Post #3
Legally Blonde: Heroine's Journey
Legally Blonde follows Victoria Lynn Schmitt's heroine's journey basically down to a T. Victoria Lynn Schmitt's narrative helps us understand the ending of Legally Blonde. The ending scene where Elle defends Brooke represents the stage of Rebirth/Moment of Truth and the Return to the New World. These stages are supported by characters such as Emmitt, Vivian, Brooke and Elle's West Coast friends along with Elle's own attire.
Victoria Lynn Schmitt's definition on Wikipedia of the Rebirth/Moment of Truth stage states that "due to the support she has gotten, the heroine finds courage and hope again." Before this stage, Elle is about to go back to the West Coast but because of the help from her West Coast friends, she "finds the courage and hope again" to stay even though Callahan hit on her. Without the help of Emmitt as a supervisor and Brooke willingly giving up Callahan as a lawyer and accepting Elle as her lawyer, Elle would not be able to even have a place in the West Coast.
Schmitt's definition of the Rebirth/Moment of Truth also notes that "she 'awakens' and sees the world differently." This part of Rebirth is shown through the dress that Elle wears. Previously, when she is at Harvard, she wears clothes that look nothing like what she used to wear, but during the entrance of the court scene, she wears what she chooses and doesn't let anyone influence her decision and dress. By embracing her true self, she is able to use her knowledge of her true self and win the case.
The Return to the New World is also present in the movie. According to Schmitt, the heroine "will change the way she lives her life from then on. This change is more spiritual and internally driven than external." After the court case, she changes her life by ultimately cutting off Warner from her life and understanding that she is competent. These changes are spiritual and in the end pays off because the last scene we see shows that Elle is a successful Harvard graduate. In the end, the story comes full circle with the same song
I read a couple other blogs about how the Heroine’s Journey is represented in Legally Blonde, but yours was the first I read that focused on this step in particular, so it was interesting to see the movie from another angle. Your paragraph about what Elle chooses to wear for the court scene was something I hadn’t thought about when I was watching the movie, but Elle’s fashion is a big part of her character, so I’d agree that the pink dress is an important symbol in the movie. Great post!
ReplyDeleteI also wrote about Legally blond as a Heroine's journey, and I really like the way that you picked a few specific stages that were very well represented in the story and fleshed them out. This allowed you to find some important details like her clothing in the court scene which plays an important role in demonstrating her development as a character.
ReplyDeleteI think Legally Blonde is probably the best example of a heroine's journey that we looked at, since it follows it so closely. It's a lot easier to see than in something like Quicksand where it seems like it's repeating steps sometimes. It also makes the heroine's journey a bit easier to understand seeing it in practice, especially with something that follows it really well.
ReplyDeleteYour idea that Legally Blonde and its connection to the heroine's journey is really strong. It's clear that you have a thorough understanding of Schmitt's narrative and how it applies to the film. Your observation about the rebirth/moment of truth and returning to the New World stages being depicted through the characters and Elle's attire is particularly interesting and adds depth to our understanding of the film. It's also great to see how Elle's internal changes at the end of the film lead to her external success as a Harvard graduate. Overall, this is a insightful analysis of Legally Blonde and its connection to the heroine's journey. Great work!
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting that even in the Return to the New World, Elle not only has experienced an internal development, but she also stays true to herself. I think Legally Blonde is a great example of how the heroine's journey helps the audience understand the journey of the character on a more complex level. I also agree that the Schmidt's heroine's journey is a better match than Murdock's.
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