In accordance with Campbell’s hero journey the next stage is the crossing of the first threshold. This will usually be the entrance to a zone of magnified power and be protected by a guardian. The regions of this unknown territory are free fields for the projection of the unconscious content (think of Yoda testing Luke in Star Wars when he faces Darth Vader only to find it is himself). These are also the same unknown grounds likely to be populated by mysterious beings that feed on the emotion and frailties of humans. The dude’s threshold is delivery of the ransom money given to him by Mr Lebowski to give to the kidnappers. The situation turns comical when they attempt to trick the kidnappers and their plan backfires when they are told to throw the money off the bridge. Instead of the money they throw off a ringer and the kidnappers ride off on their motorbikes. Campbell speaks of prince five weapons who is trapped by an ogre called sticky-hair. Once prince five weapons has tried to escape with all of his various weapons the ogre realises that the prince is still without any fear. Therefore the ogre thinks he must have a last powerful weapon in store and lets him go. In fact Prince five weapons had tricked the ogre and the weapon he used was the invisible sixth power of knowledge (it is noted that Prince five weapons was in fact an early incarnation of the future Buddha). The next stage in our journey of the hero brings us to the belly of the whale. The hero “instead of conquering or conciliating the power of the threshold, is swallowed into the unknown, and would appear to have died” (Campbell, 1993, p.90). There are many examples of this stage of our journey in both ancient and modern story it has become a very popular motif. The whole Greek Pantheon, with the exception of Zeus, was swallowed by its father, Kronos. More recently in the modern adaptation (Peter Jackson) of Lord Of The Rings we see Gandalf appearing to meet his end with the Fire Beast, but he actually survives and comes back stronger and more powerful. Once in the belly of the whale the hero is said to have died in time and returned to the world womb, the world navel. The dude, having failed to deliver the money is left considering his options and seems miserable when he thinks he may be responsible for Mr Lebowski’s wife’s death. The dude returns to his world navel- the bowling alley and it seems that his adventure may be over.
Initiation is the next phase of our hero’s journey usually taking the form of a succession of trials. However the hero is usually aided by the supernatural guide he met earlier, and it may be at this stage he realises there is a power beyond that of his own, helping him through his journey. The Shaman of the Siberians is put through a similar regime of testing in order to cure those in his tribe. It is a journey through the unconscious where the Shaman encounters mysterious terrain and many draining tests until he comes to the cause of the illness and an appropriate sacrifice. In The Big Lebowski The Dude and his guardian Walter are faced with his car being stolen (containing the real ransom money), having his rug taken, being punched and the wrath of Mr Lebowski who shows the dude his wife’s toe that was sent to him by the kidnappers. Also later on he faces Jackie Treehorn (the man Bunny owes money to), the Malibu cop and the nihilist kidnappers who want to cut off his penis for not delivering the money. Subsequent to the initiation and the road of many trials the hero may also experience an encounter with a goddess, which is seen as the ultimate test because “woman in the picture language of mythology, represents the totality of what can be known” (Campbell, 1993, p.99). The hero is the one who comes to know”. The mystical marriage to the goddess is symbolic of the hero’s mastery of life and that he and the father are one. A woman may also figure as a temptress in the hero’s journey- a test of the individual’s vanity. We encounter Maude Lebowski who fits this mould quite well as she seems to know exactly what is going on, and she reaffirms the dude’s doubts about his theory that Bunny (Mr Lebowski’s wife) kidnapped herself. Later on after the dude returns home Maude sleeps with the Dude so that she can have his child. Now we come to the penetration of the source of power, the grace of a male or female, or the acquisition of a powerful artefact that is the peak task of the hero’s journey. This is the one task that will prove his worth and set him above the mere mortal beings. The Dude goes to confront Mr Lebowski after finding out the truth about him from his daughter Maude and finds that Bunny has returned. He and Walter argue with Mr Lebowski about the truth of the whole kidnapping fiasco and finds out he was right all along. Uncertainties have been overcome by the hero in his quest and he is then able to return with his “life-transmuting trophy”. There may be a refusal to return or by the wish of the gods the hero may be forced to stay, in which case he may face another task in convincing the gods that he should be allowed to return to the world “Society is jealous of those who remain away from it, and will come knocking at the door” (Campbell, 1993, p.193). However this is not the case in the Big Lebowski. Then to complete his adventure the hero must have the resilience to survive the impact. The two worlds are seemingly apart light and dark, life and death however the key to understanding myth according to Campbell is that the two kingdoms are actually one. The realm of the gods is simply a forgotten dimension of the world we know. The hero overcomes the strangeness of this alternate plane and is at harmony with the supernatural world, which was seemingly threatening. Our hero must now empathize with the modern world and its inhabitants who may query him, resent him or be at their wits end in attempting to comprehend him. He must learn to master both worlds if he is to cross between them unnoticed, and must know one by virtue of the other (a strong theme in the film The Matrix). The dude has no problem returning to his natural world in the bowling alley with Donnie and Walter and is consoled by the narrator, however his return is scared by the death of Donnie when the Nihilist kidnappers turn up and try to take their money. In a strange twist Donnie dies from a heart attack whilst Walter again protects the dude by defeating them all. The keys of a journey are secondary diversions from the basic story are important to note as they help us to understand the nature of the myth and build a certain ambiance. In many mythologies the key images will hide in amongst the secondary anecdotes and rationalisation of the myth. There are many keys amongst the scenery of the main journey faced by The Dude in the big Lebowski, the obvious relate to the bowling alley and the nature of anything else that happens outside this. The Dude’s friend Donnie and his landlord are amongst the characters that contribute to some of the secondary themes woven in the film.
