Who's really in control?

     During this past weekend, I watched a truly inspirational movie with my friends called the Adjustment Bureau. This movie not only capitvated the audience by produced many symbols and aspects that directly coincide with the mythological aspects of traditional fables. This dramatic story includes the protagonist and electoral candidate David Norris. Now upon first contact, Norris seems to be one of the sterotypical love struck heroes when he instantly falls in love with Ballerina Elise in a washroom stall after blowing his lead in the senate eleciton in NYC. However this encounter leads to a inspirational speech that instantly makes him the frontrunner in the subsequent election, making the reader wonder the true impact of this relationship. A new twist is added to this inition within the typical hero's journey is impacted by the Adjustment Bureau.
     Now to understand what really sets this story apart from the traditional texts, you must understand what the Adjustment Bureau is all about. The Adjustment Bureau is an organization that ensures that everybody follows a certain "plan" or guideline of how their life is supposed to be lived. The caseworkers or "angels" of this organization alter the decisions made by individuals to ensure that this plan is followed and supposedley act in the best interests of these people. Little is revealed to the audience who the creator of these plans, save for the fact that he is referred to as "The Chairman" and has mulitple different names. It is assumed that the chairman is some sort of god, and relates back to the idea of divine intervention apparent in greek mytholoy. The gods always meddled in the lives of ordinary people, because they thought they knew best. This also brings into question the morale of interferring with others lives as well as the idea of fate. One of the central topics revealed in this movie is the question of how much power we really hold over our own lives, and how much fate impacts those decisions.
     The true power of the Adjustment Bureau is revealed when certain caseworkers change the opinion of Charlie; one of Norris' friends to better suit the interests and direction of his company. While all this is going on, the viewer is questioning whether the Adjustment Bureau has the authority or the right to do these actions. The ethics of meddling in peoples lives interferes with individual freedom of choice, without the people even knowing. This connects to the archetype of divine intervention, and how the gods or higher beings that make the decisions are not always in the interests of the common man or women. The godsThe Adjustment Bureau directly intervenes at this point and warns Mr. Norris that he is not meant to ever see his beloved Elise again, because the plan doesn't call for it. The protagonist is then warned to never reveal the existence of this secret organization, in fear of being "reset" a modern adaptation of lobotomy. People in Greece in earlier centuries also lived in fear of displeasing the gods, because of the power these gods had. Despite this precaution, Norris shows perseverance by scouring the city looking for Elise over the next couple years, showing both the determination and possibly the fatal flow of Norris' in ability to move on with his life.
     This is the beginning of the road of trials for the protagonist as he eventually out maneuvers the adjustment bureau to find Elise. The viewer questions the luck that Norris has in his quest against the organization is all-powerful in teleporting instantly to any location through a series of doorways. The obvious archetype made by the director would be that the doors represent the opportunities in life, and with the caseworkers able to control this network, they also control the direction people go in life. The case eventually gets out of hand and is too difficult for the normal caseworkers to handle. A character of seemingly higher status enters, that goes by the name of Thompson, who is shown to have much more power over the fate of others. This higher official lists off a plethora of times when the organization stepped aside and let individual will happen in the world. The consequences of this action was shown to be tragedies such as Fascism and the two World wars, backing up his argument that humans are not yet mature enough to take control of their own destiny. The idea of being bound by fate is apparent here, in that Thompson indirectly states how impossible it is to fight the people who ensure the plan comes to fruition. He also states that the connection between the romantic relationship will not only affect the success of the politician but also the career of dancer Elise. To illustrate his point, he purposefully makes Elise fall and break her ankle. This represents the internal conflict often found in the protagonist as well as the fundamental decision that the hero must make that determines the end. This archetypal crosswords not only defines the character but all those around him as well.
    The hero eventually decides to be with Elise and enacts the fundamental shift in the plot. A caseworker aids Norris in navigating their pathways that are used for instant travel. By using these pathways, it represents how the character is now in control of his own destiny and the decisions he makes are truly his. The story ends up with Elise and Norris being together and the Chairman altering the plan so that the fate is now dictated by his actions. The Innermost Cave reveals that building humanity up until it can support itself could be the true goal of the Chairman and the purpose of the adjustment bureau. A prominent and recurring symbol within this movie, would be the repetition of a picture of a bench. At the start of the film, the bench was always occupied by a member of the Adjustment Bureau, whereas towards the end it was vacated. This shows the progression of the power Norris had over his own life and his struggle against societal constrains. One of the fundamental themes involving fate can be determined as that people must take control over their decisions to truly control their lives and not fall into the typical category of people without free will. This film provides a modern adaptation of the typical archetype of fate in our everyday lives, by showing how Norris can change his destiny because of the actions he made.
     Upon reflecting on this film, I began to wonder what ordinary people must do control their own destiny and own their fate. This really states that society is generally not ready for the responsibilities of the future, but are constantly growing towards that goal through the experiences and inter-personal contact. The typical archetype of fate is twisted in the sense that the main protagonist ends up controlling his own destiny by persevering and accomplishing his goal. In this quest for identity, he finds himself by finding what is important to him and acting proactively. How much power does fate really play in our lives and how much control do we have? The power lies in the individual and whether or not we have the will to succeed or the laziness of failure.

What other examples of the archetype of fate are there in modern day text that intertwine with the hero's journey?