Difficult MonoMyths: Interpreting ‘The Fountain’
How to Tear up a Difficult Story using the MonoMyth Theories: The Fountain
First off, The Fountain is a difficult enough movie to understand what is going on, without having to chart it to some Hero’s Journey Chart. But by trying to chart it, it really opens up as far as interpretation goes*. The point of stories like this is that it doesn’t matter if you “get it”, it isn’t meant to be understood consciously because it is meant for your unconscious to gnaw on for awhile (hence the symbols). The symbolism is highly Alchemical** and Mythic and once seen with a Mythic perspective we can find foot holes as to which of the themes are more important, deserve more focus and thus unlock the wisdoms inherent in the story.
* Remember, George Lucas built Star Wars with the MonoMyth (Hero’s Journey)
** See Alchemical Patterns in Psychology
Step One ~ Watch the Movie
First I watch the movie. I begin to try to do the MonoMyth as I would a simple movie, but begin to see the stages are woven so cleanly together that I know this is good storytelling. I am missing the experience, missing the story and missing the wonder*. So I put down the laptop or pen and paper and just watch.
*This is why I feel so bad so many people’s first experience of this is because they have to find it due to some assignment. Its a great tool when you find it as a way of dream interpretation/movie interpretation and it can be wielded with hands of curiosity and interest.
Here are my interpretive thoughts:
Now I know the story of the Tree of Life, being raised catholic. Oh man! I get excited! This is a potent symbol I think to myself. I recall the myth of Yggdrasil* where I think of Odin but then there’s the conquistadors and I think of Quetzalcoatl. Now of course I have these ideas because I know these myths. You probably don’t, (as you’re not a dork about them like I am) but we’re given the myth from Izzie, so its all good you get a sense of the potency of this symbolism through that and also from this majestic re-creation in the film.
* I learn my Myths best from Kid’s books. D’aulleire’s is a great example of this.
Step Two ~ Look for the Two Worlds - Light/Dark | Inner/Outer | Conscious/Unconscious
2) My brain turns off trying to spot mythic motifs until Izzie reminds me with her Mayan myth. I recall the stages of Preparations/Supernatural Aid and Meeting with the Mentor (finally someone is telling us what this story is about!) I go back and look for Calls to Adventure and Refusals. Tommy’s main refusal is of Izzie’s death which its obvious to say confirms my hunch prior but it also gives me a really good guess at what the Ordeal will be. they seem to have something to do with Izzie’s life and death) we begin the Threshold Crossing scenes. I’d say there’s one at work: Tommy’s insight for the cure and there’s one in home life: Izzie falls.
The Essential Crazy WisdomStep Three ~ Test Theory against the Road of Trials
3) Ok now I’ve got the theme of Life and Death and our natural refusal towards death. But is it truly natural? I mean nature provides self preservation but Tommy’s issue isn’t him dying, its his attachment, his holding on to Izzie.
Now I’m still trying to figure out why Hugh Jackman is sometimes bald, sometimes a conquistador. Of course we get the answer to the conquistador part once Izzie busts out her books. Now I can always argue my whole “inner vs. outer self” argument for the Astronaut but I might miss something and they might have an explanation. Perhaps I did.
So I look for the relationship between Thomas and Tommy (soon I get the literal: ‘Oh Tomas is the conquering side of Tommy seen through Izzie’s eyes, in her story’) But I want deeper meaning, I want to see what parts of the psyche these two represent.
Tomas is a part of Tommy, the part which wants to hold on to conquer, fight and save Spain and find immortality. I begin to think of the refusal of death as a refusal as a part of life, the childishness of it and I begin to associate him with that human tendency to be attached to people (I’m not saying I don’t have that, I’m wrestling with myself too here, trying to gain a drop of wisdom for when I next face such an endeavor) I see themes of the reptilian mind, the Taoist focus of the dangers of striving*, the Zen ideas of the small “I”**, Freud and Jung’s idea as the Ego as that part of yourself which you think you are which is forged out of your attachments to your reality***. This consciousness is the alchemical prima materia and it is this consciousness which must learn the lesson at first glance. (Disagree with my all you like, I probably will too upon next viewing of the movie… this is written after the fact and I am using it as a compass of my own psychology to see what themes stuck. The point I’m trying to make is you can use such films as insights into your own being too.)