Even in a film of a comedic nature such as this you can easily see how the hero journey formula has been put to great effectiveness. “The more laughter we can share, the greater the elixir” (Voytilla, 1999, p.117) says Voytilla of the comedy. If we can see parts of ourselves in The Dude and sympathise with his experience then we ourselves are conditioned on a personal level. This is an obvious example of how myth has been used in a modern film not only to entertain but also to form a rapport between the audience and the hero character- The Dude. When a civilisation discards myth as a secondary discourse then the symbols of the myth loose potency. They are rationalised and fitted into a contemporary society. Campbell cites that “whenever the poetry of myth is interpreted as biography, history, or science, it is killed”. When all this has been accomplished and accounted for the hero is complete and he returns from his quest to be immortalised in greatness within the microcosm that is the mythical story and society. The dude is paid tribute by the words of the narrator cowboy who says to him “Take it easy, Dude- I know that you will…It's good knowin' he's out there, the Dude, takin' her easy for all us sinners” (The Big Lebowski, 1998). The hero filled with contentment is at ease with himself and the world is at ease with him. “Here the whole sense of life is epitomised. Needless to say, the hero would be no hero if death held for him any terror; the first condition is reconciliation with the grave… he sleeps only and will arrive in the hour of destiny, or he is among us in another form”.
My Related Myth: The Quest For The Golden Fleece
Pelias cousin of Phixus had killed his father to gain control of the kingdom of Rome was informed by an oracle that he would be killed by a kinsmen one day who would be wearing only one sandal. The Kings young son Jason was air to the throne and also wore only one sandal. Jason told Pelias that he came to recover the kingdom that was rightfully his, Pelias agreed but set Jason the task of recovering his dead cousin Phixus’ fleece. This is similar to the beginning of The Dude’s Journey when he is sent off on this wild goose chase by Mr Lebowski to save Bunny. However we later fond that he actually wants rid of her. Jason agrees with Pelias and organized Hercules, Orpheus, Castor, Pollux, Achilles' father, Peleus and many more to travel with him. This group of men were subsequently known as the Argonauts. Jason and his crew (the Argonauts) named after their ship (the Argo) travelled to retrieve the fleece and met many challenges on the way. This is much like The Big Lebowski in the respect that The Dude and his friends are trying to find out the mystery behind Bunny’s kidnapping. Jason and The Argonauts are helped on their way by an old man and Medea the daughter of King Æetes. I liken these to the cowboy narrator in the film and Maude; Mr Lebowski’s daughter whole helps The Dude. So the myth goes, after King Aeetes has put Jason few many strenuous trials, Medea joins the Argonauts and they manage to get away with the fleece, similarly The Dude solves the puzzle of The Big Lebowski. Jason and Medea also conceive children, which also occurs in the path of The Dude’s journey. Both the Dude and Jason’s stories clearly run an almost parallel line in most respects. Whether this is intentional or not it does show the use of classical storytelling in a modern context in this film.
(source: Sofia Souli, 1995, pp. 62-123)
Symbolism
There are many reoccurring symbolic references in The Big Lebowski that clearly have a covert message to put across to the viewer. Below is a list of some of the main symbolic themes in the film and a description of how they further back up the Campbell analysis. Through the use of Barbara G. Walker’s The Encyclopaedia Of Myths And Secrets, Internet research and my own understanding of symbolism and semiotics I have attempted to deconstruct some of the stronger symbols in the Big Lebowski.
