However, since they are experienced mountain climbers, they are still in their ordinary world. They do not find much difficulty in climbing the mountain other than the bad weather (snow storm). The sudden change that brings them into the unknown, special world is the fall of Joe Simpson during their descent in which he breaks his leg. Therefore, this situation marks the separation point in the cycle.

The initiation is the journey that the hero takes in order to return. After breaking his leg, the heroes, Simon and Joe, decide to apply a new technique to descend. Simon would first lower Joe using two 150 feet ropes tied together and then descend. With the worsening weather and the night closing in, Yates inadvertently lowers Simpson off a cliff. Simpson is not able to climb up and Yates is not able to pull Simpson back up. After some time, Yates decides to cut the rope in order to save his own life leaving Simpson to survive on his own.

The return is the change in the hero’s personality after he comes back to the starting point, the hero’s normal, known world. Joe Simpson and Simon Yates are now known as the only two climbers who successfully climbed the Siula Grande. Also, Simon Yates is judged by the mountain climbing community for cutting the rope. Simpson and Yates’ relationship must have changed after this event.

Here is a video which explains the cycle of the Journey of a Hero according to Joseph Campbell: https://vimeo.com/140767141

A documentary is a narrative of facts and reality, therefore, it can be analysed using the Actantial Model.

http://jorgenboge.wdfiles.com/local--files/actantial-model/actantial-model.png

The sender is someone or something that creates a sudden change in a character’s life. In Touching the Void, the heroes decide to climb the mountain because they think they are capable enough. It is a quest for fame. The subject is a person who takes on the quest. Joe Simpson and Simon Yates. The object is the quest. In this film, it is climbing the dangerous, unclimbable side of a mountain with very little equipment and in Alpine style. The receiver is someone who benefits from the quest. Simpson and Yates receive fame and recognition. The helper is someone or something which aid the heroes in their quest. In the film, Richard Hawking helps Simon regain his strength after his excursion. An intangible helper is Joe’s will to survive which helped him survive. The opponent is someone or something which creates obstacles for the subject. Climbing the mountain itself is the opponent for the heroes in Touching the Void.

The heroism present in this film is very mythical. Like Buddha, the heroes, Joe Simpson and Simon Yates, think something is lacking in their original world. Seeking to fix this missing object, they go on an adventure from where they return as changed people. Myths are used to explain these objects present in the world that cannot be explained by science. Like many myths, nature is depicted as a supreme and powerful being, for example, Mother Nature, who controls the natural elements of the world. From this film, we learn that nature is much more powerful and that we must not challenge it.

The film was special because of the interviews which guided the story of the heroes. The vivid images of the thirst to survive, and all the realistic actions and obstacles in the path created an impact in the emotions of the viewers. Even though the footage of the mountain is fake, it becomes real through the heroes speeches. They tell us their truth which gives the film a sense of realism. The movie is shown as told by the main characters, Simpson and Yates. The interviews narrate the movie therefore, there are breaks from the mountain footage to incorporate these interviews. However, sometimes, the narrators’ voices are juxtaposed on the mountain scenes.

Man on Wire

The second film we had to watch was Man on wire (James Marsh, 2008, United Kingdom, 131 min.). The film is a documentary made in 2008 centered on Philippe Petit, a French wire walker, who illegally installed a wire between the twin tower of the World Trade Center in New York in August 1974. For 45 minutes, Philippe walked on the wire, going from the South tower to the North one and vice versa.

https://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/2014/jun/22/philippe-petit-man-on-wire-highwire-creativity-book

Man on wire starts with M. Petit telling how he first had the idea of wire walking between the two towers. He recounts how he first discovered about the twin towers in 1968 in a magazine at a dentist office. At the time, he was only 18 years old. Discovering what, at the time, would be the world’s highest buildings made him imagine the mad idea of wire walking between the two. Shortly after, we are introduced to other people who helped Philippe Petit in his quest. People such as Annie Allix, his girlfriend at the time and some of his friends like Jean-Louis Blondeau. Each of them will offer their point of views on the events. Even though Petit’s dream was to wire walk between the two towers of the World Trade Center, they were not yet build when he first discovered about them and even when he achieved his dream, they were still under construction. In the meantime, he wire walked on other well known and high infrastructures. In 1971, he goes to Paris and wire walk on the Notre-Dame cathedral. Two years later, he goes to Sydney where he wire walks on the Harbour Bridge. Philippe some of his accomplice relate the many travels he did to the United States during which they gathered information about the twin towers; taking pictures from an helicopter, going himself on the site, filming and interviewing employees. Shortly after, we are shown a reconstitution of the coup! How Philippe Petit and his friends entered in the two towers, how they installed the wire and finally, original footage of Philippe Petit on the wire. Afterward, we get a conclusion of the events happening around M. Petit’s achievement as seen by him and the people who helped him in his quest.

http://content.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1825168,00.html

