Hero Cycle:

White Chicks & The Stranger

By: Emily Steele

White Chicks

Keenan Ivory Wayans

Ordinary World

Two brothers, Marcus and Kevin, are FBI agents who have
messed up a drug bust and are looking for a way to make the
chief have trust in them again.
Call to Adventure

The call for adventure for the Copeland’s is when at the

office meeting they hear that they need someone to go pick
up the Wilson sisters from the airport. The chief says
“Somebody’s gotta do it,” and since the Copeland brother’s
are already on ice, Marcus decides that it’s a good idea to
take the case. This would be the call to adventure because
they are going to take the case that the chief needs help
on, which could help save their jobs and save the Wilson
sisters from being kidnapped.
Refusal of the Call

The refusal of the call to adventure happens when Marcus

says that they should take the case but Kevin does not
agree. Kevin tells Marcus, “I don’t think this is a good
idea,” Marcus does not care about Kevin’s opinion because he
knows if they take this case that it may help them get their
respect back by the chief. They ask the chief to be put on
and he immediately responds “You're on.”
Crossing the Threshold

The crossing the threshold is when they are beginning their

transformation into becoming the Wilson sisters. Marcus and
Kevin are given new outfits and bodies in order to be the
girls. They learn how to act and talk like them, helping
their cover.
Belly of the Whale

The belly of the whale step occurs when Marcus and Kevin
decide to take on the role of pretending to be the Wilsons.
They leave their male identities in order to portray the
role of Britney and Tiffany. They leave their known
environment of living in the city to go to the Hamptons
where they have never been a part of that type of society.
They have to learn how to fit in and not blow their cover.
The Road of Trials

The road of trials occurs for a good portion of the movie. The first sign of
road of trials occurs when they first meet the girls friends at the Hotel.
They convince these girls and make them believe that they are actually the
Wilson sisters. They also tell the girls that they have work done to cover up
the fact that they look different than the last time they were together.
Another obstacle they over come is when the Vandergeld sisters, Megan and
Heather, come over to the group of girls after noticing they were laughing.
The Vandergeld sisters make rude comments to them but then are completely shut
down by the Copeland’s (Brittany and Tiffany). Another obstacle they endure
during the movie is when Kevin’s girlfriend starts to question why Kevin is in
the Hampton’s. She becomes suspicious and eventually shows up at the hotel
discovering Kevin with another girl not knowing it was Marcus in disguise.
Jeana leaves Kevin with a feeling that she is going to leave him, this worries
him.
Meeting with the Mentor

One of the mentors to the Copeland brothers was Denise the

reporter. She helped the brothers out by telling them
crucial evidence the the case that they were trying to
solve. She also helped them out by telling them things they
may need to keep in mind during their stay in the Hamptons.
Another mentor to the brothers was Karen. She helped them by
telling them about what her family has done in order to help
the Vandergeld’s with their money situation. This
information helps the Copeland’s figure out who was the real
man they were looking for in this case.
Temptations

One sign of temptation that occurs in the movie is when

Marcus decides to leave the role of being one of the girls
to ask Denise over to his “house.” He finds out that she
likes rich men by talking to her as one of the girls that he
is pretending to be. He “borrows” the house of the one of
the rich guys when he is not home in order to impress
Denise.
Apostasis

The apostasis step of the hero cycle occurs when the Wilson
sisters go to the dance club with all their friends. While
at the club, the Vandergeld sisters decide to start a dance
battle. During this dance battle, the Wilson sisters use
their dancing skills to clearly beat them. The Vandergeld
sisters are beginning to lose their high social status to
the Wilsons. This lowers the Vandergeld confidence in their
social status.
Ultimate Boon

The ultimate boon for the Copeland brothers occurs at the

white party. They know who was the real bad guy and was the
one embezzling the money. They go back undercover but the
real Britney and Tiffany are at the white party too, so they
have to avoid being in the same place as them. During the
event, a chinese dragon parade come through and try to
kidnap two of the girls. Luckily, the Copeland’s new who the
man was and were able to stop him. The chief discovers that
they were the ones who were able to crack the case and was
not angry at them because they were able to catch the right
guy.
Magic Flight

The magic flight step of the movie is when Marcus and Kevin
were able to crack the case and then keep their jobs. They
also were left with the relief of having saved the girls
from the threat of being kidnapped. Marcus and Kevin were
also on good terms with the chief and their incident with
the drug bust was later forgotten.
Crossing the Return Threshold

They are on good terms with the chief and are now respected.
Movie Time Stamps

CALL TO ADVENTURE: 11:10

REFUSAL OF THE CALL: 11:57
CROSSING THE THRESHOLD: 18:24
BELLY OF THE WHALE: 20:19
ROAD OF TRIALS: 23:38, 27:26, 1:27:33
MEETING WITH THE MENTOR: 1:08:19, 1:22:20
TEMPTATIONS: 1:07:36
APOSTASIS: 1:20:11
THE ULTIMATE BOON: 1:43:57
MAGIC FLIGHT: 1:46:34
Works Cited: White Chicks

Wayans, Keenan Ivory, director. WHITE CHICKS. 2004.