Sea:
In the introduction scene we see the sea as the narrator is talking about Los Angeles. The sea is symbolised as the known quantities of life and a journey across it is representative of a journey in ones life (as it is symbolic in many a Greek myth e.g. Odysseus). In the case of The Dude this signals the journey that is about to begin in his life that is so radically different from the lazy days he usually spends at home and at the bowling alley.
Los Angeles (how it got its name):
In about 1212, St. Francis of Assisi was given a small, ruined chapel by the Benedictines for his repair and eventual use near Assisi, where he later died. It was on a very small piece of property, a small portion—a ‘porziuncola’ in Italian. Later on, this place of worship became a centre of pilgrimage, devotion and repentance. A fresco was painted on the wall behind the altar depicting the Blessed Virgin Mary surrounded by angels. Thus the chapel took the name: ‘Saint Mary of the Angels at the Little Portion’. Los Angeles received its name based on this ancient site. From a many-worded name in Spanish, through the shortened ‘Los Angeles’ in English, the name was further limited to just the letters ‘LA’ in Southern Californian, which is what so many of us know it by now.
(Source: www.usc.edu/isd/archives/la/ historic/la_settlement.html)
Angels: Angels are a manifestation of a belief that there are spiritual beings in the world greater than man. They are the messengers of god and the link between the spiritual world and earth. In The Big Lebowski the city is the site of The Dude’s journey in the physical respect and it creates the scenery for his various trials and tribulations. I don’t believe that the city is such an integral messenger in the movie but some of the characters (even strangers) that The Dude meets do have many angel like characteristics, thus justifying the name “City Of Angles” which is pointed out by the cowboy narrator at the beginning.
Milk:
The first time we meet the dude we see him buying some milk (albeit with a cheque) which has powerful implications about his character in the movie.” Milk is a powerful symbol within most cultural traditions. It is the fluid of eternal life, fertility, abundance; it is the food of the gods” (Protas, A et AL, 1997). It is the first human diet, which symbolizes the mother, making it deeply connected with life itself.
Urine:
In a scene very near the beginning of the Big Lebowski where his adventure begins we see a “chinaman” urinate on The Dude’s rug. This is the catalyst for his whole journey and a big part of what I referred to earlier as “the call to adventure”. According to the women’s encyclopaedia of secrets and myths urine comes from Uranus (father heaven). According to Greek mythologies specifically, urine represented the god’s fertilizing the land. In the film the urination of the rug could represent a similar meaning by Jackie Treehorns henchmen to get the money they wanted.
The Large Golden Key To Pasedena:
According to the dictionary of symbolism “The key is the mechanism of the powers of opening and closing, and denotes liberation, knowledge, mystery, and initiation” (Walker, Barbara, 1996, p167). A golden key is said to refer to spiritual power. In Christianity, it is the emblem of St Peter who is the guardian to the gate of heaven, and the key may either confine or release. It also has been overtly referred to as having a discretionary significance. In The Big Lebowski not only is it a sign of Mr Lebowski’s power but also clearly relates to the fact Mr Lebowski believes he does hold the key and he can use The Dude. We also find out later on that Mr Lebowski is hiding quite a lot from The Dude and that he has may secrets locked away.
Mirror:
Next we see another important and obvious use of symbolism when The Dude looks in the Time Magazine mirror. In general terms it is a reflection of the soul and the absolute truth, The Dude sees himself on the front of Time magazine- a prestigious accolade. By the end of the film there is no doubt that the dude is deserving of such an award. It almost sets out and prophesises the heroine outcome of the story before we even know much about him.
Stars:
Something we often cut to in The Big Lebowski is a view of the outside of the bowling alley, covered in coloured stars. The bowling alley is where the dude feels most at home, comfortable and safe. It is almost as if the alley is a representation of his mother earth. Stars represent “the eyes of the night” (Walker, Barbara, 1997, p.235) and divinity, which would further prove that this is a place of importance for our hero. Stars are also said to represent constancy, which is definitely at large in the bowling alley. Many times through out the film we here The Dude or Walter say, “Fuck it, lets go bowling” (The Big Lebowski, 1998).
Green:
This is the most predominant colour we see in The Big Lebowski and according to the dictionary of symbolism “It is usually a feminine colour”. From the colour of bunny’s bikini shoes nail varnish and hair tie when we first see her to the paint that Maude Lebowski sprays on what she describes as her “vaginal” art. The colour green can have two strong meanings:
Firstly, as in the case with Bunny, it can represent envy, evil and trickery. Bunny attempts to deceive her husband and gain some money by kidnapping herself (not knowing that Mr Lebowski is quite happy to get rid of her).
