Titanic: Inner and Outer Problems

The Titanic Example#

In The Writer’s Journey, there is a section titled “A Hero’s Journey Analysis of Titanic.” As the name suggests, it is a section that analyzes Titanic using the Hero’s Journey framework.

In this section, the following basic elements are extracted as a starting point for analyzing each hero in Titanic’s Hero’s Journey:

Couldn’t we analyze The Demon Girl Next Door in the same way?

Vogler’s View#

On the subject of inner and outer problems, Vogler writes:

Every hero needs both an inner and an outer problem.

(…)

Yet sometimes writers neglect to give the characters a compelling inner problem to solve as well.

Characters without inner challenges seem flat and uninvolving, however heroically they may act. They need an inner problem, a personality flaw or a moral dilemma to work out.

(…)

Audiences love to see characters learning, growing, and dealing with both the inner and outer challenges of life.

p. 143

He also states, regarding the [elixir] brought back in the final stage:

Like every stage of the Hero’s Journey, Returning with the Elixir can be literal or metaphoric. The best elixir brings higher awareness to the hero and the audience.

p. 325

Typo spotted in the Japanese translation: “文字どおりの意味になることもあれは” (areha instead of areba)

First edition, p. 331

Side note: Isn’t translating “Keep it simple stupid” as “make it simple and stupid” (単純に、馬鹿馬鹿しくする) a mistranslation? Normally it should mean something like “Keep it simple, stupid” (単純にしろ馬鹿野郎). Even contextually, I can’t find any reason for this translation. If it were “Keep it stupid simple,” this translation would make sense, but without checking the original book I can’t be sure.

First edition, p. 331

This makes sense if you picture an ending like The Blue Bird of Happiness.