The most striking part of the movie, apart from the wire walking, is the character of Philippe Petit. As incredible as it may seem, he is a character, one we find in movies and books. Not only his personality is eccentric in a way, he also has a talent to tell stories by creating images that makes it even more interesting. While listening to him, we even wonder sometimes if all of it really happened or he is only an actor playing a role. Philippe Petit’s quest can also be transpose on Greimas’ actantial model, him being the subject and wire walking between the two towers his quest. He has allies in his friends and foes in the authority. His adventure has a sender (himself) and a receiver (himself as well as the many people who saw his achievement). Campbell’s Journey of the hero can also be applied. Philippe Petit’s separation is the moment when he first found about the two towers. His initiation is from that moment to the moment he is arrested by the police and finally his return happens just afterward when he achieves fame. M. Petit can also be seen as a popular hero from a fairy tale. His physical achievement, even though it is incredible enough, is on the microcosmic level and does not affect all of society. Mr. Petit’s adventure is also a life crisis; him versus the society. It can be translate as a crisis in his life that became somewhat impersonal through the book he wrote and the documentary that were done on him where the reality almost becomes a myth.

The Hero’s Legacy

Documentary films like Touching the Void and Man on Wire tremendously impact our day-to-day lives because we cannot help but marvel over how these heroes are able to realize seemingly impossible objectives. Furthermore, they remind us that, while we have the power to make the impossible happen, it is only through hard-work and dedication that we can accomplish any goal be it big or small. As demonstrated in Man on Wire, there is more emphasis on the extensive planning carried out by Philippe Petit’s team than the feat itself. In other words, the journey is never easy, and the way they overcome the challenges is what influences us the most. It is only when we are faced with our greatest challenges that we become aware of our true selves and potential. Joe Simpson becomes conscious of his fears and beliefs only because of his near death experiences descending the Siula Grande. Once he realizes that he is afraid to die alone and that he only has himself to depend on, he gets the drive to accomplish his task. Therefore, these films encourage us to understand ourselves at a deeper level because we only accomplish what we believe in ourselves to be possible.  

As previously stated, these characters can inspire us when we ourselves are faced with the obstacles that are preventing us from reaching our own goals. They teach us that nothing is too difficult to overcome if we persevere through our challenges. Even though we may never want to tightrope 1368 feet from the ground, our everyday goals can seem just as difficult to achieve, but they are also just as attainable if we put in the necessary effort. Therefore, while we are awed by these incredible journeys, we must remember that we too are capable of great feats as well. We do not need to look far to find instances where this is true because everything we achieve is the product of our hard-work even if they seem ordinary. To do well as students, it is necessary that we work hard throughout the entire school year and not get discouraged when the material seems difficult. Instead of giving up, we would spend more time studying or even asking for help from our teachers and peers. Once we overcome those challenges, then, we could end the school year feeling proud of how we succeeded because of our perseverance. This means that we all possess the qualities of a hero when we do what it takes to achieve our goals.

There have been many individuals throughout history who are remembered for overcoming the challenges to reach their goals. One man was Terry Fox who helped raise cancer awareness and whose Marathon of Hope continues to inspire the world today. Similarly to the heroes previously mentioned, he was determined to rise against what was believed to be impossible and began running in marathons despite having his leg amputated. Instead of seeing this as an obstacle that cannot be overcome, he persevered through the hardships he faced to inspire others not to give up either on a cure. Despite him dying because of cancer before completing his run across Canada, he is forever remembered for inspiring the world not to lose hope for a better world. More of his story could be learned in:

http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/terry-fox/

The filmmakers for Touching the Void and Man on Wire succeed in presenting the exploits of these heroes in a way that is inspiring to us viewers. They accomplish this by combining the elements found in both documentary films and narrative films. The filmmakers use interviews exceptionally well because we hear their reflections on the event, and so, we gain a deeper understanding of its psychological impact which cannot be achieved exclusively with reenactments. In Touching the Void, it is clear that Joe does not blame Simon for leaving him behind because he says that he would have done the same. Therefore, this serves to shift their story away from the controversies of their climb and emphasize instead what was truly important for the climbers, namely, overcoming their hardships in the descent. Also, the reenactment scenes were chosen to resemble a narrative film which is very appropriate despite them being documentaries. This is because heroic exploits throughout history, like in mythology, have always been told in a form of a story. In Man on Wire, the reenactments should be as thrilling and exciting as the character of Philippe Petit. Therefore, the retelling of his journey is centered around breaking into the Twin Towers and evading security. However, they still remain rooted in the truth because the story unfolds as it is being told by those who lived it.      

Every single one of you has a unique gift to change the world, it is how you use the gift that determines your role in the world. Terry Fox transforms his unfortunate disease into his power and raises cancer awareness. Joe Simpson uses his willpower to survive and become an example of courage and bravery. He becomes an example of strength which encourages all of the viewers. In order to change the world, you must first change yourself. You must first invent yourself in order to invent your world. This is the power of creativity which comes from your desire to do something. If there is a will, there is a way.