Portrayal of Character Development Through “The Hero’s Journey” in the Ben Stiller’s The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013 film)
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This article aims to analyze the adventures of the protagonist in the movie "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" (2013), which adapted from James Thurber's 1939 short story. The study uses the concept of "The Hero’s Journey," as mentioned by Vogler (2007) to analyze the film's scriptwriting. The results demonstrate that the protagonist's journey portrays all stages of the Hero's Journey, starting from the "Call to Adventure" to the final stage, "Return with the Elixir." Consequently, the journey in the story impacts the protagonist's physical and mental characteristics. In conclusion, "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" (2013) shows the movie script of transforming a timid daydreamer into a courageous man. This study may confirm that the movie's scriptwriters followed Vogler’s narrative framework.
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