Heroes, villains, swashbucklers, and intense battles – they are common elements found in a Romance Narrative. Romance Narratives are easy to identify because they’re loaded with tropes and are constructed on a common structural foundation. The stages, which are contained within, exhibit the “before, during, and after” of the hero’s journey. Every hero’s journey is different. In the film, The Maze Runner (Wes Ball, 2014), the audience embarks on a quest from the hero, Thomas’ perspective. The Romance Narrative circle is fully illustrated by his experience as he goes through the various stages that build up his quest: initiation, underworld, and return. The Childhood stage allows one to understand the hero before his transformation resulting
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Often a physical boundary, it symbolizes the transition from the “known world” into the “unknown world”. As the hero crosses the threshold, he abandons the place that he has known and is launched into a perilous world of unknown. However, only through this can the hero be reborn. The Maze Runner commences with the threshold, which is the physical line that separates the ordinary world from the Glade; Thomas wakes up in an elevator that brings him up to the Glade. Upon his arrival, he meets his Mentor, Alby, who helps him settle down. With attention to what exists outside the Glade, Thomas is eager to find answers and to explore the Maze. This is strongly disapproved by Gally, the Threshold Guardian, whose purpose is to test the hero’s commitment and ability. Gally guards the Maze and hides its secrets from the hero. Nevertheless, Thomas accepts his quest and is determined to lead the others in finding an escape out of the Maze. As Thomas approaches the truth, he is faced with the most difficult obstacle to …show more content…
As he undergoes the challenges that ensue from his commitment to his quest, he grows and transforms. Thus, the impact of this journey will never leave him. However, Thomas is just one of the countless heroes in this world. Although Romance Narratives can be identified by their common structural elements, it is important to keep in mind that these elements do exist in infinite different forms. Exploring different forms of media in depth, such as uncovering the underlying Romance Narrative circle in the plot, allows one to acquire a greater understanding of the overall
Often a physical boundary, it symbolizes the transition from the “known world” into the “unknown world”. As the hero crosses the threshold, he abandons the place that he has known and is launched into a perilous world of unknown. However, only through this can the hero be reborn. The Maze Runner commences with the threshold, which is the physical line that separates the ordinary world from the Glade; Thomas wakes up in an elevator that brings him up to the Glade. Upon his arrival, he meets his Mentor, Alby, who helps him settle down. With attention to what exists outside the Glade, Thomas is eager to find answers and to explore the Maze. This is strongly disapproved by Gally, the Threshold Guardian, whose purpose is to test the hero’s commitment and ability. Gally guards the Maze and hides its secrets from the hero. Nevertheless, Thomas accepts his quest and is determined to lead the others in finding an escape out of the Maze. As Thomas approaches the truth, he is faced with the most difficult obstacle to …show more content…
As he undergoes the challenges that ensue from his commitment to his quest, he grows and transforms. Thus, the impact of this journey will never leave him. However, Thomas is just one of the countless heroes in this world. Although Romance Narratives can be identified by their common structural elements, it is important to keep in mind that these elements do exist in infinite different forms. Exploring different forms of media in depth, such as uncovering the underlying Romance Narrative circle in the plot, allows one to acquire a greater understanding of the overall