The Stranger

Albert Camus
Ordinary World

The ordinary world for Meursault is he lives in Algiers in

an apartment complex. His mother lives in an Old Person's
home.
Call to Adventure

“Maman died today. Or yesterday maybe, I don’t know. I got a telegram from the
home: “Mother deceased. Funeral tomorrow. Faithfully yours.” That doesn’t mean
anything. Maybe it was yesterday.”(3)

This is the call for adventure for Meursault because he is going to have to
travel to something that would be very emotional for a normal person. When he
arrives to the home it is obvious that he doesn't have the sadness that would
usually be associated with the death of a parent. He tells the caretaker that
he does not want to see the body of his mother. During the call to adventure
the reader realizes that Meursault does not have the same emotional
capabilities as others. In the quote about it uses interesting syntax to
compose the sentences. There are short sentences to help portray his feeling
towards his situation.
Refusal to the Call

“”We put the cover on, but I’m supposed to unscrew the casket so you can see
her.” He was moving towards the casket when I stopped him. He said, “You don’t
want to?” I answered “No.” He was quiet, and I was embarrassed because I felt
I shouldn’t have said that. He looked at me and then asked, “Why not?” but
without criticizing, as if he just wanted to know.” (6)

This is the refusal of the call because he is refusing to get the feelings
associated with the death of his mother. Meursault is a very confused man and
doesn’t know the proper way to maintain his feelings so he starts by pushing
them away. During this quote, you can see the discomfort he felt when he was
asked if he would like to see his mother’s body. The caretaker never judged
him by his response but was a little concerned how Meursault was feeling. In
this quote, it uses an type of mood to make the reader feel sorrowful for the
protagonist.
Meeting with the Goddess

“That evening Marie came by to see me and asked me if I wanted to marry her. I
said it didn’t make any difference to me and that we could if she wanted to.”
(41)

This is the meeting with the goddess step because Meursault has found a women
that is willing to marry. Although they have been on only a couple of dates,
Meursault agreed to her question of marriage. He is not in his right mind
after his mother's death. In this quote, it uses tone because you can kinda
tell that Meursault is not too sure but still wants to. You get a apathetic
tone, meaning that he shows little interest and is lacking concern.
Meeting with the Mentor

“I must have look tired, because Raymond told me not to let things get to me.
At first I didn’t understand. Then he explained that he’d heard about Maman’s
death but it was one of those things that was bound to happen sooner or later.
I thought so too.” (33)

This could be the meeting with the mentor to Meursault because Raymond was
trying to help him cope with the loss of his mother. Raymond was trying to
give him advice and facts such as “not let things get to me” and “bound to
happen sooner or later.” Raymond becomes his friend and they start to hangout
together more often. Meursault ignores the fact that Raymond abuses his dog
and women. Meursault even testified for Raymond after he hits one of his
mistresses. In the quote, it uses point of view because the reader is able to
tell that this is Meursault talking.
Road of Trials

“My whole being tensed and I squeezed my hand around the revolver. The trigger
gave; I felt the smooth underside of the butt; and there, in that noise, sharp
and deafening at the same time, is where it all started. I shook off the sweat
and sun.”(59)

“And it was like knocking four quick times on the door of unhappiness.” (59)

This could be the road of trials step because he is faced with a huge
obstacle, to kill the Arab or not. During this section, Meursault is provoked
by an Arab who is stabs him in the eye. During the first quote, lots of
imagery and detail is used to describe the way he held the gun and how it
sounded. The second quote uses a solemn tone and it is showing that he does
indeed have unhappiness because he is saying he knows what it feels like. Both
quotes help show the troubles he is facing in life at that time.
Apostasis

“He asked if I had felt any sadness that day. The question caught me by
surprise and it seemed to me that I would have been very embarrassed if I’d
had to ask it. Nevertheless I answered that I had pretty much lost the habit
of analyzing myself and that it was hard for me to tell him what he wanted to
know. I probably did love Maman, but that didn’t mean anything. At one time or
another all normal people have wished their loved ones were dead.” (65)

This could be the apostasis step in the hero cycle because you can see the
death of his feelings die. He does not care anymore about anything. Meursault
says he does not care for his mother's death and that no one should care for
the death of a family mother. It is now obvious that he is not in the right
mind in any way. This quote has a very depressing tone because of the things
he says. The depressive tone is shown from the way he talks about his “love”
for Maman.
The Ultimate Boon

“I was pouring out on him everything that was in my heart, cries of anger and cries of
joy.” (120)

“Throughout the whole absurd life I’d lived, a dark wind had been rising toward me from
somewhere deep in my future, across years that were still to come, and as it passed, this
wind leveled whatever was offered to me at the time, in years no more real than the ones I
was living.” (121)

This could be the ultimate boon because Meursault is finally at his breaking point, he
knows he is correct. Meursault believes that life is meaningless and it's not important
enough to completely enjoy. This part was a breakthrough because he was able to tell the
chaplain what he believed; and that he does not believe in god. In the first quote there is
a more cheerful tone because he is getting what he feels out. In the second quote, there is
more of a distressing tone from the way he describes his life. He used the word “absurd”
which means widely unreasonable to describe his life.
Crossing the Return Threshold

“Finding it so much like myself-- so like a brother, really-- I felt that I

had been happy and that I was happy again. For everything to be consummated,
for me to feel less alone, I had only to wish that there be a large crowd of
spectators the day of my execution and that they greet me with cries of hate.”
(123)

The crossing the return threshold of Meursault's journey is when he is able to

comprehend what he is feeling. He gains the wisdom of what life actually means
to him. Meursault wants the rest of the world to know that he thinks life is
meaningless. In the quote, you can see that there is a earnest tone because of
the way he states his claim. When it says “consummated” that adds interesting
diction to the sentence.
Works Cited: The Stranger

Camus, Albert. The Stranger. CreateSpace Independent Publishing, 2015.