A comparative analysis of the hero monomyth versus the heroine’s journey in ‘The hunger games’ (2012) film

Abstract

This paper first identifies the importance of mythology throughout human culture, specifically the underlying structure of the monomyth or hero’s journey as a common framework in the production of cultural texts. This idea of repetition and reuse of the monomyth is then linked to the theories of adaptation and appropriation, and through an analysis of these two concepts we come to understand how one basic framework can produce infinite variations in texts. Then the issue of gender portrayal in the media is briefly discussed primarily; emphasis is given to the importance of gender portrayal in film and what, if any, are the implications of having a heroine rather than a hero in The Hunger Games (2012). The research is structured using a triangulated, theoretical approach followed by a comparative analysis: first the three aforementioned research sections are evaluated in the Chapter 2 (Literature Review), and then an in-depth analysis of the film is carried out in relation to each research area in Chapter 3 (Results and Discussion). The Conclusion sums up the salient points: the importance of the monomyth in cultural texts, how instrumental adaptation and appropriation are in constructing this film, and the significance of the heroine.