Lenny partaking in The Hero's Journey in Memento

Part 9 (contd.): Reward, Seizing the Sword

Part 5: Crossing the Threshold

Part 9: Reward, Seizing the Sword

Part 8: Ordeal, Death, and Rebirth

Just before death, Jimmy utters, "Sammy." Jimmy knew about Sammy Jankis, which means Lenny must have talked to him before. Lenny now knows that the man he just killed cannot be the second attacker.

Lenny finds Jimmy (right) and corners him in an abandoned warehouse. Lenny strikes the final blow that will end Jimmy.

Lenny and Teddy begin their search for the second attacker. This creates an entirely new persona for Lenny, helping him shed the shame he feels for killing his wife. The duo move into uncharted territory.

Lenny confronts Teddy about Jimmy's authenticity as the second attacker. Teddy confesses that Jimmy is not the second attacker, and Teddy set up Jimmy's death for money. Teddy shows Lenny a picture of Lenny (top right). Teddy says he took the picture after the two killed the real second attacker. Teddy wants Lenny to kill "second attackers" for Teddy's profit, as he has already done. Lenny will forget them and the two will start another hunt. Teddy is unafraid of Lenny's reaction to this revelation because he believes Lenny will forget. Before Lenny forgets, he sets himself up to believe Teddy is the second attacker by writing "Don't believe his lies" on the back of Teddy's photo. Also, he writes down Teddy's license number so he can tattoo himself. Lenny's reward is the knowledge that Teddy tells him. Lenny seizing the sword is finally deciding to cleanse himself of his haunting past and begin a new life.

Part 7: The Approach

(Film has started)

Part 6: Tests, Allies, Enemies

Lenny and Teddy close in on "the second attacker". This man's name is Jimmy. Although Lenny previously knew that the attacker's first name was John, and even tattooed it on himself, Lenny is fed the lie that his name could also be Jimmy. (Right, some of Lenny's tattoos.)

Part 4: Meeting the Mentor

Lenny and Teddy (left) successfully find and kill the second attacker. Teddy is pleased that the duo have achieved their goal, but soon enough, Lenny cannot remember their victory. To satisfy Lenny, Teddy and Lenny go on another search to find the second attacker that both Teddy and Lenny know is not there. The question of this step in Lenny's heroic journey is whether Teddy is Lenny's ally or enemy. Is he his ally because of his devotion to Lenny's desire for revenge? Or is he using Lenny as a pawn for his own purposes?

Part 11: The Resurrection

Part 10: The Road Back

Lenny then meets Teddy (bottom right), a detective assigned to the case of Lenny's wife. Teddy agrees to go along with Lenny and seek out the second attacker of Lenny's wife. Teddy acts as Lenny's mentor by guiding him on his quest to avenge his wife.

Lenny hires an escort to reenact the night his wife was raped. Afterwards, he takes all the totems that represented her and burns them. He watches the fire burn until he falls asleep. When he wakes, he is resurrected. He has successfully grieved and can move on from the death of his wife.

Bibliography

Memento. Dir. Christopher Nolan. 2001.

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While plotting to kill Teddy, Lenny meets Natalie (left). Lenny spends time with her and even develops a relationship with her. This is a huge step for Lenny's recovery. This is the first time he has spent time with a woman since his wife's death. Lenny is really beginning to change his life for himself, not for others.

The Occurrence of

the

Hero's Journey

in Memento

The Hero's Journey

The Hero's Journey is a common order of events in movies, books, etc. The "hero", often the main protagonist, follows an ordered path. This cycle has been used from ancient Greek times all the way to modern times. One example of the use of this cycle is in the 2000 psychological thriller, Memento.

Part 12: Return with the Elixir

Synopsis of Memento

A short summary of Memento is that Lenny (below) is on a search to avenge the death of his wife. He suffers from anterograde amnesia; he cannot create new memories. To give this feeling to the viewer, the entire movie is played backwards. Although the movie is played in the reverse ocurrence of the events, the Hero Cycle I have created will occur in chronological order. Also, my Hero Cycle includes some events that occurred before the start of the film.

Now that he has freed himself from his guilt, there is only one thing left to do, destroy the person who tried to control him. Lenny kills Teddy, which allows him to complete the hero cycle, and successfully begin a new life. Lenny's elixir is his ability to live normally once again.

Part 1: The Ordinary World

(Pre-Film)

Lenny's hero cycle begins in the ordinary world.

The movie suggests Lenny was an insurance agent, but this is questionable. Lenny lives with his wife. Although Lenny is an average everyday person, his life will soon change forever.

Part 2: The Call to Adventure

Part 2: The Call to Adventure (Explained)

Lenny's call to adventure begins when his wife is killed. Late at night, Lenny's house is broken into by attackers. The attackers took Lenny's wife into the bathroom, and raped her. Lenny woke up and killed one of the men, but the other struck Lenny in the head and this caused his rare form of amnesia (below, Lenny with his wife).

Lenny as an insurance agent.

Unbeknownst to the viewer, Lenny is actually his wife's (right) killer. Lenny's wife does not believe that he has anterograde amnesia, so she decides to test him. Lenny's wife is diabetic, so she needs the occasional insulin injection. Lenny's wife receives the injection from Lenny, waits for him to forget that he gave it to her, and then she asks for it again. If Lenny is faking his amnesia, she believes he will stop injecting her with the insulin, as an insulin overdose will lead to her death. Although Lenny does not hesitate to inject her, Lenny's wife is adamant that his love for her will overpower his amnesia. She keeps telling him to give her the insulin, which leads to her death.

Part 3: The Refusal of the Call

Unable to cope with the guilt of killing his wife, Lenny creates a fake scenario where the attackers killed his wife. Also, he transfers the insulin episode to fictitious characters. The main character in this fantasy is a client of his, Sammy Jankis (top right and bottom, Sammy preparing to give his wife an insulin shot). The picture on the right shows the parallels between Lenny and Sammy, and that they are in fact, the same person. By constantly telling others the tale of Sammy Jankis, Lenny reinforces the fantasy until it becomes real in his mind.