* See the Tao Te Ching or The Way of Chuang Tzu
** See Dropping Ashes on the Buddha
*** See The Essential Crazy Wisdom
Step Four ~ Find the Failure (The Ordeal)
4) Let’s see… I’ve got the Home and Paradise/Wasteland down for Tommy right? Paradise is the life with Izzie, the Wasteland becomes life without her. Since this movie is confusing, I’ll just wait until I run across the Ordeal next. The Ordeal will have themes of failure, death, dark night of the soul, the Hero at their worst. Let me guess… Oh wow. The tree dies too. Well that makes sense, the life forces were linked.
We don’t get to see too much of the Astronaut Tom in the beginning but his Buddha poses and Tai Chi contrasts him as the Higher Self as opposed to Tomas as the Lower Self. Further, I begin to recall the idea of the Gold Ball which has fallen down the Well in the story of the Frog Prince as symbolic of that true Self we all have inside*, the one of repose of peace which can only be brought about by the death of the Ego. (the whole point of the Hero Journey.) But I’m interpreting too much now aren’t I? Just watch it and do it later.
* See The Hero with a Thousand Faces
Step Five ~ The Final Threshold (Climax)
5) Wow there’s the Dark Night of the Soul and then there’s killing off your Wife’s version of yourself. Damn. Should I put that as part of the the Ordeal too? Not yet. The movie could unwind more and more and I’ll only know really what the MonoMyth of it is (and even then this is a very soft science, so its arguable) after I’ve watched the whole thing. Ok. Things seem to be speeding up. That’s the gift/flight/road back stages go very quickly a lot. We must be coming up to the Climax or Final Threshold. Keep an eye out for themes of Hero Sacrifice and Death and Rebirth.
I’m noticing the Mayan noticing the deity in Tomas… that’s an idea to play with later if it wants to dance. Further… In his arrogance is he going to manifest the Myth? OH! Damn! that’s pretty good manifestin’ dude. Chalk that one up with Gawain and the Green Knight*. Let’s say we’ve got an inner version of the rebirth of the Green Man. What does that tell me? Well.. Him becoming the Green Man has to do with aligning yourself with nature forces. Not easy to do for a Christian ethos which opposes Nature as being inherently “evil.”
The future self manages to go Bodhisattva on us, leaves his bubble and rejoins the energy of the Cosmos. (Oh did you notice the star pattern mimicking the Flux Capacitor in Back to the Future? Its also the symbol for the Tree of Life upside down.) I’m thinking that has so much symbolism of Buddhism, Transcendence, becoming part of something greater than one’s self.
* See the Power of Myth
Step 6 ~ Fill in the Gaps and Interpret
I’ve already got a good idea as to what my interpretation might be. Of course all those books doing this helped, so many good myths hold these themes in them already, once you click into one of those you just fly. Now in order to polish my interpretation, I might watch the movie again and fill in the gap stages I didn’t mention much: Call to Adventure, Refusal of Call, Road of Trials, Boon, Flight, Road Back, Return with Elixir. Oh and the most important part to Mythic Interpretation: FIGURE OUT WHAT IF ANY THIS HAS TO DO WITH YOUR LIFE.
But never ever say that this is the only interpretation. If you do you’ll suffer from the constraints of literalism, kill the Myth, (like killing a butterfly when you pin it down.) Try it with another go and see what you get. Argue my points. Tell me you found another (if you say I’m wrong you run the risk of being too literal again even if I said that Hugh Jackman really means Toast the way I see it. Respect that, that’s my belief and I have every right to have it.)
Hope this little blurb helps. Send me a note if it does, as I’m happy to hear from y’all.
~Ovid
p.s. Hugh Jackman = a piece of toast.
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