The Matrix A Hero's Journey Analysis

A detailed Summary of The Matrix A Hero's Journey Analysis

The Matrix: A Hero's Journey Analysis

For Thomas A. Anderson, his ordinary world is ironically, a computer-simulated world, known as The Matrix. The real world is only a fake but the adventure world is real. By day, Thomas Anderson works as a computer programmer for a software company called Metacortex. By night, he is a computer hacker for hire known as Neo. In the simulated world, Thomas seems very bored and he doesn't care much about his job. He is always late for work and almost risks losing his job. The only thing that seems to be on his mind is his search for the truth. The answer of the question: "What is the matrix?" Ironically, when Thomas is in the unreal, simulated world, he uses mostly his real name, Thomas Anderson. Only as a hacker is he known as Neo. When he exits the matrix and enters the real world, he is known as Neo.

There are more than one calls to adventure in this film. There is a minor call and a major call. The minor call would be when Neo receives a message on his computer stating: "Matrix has you...follow the white rabbit". Later, when some customers Neo has worked for come to pick up hacked goods, he is invited to join them. At first, he is re

After Morpheus is saved and sent back to the real world, Trinity and Neo prepare to return to the real world. Unfortunately, before Neo could get connected, an agent shows up and confronts Neo. They fight at a subway station continually until it seems as if the our hero is really defeated. Neo is trapped on a subway track as an oncoming subway approaches. All of a sudden Neo fights back and jumps out of the track just as the subway passes, hitting the agent. The audience breathes a sigh of relief for an instant but is cut short when they we see the agent appear again, unharmed. Neo then runs for his life and ends up in a building, approaching a connection to return to the real world. At the same time Neo is fleeing the agents in the matrix, the crew in the real world is begin persued by sentinels. It is a race against time as Neo must get back to the ship before they can resist against the machines. As Neo approaches the connection, an agent is already there and he (Neo) is shot. Neo looks at his own blood as if in disbelief that he's actually dying. He is shot many times more and he dies, or so it appears. Morpheus stares in unbelief. Trinity then admits that she is in love with Neo and kisses him. All of a sudden, Neo awakes and is reborn! This is very effective because when the hero dies, the audience is temporarily depressed. When the hero dies, it is as if all his weaknesses and flaws die too. When he resurrects, he is reborn and flawless.

Slowly, Neo makes many allies. Most of them are from the crew of Morpheus' ship. Trinity, the woman that first led him to Morpheus. Although nothing is said, the audience can feel a subtle sense that she is in love with Neo and that Neo is also in love with her. The character of a lover makes the hero's journey more interesting and more meaningful. Many times Neo was about to back out or refuse and it was Trinity who reassured him. Another ally is Tank, the operator on board their ship. He trains with Neo a lot and he is very excited that Neo is there with them because if Neo is the one, earth will be saved. One other major ally is the oracle. She is a woman of prophecy. She tells Neo that he is not the one and that soon he will have to choose between his life and the life of Morpheus.

This stage of the hero's journey seems to be very short in this movie and is not emphasized. This happens after the Resurrection (stage 11), after the evil powers get their last shot. Neo must hurry back after he destroys the agent. He must get back to the real world before the crew activates their resistance against the sentinels. Neo returns just in time and the sentinels are destroyed. Here, the hero once again saves his allies and he is now back in the real world.

The major call to adventure happens to Neo when he is at work in the morning. He receives a phone call that warns him that "they" are coming for him. At this point in the movie, we, the audience is not sure who "they" are but we know they are the enemies. The person who calls Neo is Morpheus, who Neo later meets. Morpheus tells Neo what to do step by step. He tells Neo how to escape being caught. Neo escapes his cubicle just barely before the enemy gets there. He is directed into an office. The only way out of the building without being caught was to climb out the window in the office and climb to another window nearby.

Neo returns to the real world with the knowledge and strength. He returns with the power to heal and to save the rest of the human race. He also unites with Trinity and they kiss passionately. The matrix is starting to fail because it cannot stop Neo. Neo is going to show the humans what the machines have hidden from them-the real world.

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Approximate Word count = 2752
Approximate Pages = 11 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English