Friday, February 18, 2011

Ting's Journey

As the movie begins, the village males demonstrate their strength and dexterity by climbing the monstrous tree, with the goal being to grab flag at the very top. After a tremendous battle for the flag, Ting emerges as the winner  to an eruption of cheers from the village. It is later in the day when Don decides to steal Ong Bak's Head, much to the despair of the villagers. As the winner of the competition, the village elects Ting to be the person to get the head back. This is where the first stage of the hero's journey commences, as Ting is tasked with a responsibility that he is quite reluctant to accept. Although Ting is hesitant, he understands the severity of the situation and how much the village is depending on him to re-acquire the head.

Once Ting begins his journey to the city, Initiation begins. Ting has lived in a village in the country his whole life so he isn't used to the lifestyle in the city where most people are looking to make a living any way possible. This is where we see the inexperience that Ting possess's, as he has never been outside of his village. As he seeks out Hunlae, he thinks that he is finding a friend from who he can trust, due to Hunlae coming from the village that Ting lives in.  As he finds Hunlae, Ting sees how much the city has changed him, as Hunlae is stuck in a life where he must try to find the capital to pay off his gambling debts. When they first meet, Hunlae wants nothing to do with Ting, partly because he is ashamed of the situation he is in and that Ting reminds Hunlae of his village. As the movie progresses, Hunlae becomes more desperate for money, urging Ting to fight in the ring to gain money. Since Ting needs Hunlae to find Don, Ting creates a compromise. Ting fights to gain money while Hunlae finds Don.

As Ting is braving the new environment that his journey has taken him on, he sticks to his core morals and values as he only wants to accomplish the feat of finding the head. The city hasn't changed him into wanting money and lavish lifestyle, just the bare necessities. This is where we the road of trials, as Ting is learning about himself and growing as a person along the way. Ting has had many chances to show his strength and he has conquered every one of them, to show how he has grown along his journey.\

We have yet to see when Ting enters the innermost cave and when he will return from it to return and reintegrate into society.

1 comment:

  1. Make sure the application of archetypes is a dominant feature of your posting. Use summary to support your claims about particular archetypes.

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