Victoria Lynn Schmidt’s version of the heroine’s journey monomyth is a template many stories align with. Her model depicts a nine step cycle, where the illusion of the perfect in which the protagonist perceives they live in shatters, prompting them to go on a journey where they have to face tough new realities, before finally resolving the things and living happily again but changed mentally. Made in 2001, Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away animated film is an excellent example that follows this archetypal pattern.
Spirited Away tells the story of a girl named Chihiro, who lived comfortably in her old neighborhood surrounded by friends. However, her perfect world crumbles when her family has to move. On the road, they get lost and stop by a strange building, where her parents, upon entering, start gulping down food from a seemingly empty restaurant. While exploring, Chihiro meets Haku, who warns her to leave. As she rushes back, she panics as she learns that her parents have turned into pigs and that she, herself, is vanishing. Though she tries, at first, to deny it (the coping mechanism) by telling herself it is all a dream, she finally awakens, accepting the new turn of events, and sets out to save her parents and escape the spirit world.
Schmidt’s Descent step resembles Joseph Cambell’s Road of Trials, for both highlight the protagonist’s struggles as they face new challenges that arise. For Chihiro (renamed Sen after Yubaba steals her real name), this means working in Yubaba’s bathhouse; Sen really struggles to keep up with the labor. She also begins doubting whether she will ever be able to get her parents back. As time goes on, Sen’s situation starts to improve (Eye of the Storm). Haku tells Sen her real name, so that she would not be trapped in the spirit world forever. Additionally, Sen gains respect when she successfully cleans an extremely dirty customer. Despite success, things get worse (Death/All is Lost stage). VIP customer No Face swallows three workers, Yubaba becomes furious with Sen for not being able to exploit No Face, and her friend Haku gets really hurt.
The herbal cake (given to her as a gift from her guest) proved to be a key source of support (step 7). It caused No Face to regurgitate the swallowed workers, and it helped Haku expel the slug Yubaba planted to control him, along with Zeniba’s (Yubaba’s twin’s) stolen seal, which Sen, accompanied by No Face, Boh (Yubaba’s baby), and Yu-Bird, returns. The Moment of Truth, the stage where the protagonist must use brains, courage, and heart to face their greatest decision, occurs after Sen comes back to the bathhouse, where she must identify which pigs are her parents to break her contract. Chihiro gets the trick question right and returns back to the perfect world with her parents back, more independent and brave than before.
I LOVE Spirited Away! I think it's interesting that you depicted the "support" as a food instead of a person. I personally thought that there were a lot of characters that could fit into the support category, but it's a cool take to see the "support" as a different thing than normal.
ReplyDeleteI really liked your mapping of Spirited away to the heroine's journey! I enjoy how you mentioned that the return the perfect world really shows a more internal journey of courage rather than a more physical one. Chihiro being braver while returning to the perfect world makes the story seem more compelling.
ReplyDeleteI have never heard of this movie before, but it sounds very interesting. I like this example of the Heroine's Journey because usually the Road of Trials are more mental or spiritual challenges for the protagonist, but this one is actually just pure physical labor. I also like how all of these "Return to the Perfect Worlds" never actually end with the protagonist returning to their original setting, but rather gaining a newfound sense of enlightenment for their new world.
ReplyDeleteSpirited Away is so good and I think you did a great job at examining it through the Heroine's Journey model! I like how you compared Schmidt's model to Campbell's because while they are quite different, they definitely have some similar characteristics that contribute to how a character's journey is affected. I also wonder if Spirited Away could be viewed from the Hero's Journey perspective?
ReplyDeleteI have never heard of this movie before, but I think you've done a great job with aligning it to Schmidt's Heroine's Journey. It's also interesting to see that you highlighted the herbal cake's role as a physical representation of the support section of the Heroine's Journey. I like how you mentioned the similarity between Campbell's ideas and Schmidt's ideas as well.
ReplyDeleteA lot of people have watched this movie (including me) and I think your analysis of Spirited Away through The Heroine's Journey offers a much better understanding of Chihiro’s transformation and her experiences. Specifically, I like your emphasis on the herbal cake as a form of support. It symbolizes empowerment in a narrative prioritizing character relationships over physical objects. I wonder how you think Chihiro’s encounters with Haku and No Face complicate her journey even further.
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