Finding Nemo
A hero is not defined by their past, but instead, what and who they find within themselves in a dire moment of need. There is a hero in everyone. Most people just need the right time and the courage to bring out their inner hero. The writer and philosopher Joseph Campbell wrote about the stages each hero goes through in their journey in a book called, The Hero with a Thousand Faces. In Finding Nemo, there is tragedy before there is hope. There is also comedy, adventure and suspense to keep the viewer on their feet. Marlin, a clown fish father and the hero, embarks on a journey to find his son, Nemo. Marlin’s wife dies protecting Nemo and his siblings when they are still eggs and are being attacked by an eel who is trying to eat them. After the attack, Nemo is the only egg left. Nemo survives, but is injured, which leaves him with a gimp fin. This leaves the excited and adventurous Marlin a very scared and timid clownfish. When Nemo is captured by a scuba diver, Marlin must swim from the Great Barrier Reef to Sydney, Australia to save him. Marlin will find the hero within himself and act fast to save Nemo while also allowing him to learn and grow without sheltering him too much.
The hero’s ordinary world consists of Marlin and his son Nemo, confined to the safety and protection of the ocean by their sea anemone. Although this may seem uncommon, in real life, this is a very common relationship between clownfish and anemone. Without the anemone, clownfish usually become prey to bigger predator fish. While Marlin may not realize it at the time, because he thinks he is doing the right thing, he is actually making his son, Nemo, very cautious, scared, and afraid of the ocean. Our hero is not only a product of his past, but also a product of his species. Marlin is going to be left with a choice that will lead him outside his ordinary world to face