Blog #1 Q1
What Truly is "The Belly of "The Belly of The Whale" in Star Wars: A New Hope?
-Thomas S
As our class worked through identifying each stage of the Hero's journey in Star Wars: A New Hope I had a few questions. When people discussed certain areas of Joseph Campbell's Monomyth I questioned them. It appeared as if to me people didn't look deep enough into the ideas Campbell wanted to be entertained by each subject. For the sake of this prompt, I want to tackle the section known as "The Belly of "The Belly of The Whale"," one of my favorite parts of the monomyth.
The majority of the class wanted "The Belly of "The Belly of The Whale" to be when Obi-Wan and Luke entered the Cantina. This makes sense at a glance however it's simply not true, at least not completely. I would say this is nothing like what was actually imagined by Campbell. It would make sense chronologically that the belly would take place here but what actually is the belly if we consider the Cantina the belly? To Campbell, the belly is a significant and story-altering threshold. It is supposed to be entering the villain's castle or evil dwelling. When the hero has to be put at serious risk, primarily physically, but also mentally where he must overcome certain things. The hero wants to stop fighting and give up due to the immense pressure to escape and return home but he must fight to defend his group and continue to his main goal. Truly a test of fortitude and ability, this rebirths the character into later being able to fulfill his task with newfound strength.
Controversially I am very sure that the belly of "The Belly of The Whale" is supposed to be getting tractor beamed, then being in The Death Star. Chronologically I can see how people see the Cantina as a belly as that is what the circle suggests. I just think that the belly doesn't take place so soon. The belly is supposed to be this place of utmost fear and challenges for the main character to overcome and rebirth. The Cantina is merely an ignis fatuus or an illusion for the belly of "The Belly of The Whale". Here is why it makes so much sense at first. It generally has a place where Luke is scared, the two murderers trying to pick a fight, or the stormtroopers, and it's altering in the fact that Luke sees just some of the power the force has. More importantly, they meet Han Solo and Chewie which allows them to go to Alderaan. I think the Cantina is more of a smaller step of the monomyth called "tests, allies, and enemies".
Here is why the belly is The Death Star. While en route to Alderaan Obi-Wan feels the deaths of millions and a disturbance of the force. When they arrive at the supposed coordinates of Alderaan they believed it was a miscalculation however the supposed meteor shower at first is really just the recently exploded Alderaan which instantly clicked in Obi-Wan's mind from when he felt the disturbance of the force. This sets the scene for a dark and scary meeting with the belly. In most stories the belly is when the character readies themselves, sometimes unknowingly, to encounter the villain. This typically takes place in the villain's "evil castle." This also lines up with the scene because soon they see what they think is a small moon however it's the menacing Death Star. Another effect of the belly of "The Belly of The Whale" is the metamorphosis the main character is ready to undergo. We also see that they are all bracing and preparing to take over and break their mental barriers. I'm sure I don't need to walk through every aspect of the metamorphosis that takes place but to name one how he changed after witnessing Obi-Wan die at the hands of Vader.
Overall I think that the belly of "The Belly of The Whale" no doubt about it took the form of The Death Star. I think if the watcher were to think more about it the Cantina is nothing more than a trial, Luke really isn't metamorphosing and in reality, he just makes some key connections. I think the Cantina is super important don't get me wrong I just feel The Death Star is a much greater fit for the idea of this whale. It fits so many of the key ideas that one needs to mark it off as “The Belly of The Whale.”
After reading your analysis to the movie, I agree with your interpretation that the belly of the whale is represented by the Death Star. I think that both the Road of Trials and the Belly of the Whale are represented through the Death Star. The Cantina does sort of shows a story-altering threshold since Luke had never been there before, but your analysis of how the character isn't really reborn is true shows that the Cantina does not really represent the Belly of the Whale.
ReplyDeleteI was undecided on what scene I thought fit the Belly of the Whale step the best at first, but after reading your blog, I would agree that it makes sense for the step to be when the protagonists board the Death Star. Although the timing doesn’t work out quite as nicely as if the Belly of the Whale step was the Cantina, I agree that the Death Star scene embodies the idea of the Belly of the Whale step better than the Cantina. Your analysis of this step was really interesting to read, and you make a strong argument for your opinion. Great post!
ReplyDeleteI find your opinion interesting, but I have to respectfully disagree. Quoting Wikipedia, "The belly of the whale represents the final separation from the hero's known world and self." In A New Hope, this would be the Cantina, where Luke is thrust into a new area that is very much different from what he's used to in Tatooine (even though the Cantina is on Tatooine). In the Cantina he meets the crew of the Millennium Falcon, and he prepares to venture further into space. At this point, he has already begun his "Hero's Journey," leaving his home to join Obi Wan Kenobi. You also said that you believe that the Cantina scene is too early to be the belly of the whale but, a) the belly stage is the first stage after Luke leaving home and b) the Death Star scene is almost directly succeeding the Cantina scene, so I'm not sure that being "too early" in the movie amounts to much. You do have a strong argument, but I still disagree with it.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I can understand where you derive your arguments, and they are often convincing, I have to disagree with your overall thesis. Campbell does not describe the belly of the whale as a principally material threat, nor a threat in any significant sense- entering the belly of the whale is not akin to entering an "evil castle," but rather, as he says, like " the passing of a worshiper into a temple." This is because the Belly of the Whale is more a first taste of a spiritual-over-material existence represented by the adventure. In such a way, the Cantina is the clear candidate, as it is a microcosm of the broader adventure Luke goes through in A New Hope. Moreover, the Cantina scene is directly followed by Luke's exodus from Tatooine, which symbolically displays his exit from the normal world.
ReplyDeleteMuch like several other comments, I also disagree with your main thesis. While the way you described you points were compelling and interesting, I do not think that Campbell describes the belly of the whale as a literal material threat or action. It is hard fully comprehend the deaths of millions of people, especially since Luke probably has never been to that planet. While I am not breaking any ground by saying the tractor beam scene was the belly of the whale, I think it fits Campbell's design the best.
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