Maybe my favorite film of all time, Lawrence of Arabia follows a soldier of the british army during the first world war. I guess the events were based on an actual person and story but im sure the version i've seen is a little grander. The film stars Peter o'toole and Alec Guiness (well before Star Wars) and won a number of awards in 1967, i think.
The protagonist is stationed in the middle east as a code cracker or some such when the story starts. He is terribly bored by all the paper pushing and office work and longs to get out into the desert to see some action. It is made clear from the start that Lawrence is an above average intelligence and ability. He finally wins a commission to go out and treat with the Bedouin nomads and garner support for the British cause. He is suppose to follow orders from his superior who leads him but it becomes apparent fairly quickly that he has more ability than his Commanding Officers. There is a clear threshold crossing when they move into the desert and encounter the Bedouin who are as alien to the British at that time as Martians would be today. He quickly garners the support of the Bedouin with his knowledge of their culture and the Koran which is their guiding light. They are also a warrior people and his bravery impresses them.
His first real trial is to lead the group of Bedouin through the worst part of the Sahara desert to a raid on the port city of Aqaba (spelling). They lose one man to the heat and Lawrence is forced to execute a man for theft. His actions harden him and increase the support of the Bedouin. They finally reach Aqaba and their raid is a success.
He reports back to the normal world of the British to great acclaim but finds he only feels at home in the desert. He spends the next year or so going back and forth as Master of the Two Worlds freely moving from the zone of adventure, back to safety. Unfortunately his successes lead to him mistaking his own identity. He forgets about being British and feels he actually IS a Bedouin. This error is made plain to him when he is captured and tortured because he stood out as a white man in an "Arab" city.
This is where he forsakes his adventures completely, and like Owain wandering in the wilderness, returns to the British encampment and tries to put everything behind him. The final part of his story in "Arabia" occurs when the British army enlists his aid for one final battle. They need Lawrence to go to the Bedouin and garner support for a fight. This he does with great success also, but his motives have changed ($$$) and he appears more as a Tyrant than a Hero. Ultimately he tries to force the British to recognise the Arabs as a nation and people but fails due to the inability of the Arabs to come together and set aside their differences.
He returns to Britain and dies in a motorcycle crash soon thereafter. It seems he never reintegrated into his home culture after his experiences in Arabia.
This story points out how the hero will often experience a change in consciousness which prevents him from ever returning fully to his place of origin. Much like the weary Hobbits at the end of Return of the King who must face a Shire which seems to be full of petty and selfish people, Lawrence identifies himself more with the Bedouin than the British. This leads to all sorts of problems as he cannot carry out his duties as a soldier and be faithful to the Bedouin also. The transitions between the zones of adventure are made very plain in the film as you can actually see the differences in landscape and culture. His meeting with the goddess might be represented by his temptation to take money, which at first he refuses. He eventually ascends to the fathers role as a leader of the Bedouin armies and respected member of their community. It is unfortunate however that whenever he returns to the British they mistake his motives for action as they cannot understand the Bedouin or the world into which Lawrence has been inittiated. Like the Christ in his own time his message is largely rejected and misunderstood and he suffers at the hands of his own people because of it. This is also a common theme of mythology. The hero will often return from his adventure with a message which his own people reject or cannot understand.
Thank you for the last few weeks. I enjoyed reading your comments and getting to know a little bit about each of you through your journals and essays. Please be sure to hand in you final projects before Monday so i can get your grades done on time.
