45 Master Characters (63 page)

Push everyone else aside as he moves forward alone.

Forget about everyone and everything that ever meant anything to him to reach his new goal now.

Go out of his way to hurt those who try to stop him.

Justify his actions in any way necessary to keep his consciousness at bay. This is easy for him if a loved one has been sacrificed by the villain.

Whichever path the hero chose in the last stage, he now takes steps down that path. The rest of the journey seems mapped out in front of him. His decision has declared his fate.

Examples of Stage 8

Gilgamesh
translated by Maureen Kovacs

Gilgamesh is warned of his impossible quest as he searches for the man who can bring him immortality. He meets this man and fails at the immortality test to go without sleep; he has no faith in himself. He is sent home with a plant that will allow him to relive his life with his current knowledge, but he doubts this and winds up losing the plant. He returns home empty-handed.

Star Wars

Luke decides to fly in the mission to bomb the death star. He's confident in his ability to fly as he did “back home,” but when it comes time for him to take the final shot at the death star he must let go of what he's learned in the past and awaken to the power that lies within him instead of without. He tells R2-D2 to “increase the power!” but it's the words of Obi-Wan that put him on the right track — “Let go, Luke, use the force, trust me.” The success from his previous lessons helps him to believe in himself.

Three Kings

Archie's real awakening comes when he decides to give up the gold and abandon his own goal and welfare for the goal and welfare of others. They've gotten the rebels to the border and they know they're breaking the law and will probably be sent to military prison. They call a reporter to the scene to help get the rebels' message out to the public.

Military helicopters show up, and they hold hands with the people. They try to run them across the border before the helicopters can land, but they don't make it. Archie looks around at his men, and they all nod in agreement — use the location of the gold to bargain for the freedom of all these people.

Moby Dick
by Herman Melville

Captain Ahab has rebelled. He goes after the white whale. For three days they fight the whale but are unable to kill him. Men die all around him, but Ahab won't give up. The prophecies come true, but still he won't relent. His rage has taken over. He stabs at the whale and is dragged to his death.

Gender-Bending:
The Long Kiss Goodnight

Charly not only has awakened to her power as a spy but she now awakens to her power as a mother. She takes care of her daughter and talks to her about getting a puppy as she devises a plan of escape.

They make it out but she has to rescue her daughter again. She lays on a bridge dying as she tells her daughter to run for it, but her daughter won't go. Charly, for the first time ever, calls on a CB radio for help. She realizes she's not alone and that she has a responsibility to help others. She isn't a one-man wrecking crew who can do whatever she likes and risk death every moment of the day. She learns to care about others and therefore herself.

If the hero awakens, show his inner turmoil and changes.

• In
  The Matrix
  , when Neo turns around and faces the deadly agent instead of running, his whole demeanor shows us his inner transformation. He waves his hand like Bruce Lee, calling the agent out, reflecting back to the training scene when he fought Morpheus.
  

Can a supporting character try to persuade him against this decision?

Come up with different reactions for the villain to have toward his decision. Will he raise the stakes even higher?

Stage 9: Victory or Failure

All of the men make it to the top together. John is ecstatic. He forgets how important it was to him to be the first and only man on the top of the mountain. It doesn't matter anymore.

He turns around and relishes the view — his reward. He looks across the horizon and down at the climb he endured.

Victory

If the hero chose to awaken in the last stage he now finds victory and reward. Because he knows who he is and why he's striving for his goal he has the courage and know-how to face anything the villain may throw at him.

If he's fighting to save more than just himself he has the whole of the group behind him. He makes sacrifices and appeases anyone he has to in order to reach the goal. He isn't concerned or ruled by his ego any longer and will admit defeat to win, meaning he would humble himself at the feet of the king in order to save the entire kingdom.

Failure

If the hero chose to rebel in the last stage, he now finds failure. He won't give up his ego or sacrifice himself for the greater good. How he looks to others is most important. He'd rather be the king with control of the kingdom than the one humbled at his feet to save the kingdom.

His rebellion has led him down a path of no return. His blindness has kept him from the truth about what's important to him, and it also kept him from facing and overcoming his fears. He hasn't grown much from where he started out.

He may realize he has failed by the end of this stage and find redemption, like the samurai who commits suicide to keep his honor. He looks back and sees his mistakes now but realizes it's too late to change things. Think of Captain Ahab in
Moby Dick
or Willie Loman in
Death of a Salesman
by Arthur Miller.

He may still be stuck in rage and denial until his last dying breath, accusing others of bringing about his demise. A lot of historical stories about kings and kingdoms fall into this category.

Be careful not to fall into the B movie trap. Low budget films abound with tough guy heroes who run along a plotline, killing and fighting without a shred of remorse, who get the girl and all the glory in the end. These stories take a hero who has chosen failure and give him rewards. Imagine if Captain Ahab had killed the white whale in the end and survived — what would that say about his obsessive behavior? How satisfying would it be? How would it change the story? Would it still be a masterpiece?

Examples of Stage 9

Gilgamesh
translated by Maureen Kovacs

Gilgamesh returns home empty-handed and has to face his friends and family. He thinks about all the decisions he has made in his journey, but he also realizes it's too late to change his mistakes.

Star Wars

Luke lets go and trusts himself and the force around him. The death star is obliterated. He, Han Solo, Chewbacca and the droids receive medals from Princess Leia and admiration from her people.

Three Kings

Archie and the men make it home. The reporter aired such a great piece on the plight of the rebels that the military couldn't put them in jail. They all find careers and get on with their lives knowing they did the right thing.

Moby Dick
by Herman Melville

Captain Ahab meets a watery grave. Moby Dick the white whale wrecks all the boats, kills those who would have killed him and swims away without a scratch on him.