The film thriller "The Source Code" explores the idea of an unbalanced hero in his quest to prevent more lives from being lost. Now before viewing the trailer, I analyzed what archetypal connection the title Source Code has. When first thinking of the Source Code, I thought of how it is usually an idea that penetrates through to the inner recesses of the human mind, making me think immediately of the Quest for Identity archetype. Upon watching the trailer, Captain Stevens embarks on a quest for enlightenment journey in which his job is to find the culprit who bombed the train. At first, Captain Stevens meets an unknown woman and goes to the washroom, only to find another man looking back at him in the mirror. The common archetype of a mirror is used to show reflection as well as uncertainty regarding identity. The fact that there was a different person looking back on Stevens makes the reader question the stability of the protagonist as well as his true character. The protagonist later finds out that he is part of the Source Code, which is actually a computer program designed to take over another mans identity in the last 8 minutes of life.
Throughout the trailer, a major archetype that is touched upon is the importance of time. The archetype of time is apparent because of the almost subliminal images of a watch as well as the idea of valuing the importance of time by “...making those seconds count.” This coincides with the fact that the protagonist only has 8 minutes to execute the mission and save another travesty from happening because despite the limited amount of time, history is dictated by those few seconds that matter. This cycle will continue until he completes his mission, contributing to the idea of Death and Rebirth and how that cycle influences the individual.
The viewer can also see a possible transition in the role of the hero in this trailer. The hero can be first indentified as an unbalanced hero because of the uncertainty regarding his own identity and his values. His goal was to save future people from falling victim towards the bomber and is a quest for knowledge. However, through the use of the source code, Stevens begins to become attached to those who have already died. He wishes to save the woman he has bonded with, despite the fact that she is going to die. The woman that appears in this trailer is a modern day adaptation of the damsel in distress character, her weakness being her naivety. She is unaware of the severity of the situation and the impending travesty that will occur. The limited amount of time spent together coincides with the idea of how a human being would make every second count even knowing death is upon them. The actions of Stevens later on in the trailer goes against his original intentions, again calling into question the identity of the character and the mirror scene in which he doesn't know who he truly is.
This character analysis reveals the bigger idea of the conflict of the protagonist fighting against fate and divine intervention. The hero attempts to change the impossible by risking everything for the woman he encounters. The idea of asking if someone has "...the decency to let him try" to save her shows the characters conflict with going against what fate had originally intended. This brings up the impact of human nature on the hero's journey taking the traditional archetype to a new level and how it influences the outcome. It can be inferred that this struggle against those above us, reveals the resiliency that humans truly have in the direst of circumstances. In the actual movie, I expect several unforeseen circumstances to arise as well as the archetype of devil figure in the form of the bomber to interfere with Captain Stevens plans. I also think that the past of Stevens will be revealed and affect his identity.
In what ways does the struggle to break free from fate reveal aspects of human nature?
Adam, I appreciate the ideas that you are communicating but I have a few questions about it? First off, what do you mean by saying that you already had an idea of what the source code meant? I have not ever heard of it or the ideas that it entails. ? As well, what evidence shows that Captain Stevens isn't confident of his own identity and the situation he is in?
ReplyDeleteTo answer your question, I feel that we try to change our fate for two either two reasons: we don't like the final outcome or we just want to be stubborn and make sure that we end up deciding our own fate, not have it pre-determined for us. This shows the stubbornness that many human beings possess and the determination that many have, as these are generally key features to most people. Humans want to feel that they are always in control even if they are not, just so it seems that they have the power to change if they so desire.