The Cure Archetypal Quest

An archetypal quest story is a story which involves a quest or search in which the characters or character find out more about him or herself by the ending. In The Cure, a film directed by Peter Horton, the quest is a search for love and friendship. To make up a quest, there must be a calling, departure, experience, initiation, and return. The calling is what the character is in search for or what causes the character to take action. The departure is the part of the quest when the character takes a risk and leaves something secure behind. The experience is when the character begins to grow and change as a person. The initiation is the moment where the character grows into maturity. The return is when the character changes because of the journey and has a new outlook on life. The Cure is an excellent example of an archetypal quest story because the calling and departure is shown in the search for …show more content…
Erik is a lonely and neglected bully and the beginning of the film. While Erik is home alone, he goes outside and strikes up a conversation with the boy on the other side of the fence. On the other side of the fence is Dexter, an eleven-year-old boy with AIDS. Erik is already aware and afraid of the fact that Dexter has AIDS, but he is willing to talk to anyone who will listen. The boys are both lonely and bored and talk to each other to pass the time. Both Erik and Dexter crave friendship in their lives because it is something that both of them do not have. Erik takes a leap of faith when he jumps over the fence for the first time. When Erik jumps over the fence, he takes a chance on friendship, and the journey begins. He knows that everyone is afraid of “the boy with AIDS”. Erik realizes that he may get bullied because of his friendship with Dexter. However, Erik is willing to jump over the fence and put all of that behind