Secondly, in respect to Maude Lebowski it represents growth, renewal, life and mother earth. When Maude describes her art as vaginal we immediately make this connection with mother earth and her importance in The Dude’s Journey. She also represents the growth and renewal when she sleeps with The Dude in order to conceive and signal a new generation (pointed out by the narrator at the end of the movie). Aphrodite, the Greek love goddess was synonymous with the colour green and was born in the green sea.
Fire:
When we see some of the opposing characters that test The Dude in his journey, especially Mr Lebowski, Jackie Treehorn and the nihilist’s then we often see some form of fire. Both Mr Lebowski and Jackie Treehorn are sitting in a room with a large open fire when they are talking to The Dude. Near the end of the film we see the kidnappers confront The Dude and have set his car on fire. It is a strong symbol of hell and therefore the devil. The devil is evil and the opposition of all that is good, which is exactly what all of these characters represent in the film. Again it is a link between mortals and gods in this case a negative one.
Lastly there is a strong connection with bowling especially in regards to the ball, which we see many times in The Big Lebowski used in a variety of ways. Not only do we often cut to a scene where there is a strike being made by the bowling ball (often by the character Donnie) but it is also used as a weapon and is very symbolic in some of the scenes of The Dudes unconscious (concentrated on further in this symbolic analysis). “The spherical aspect of a ball can represent the celestial body, perfection and eternity…and can also be seen as an attribute of victory and fate” (Protas, A et Al, 1997). In The Dudes unconscious (when he is knocked out) we have a view from inside the finger hole of the bowling ball as if the dude is inside it and part of the ball. It is strongly representative of the dude’s fate and his eventual spiritual victory. According to Roman History the knights wore balls of gold as a charm to bring them luck. We see Donnie aim at the pins (as we do so many times) and get all but one down, which is unusual because he often gets a strike. This is a signifier of his own plight and eventual death, which we witness in the confrontation with the kidnappers.
Unconscious & Dreams
The first time we delve into The Dude’s unconscious is when Maude’s henchmen come to get the rug off the dude and they knock him unconscious. In this scene we see some of the symbolism mentioned above. The most significant of this dream is The Dude being dragged down by the ball when he is flying over the city. To me this represents the dude’s fate, which takes him to unknown territory (the inside of the ball). He is quite content flying over the city i.e. letting everything pass him by, but he is taken on a journey where his perspective of life is changed and he achieves a spiritual victory.
The second of The Dude’s unconscious journeys is when he is at Jackie Treehorns and his White Russian is spiked. He imagines a bowling pornography flick, similar to the one starring Bunny La Joya (Bunny Lebowski) and Karl Hungus (one of the nihilist kidnappers) that we see earlier on in the film. It begins with the phallic symbol of two bowling balls and a pin in between them. Then we see Saddam Hussein as the shoe attendant with a cabinet of shoes miles and miles high. The symbolic meaning of a shoe is of power and authority. We then see Maude dressed as a Viking in gold with many dancing women around her. The Vikings are obviously associated with their strength and aggression. However they were also great entrepreneurs and strong individuals, which I think is the significance in this scene. Maude is seen as a strong independent feminist woman, which the dude admires. He obviously finds her femininity very attractive and in this dream sequence she is represented like a goddess. The dude bowls through the dancers and turns around so he can see up their skirts, another example of the sexual tension we experience between The Dude and Maude, the dancers are all part of Maude’s sexuality. Then The Dude hits the pins and is being chased by the nihilists dressed in red, giving them a devil-like appearance and they chase him with a pair of scissors threatening his masculinity as they promised to “cut off his Johnson” (The Big Lebowski, 1998).
