The School of Good and Evil, on the essential elements of a heroic narrative

Although the ratings are not good, the Netflix movie 'School of Good and Evil' is interesting in a different way to content students who studied storytelling. The reason is that the subject of this film (original novel of this film) is talking about the balance between good and evil, two objects of conflict that are the driving force behind the story. Old myths, legends, or history may be exaggerated or distorted differently from the facts depending on the intention of the writer, but they are also given the same symbolism. So, even if it's a bit of nonsense, there is room for acceptance. Therefore, the confrontation between good and evil, symbolically revealed in legends or fairy tales, is the main energy that guides the story, and the sense of balance is what draws interest in the story. In that sense, this 'School of Good and Evil' childishly reveals the stereotyped image of good and evil, while asking questions about the existence of good and evil that are not mythical. Why is Zen beautiful and noble, full of sophistication, grace in action, and adherence to procedures, forms, and traditions? Why does evil try to enjoy freedom by ruining its appearance, break pretense and form, and focus on the present moment as it pleases? leads to the question 

The intention to ridicule such typicality is revealed to create a riot by dropping completely opposite characters into these two schools, which are divided into good and evil, which are so typical that they have no choice but to be flat. In other words, a blonde white beauty fell into a dirty, grotesque, gloomy, evil space that talks about pain and death, while a black curly-haired girl who had been bullied by a witch fell into a beautiful, spacious, pleasant and fragrant space. I did not look into this movie with interest in the first place, so if I take a side road for a moment, I think it is necessary to recall the story of the stages of the hero's journey. Joseph Campbell summarized the journey of the hero in the myth, and then as a study for content composition, Christopher Vogler organized the journey of the hero in the myth into 12 stages through <Writing Myths, Heroes, and Scenarios> to create a story structure. has been proposed A story is created by twisting a little or adapting the characters around this basic gist, and the charm, spatiality, and conflict structure that the story gives attracts people who like the story. Later, this structure was turned into a genre and used like a formula, but now it is diversifying, such as twisting or proposing a meta-story where multiple heroes save their world. The hero's journey can be broadly divided into daily and non-routine, and can be further divided into three-act structure. The story is about a hero who has been upgraded from everyday life to an unusual space, and finally returns as a hero. That is, there are three stages of departure and separation - descent, entrance, passage - return. If we divide it into 12 components again,

• 1. The main character living a normal life (sometimes with some lack)
• 2. Receiving a vocation 
• 3. First of all, he refuses to call. 
• 4. Meet your mentor. 
• 5. Through the gate
• 6. Take the test and meet allies and enemies. 
• 7. Approach to the deepest part of the Donggung Palace
• 8. You will face great trials. 
• 9. Get rewarded
• 10. On the way home.
• 11. Resurrection
• 12. Return with the elixir. 

 

Plot Strucutre: Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey - Calling Card Books

 

 

If we assume that the story is made using the hero's journey as it is, we need a character who will become a hero, a mentor, a helper, and an adversary. If the main character is good, then of course the adversary becomes evil, and mentors and assistants who support him must appear. Returning to the 'School of Good and Evil', in this hero's journey, the adversaries and helpers, who are not the protagonists, have to become either sidekicks or victims. The prince, the son of King Arthur, becomes the center of goodness, and the children whose father or mother was a villain inherited from generation to generation and became a villain again, following bizarre appearances and behaviors, and becoming a scapegoat that spawned a fairy tale about being defeated in the midst of it. In addition, the children who fail among them must be completely around them through the unpredictable years in the form they do not want to become helpers. But what about us in real life? Although there is no special event, no great abilities are obtained, and it is not easy to go on an adventure, so there is little chance of becoming a hero. Therefore, there is no definite good, and therefore no evil. It is only necessary that the values ​​such as laws, rules, and morals are agreed upon, and within that range, they do not have to be a stimulus to each other. Depending on the situation, anyone can become a good person, a bad person, or a stranger in the face of conflict. However, there is a school where someone definitively teaches that good should be like this and evil should be like this, so it is an anachronistic space. In the end, the school of good and evil is inevitably turned upside down as the guys who contradict the image of good and evil create a riot in their respective spaces. Criticism of the space of lines that appears at the beginning of the film is impressive. Although Sun did not attack first, it was evil that in the end suffered bodily injury or damage, and scenes of bullying and accusations were also exposed in the space of good. Women learn how to smile and dress up beautifully, while men ride horses and learn swordsmanship and are limited to giving flowers to women they like. But in the evil society, such a figure was not seen. In the old days, if sticking to the old traditions is good, I wonder if the current chaos, individuality, or individualism is the evil.Since most people say that the themes of the movie are friendship rather than love, and that good and evil cannot be defined, I wanted to add what the boundaries and roles of good and evil are not only meaningful to the story, but to us here and now. Right now, good and evil cannot be clearly defined. No one is right and no one can be him. We live in an era in which we need the patience and effort to recognize the possibility and make wise decisions according to the circumstances and time, and create an atmosphere that allows us to accept the results. If everyone raises their voices and evil reigns as if they are good, or if no one cries out instead of being good, we may no longer be left with our dignity as human beings and live in the future. 

 

Finally, Hyo-Jin Jang.

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