Mise-en-scene (the scenery and properties of a play), sound & music, colour & lighting
The film is set in Los Angeles and the Coen’s admit themselves that “The Big Lebowski is specifically about L.A. in the way ‘Fargo’ was about the West” (DVD Inlay Booklet). They go on to say that the movie takes place in the L.A. they were familiar with and the characters were based on people they had met. The scenery varies a lot in the film as we see The Dude journey from place to place on his investigative journey. “They (The Coens) demonstrate the various layers of Los Angeles life the dude must travel across as he unravels the mystery of The Big Lebowski” (DVD inlay booklet). What we do often see in relation to the lighting in the film are clues to what effect the environment has on the mood of the scene. Often in certain scenes, such as when Walter and The Dude are driving to hand over the ransom, there is very little light and most of the scenery is grey. The darkness of these scenes and others is contrasted with constantly brightly lit bowling alley, which is almost a heaven like beacon for The Dude. Another contrast is between The Dudes very dull and minimal home and Mr Lebowski’s home, which is very grand and full of great war statues and gives the impression of greatness. This is pointed out at the beginning by Jackie Treehorns henchmen who say that The Dude is not a Millionaire and all he has is his bowling (which is enough for the dude). The music used in the film works in combination with the L.A. scenery, we often hear tumbling tumbleweeds after the first introduction scene when the tumbleweed travels across L.A. and brings us to The Dude. Other music that is used is in direct and obvious relation to The Dude and his characterisation as an easygoing hippy caught in the 70’s, building the audiences rapport with him. We hear music such as “Man in Me” by Bob Dylan- of The Dude’s era and an advocate of cannabis smoking that the dude enjoys, Elvis Costello and Kenny Rodgers also feature. The music in the film is very important in determining the mood of the particular scene. The dude even gets thrown out of a cab for stating his displeasure at the Eagles music playing in the car. The Coen’s use music very cleverly in this respect as they not only use pieces throughout to add to the dynamic of the scenes (such as the dramatic classical piece we hear when The Dude goes to see Mr Lebowski about the kidnapping of his wife) but also the music our central character listens to.
I have discussed the use of colour in the section on symbolism with the most significant being the colour green which we see so often throughout the film. The setting of the film is not only important geographically but also the year in which the movie is set is also important. The film is given a contemporary nuance by setting it after the Persian Gulf War conflict in 1991 which directly effects the dude and his friends, with frequent references, especially from Walter. Setting the period was achieved by “some of the clunky technology the characters are involved with, the cellular phones, the cars” (DVD Inlay Booklet) say the Coens. Although there is no immediate repercussions involved with the conflict it is at the back of the mind of all the main characters, as you would expect. With the dude it appears in his subconscious along with many other features in the film, such as the black and white chequered floor in Mr Lebowski’s mansion that reappears when The Dude is drugged.
Directors Approach, cinematography & Screenplay
There is no doubting the genius of the Coen brothers in creating excellent black comedic movies that embrace their settings. It is clear that this movie stands out overall as a comedy although the comparison The Coen Brothers makes is with Raymond Chandler stories. “We see The Big Lebowski as our version of a 90’s Raymond Chandler story with a mystery ‘private eye plot’” (DVD Inlay Booklet) says Ethan Coen. Raymond Chandler was a great detective writer of 1940’s who made several film noir’s including “The Big Sleep” and “Murder, My Sweet”. The plot runs very similar to these old detective movies in respect to the social classes of the characters he meets and the places The Dude finds himself in.
Summary
I believe that The Big Lebowski is an excellent film that has a very strong links to traditional values of storytelling. It is fascinating that it has close links in structure to so many texts that have existed for decades such as The Quest For The Golden Fleece. Exploring the film using Joseph Campbell’s Hero Journey shows this and has opened parts of the film to me that I never consciously thought about in so much detail. The use of symbolism in the film is also to an interesting effect, and one that backs up a lot of what the film is about. Deconstructing what I originally thought about the film has enabled me to look further into the intentional (or not) devices used to give the overall message to the film’s audience. For anyone that has enjoyed this film as much I have the fifty or so times I have watched it now, I hope can appreciate the mythical undertones that are operating in these modern classics.
Word count: 5696 (sorry it’s a bit long I cut it down as best I could)
Bibliography
- Grant, Michael (1995) Myths Of The Greeks & Romans, Middlesex: Meridian.
- May, Rollo (1999) The Cry For Myth, WW Norton & Co: London,
- Joseph Campbell (1993) The Hero With A Thousand Faces, Fontana: London.
- Souli, Sofia (1995) Greek Mythology, Toubi’s: Llioupoli.
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Protas, Allison Augmented and refined by Brown, Geoff and Smith, Jamie (1997) and Jaffe, Eric (2001), Dictionary Of Symbolism, Internet Address:
- Walker, Barbara (1996) The Women's Encyclopaedia of Myths and Secrets, Castle Books: New Jersey.
- Voytilla, Stuart (1999) Myth and the movies : discovering the mythic structure of 50 unforgettable films, Michael Wiese Productions: Studio City.
- DVD Inlay Booklet, The Big Lebowski (1998), Polygram Filmed Entertainmet.
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USC Archives, Los Angeles: Past, Present And Future, Internet Address: www.usc.edu/isd/archives/la/ historic/la_settlement.html
