Casablanca has it all: moving love story; awesome art; and captivating characters. It’s a classic movie that millions watch over and over again. However, did you know that Casablanca was also an example of Joseph Campbell’s hero’s journey? Here’s how to turn the film into a useful tool for teaching the hero’s journey.
The hero of Casablanca embarks on a quest for personal growth and development. Rick has lost his way, consumed by bitterness and longing. When he discovers that he can have what he has wanted for so long, he gives it all up for a cause and in doing so finds his way back. However, when the story is analyzed from the point of view of the hero’s journey, first identified by Joseph Campbell, it clearly contains each of the twelve stages of the Monomyth.
Learning about the Hero’s Journey is not an easy task, and dividing up lessons and classroom reading can have a profound impact on how students internalize and understand the lesson. Before showing students Casablanca, describe the concept of the hero’s journey. Provide them with a worksheet that they can complete during scheduled breaks in the movie.
When discussing the hero’s journey with your class, simply move through the twelve stages of the concept, keeping in mind that sometimes, like Casablanca, the steps can seem messy. The first thing to establish is a brief summary of the hero’s journey shown in the film. Who is the hero? What happened to him or her? One answer is that Rick goes from being a self-centered cynic to a caring individual, capable of sacrificing a life with the woman he loves for the greater good of opposing fascism.
Working individually, in pairs, or as a class, describe actions in the film that might manifest the twelve stages of the hero’s journey. Remember, some characters, like Laszlo, may have more than one role in the story and one or more of the stages or archetypes (like the Trickster) may be omitted or combined. Make character lists to identify the hero’s journey archetypes that appear in the film and, for each, describe the role they play in telling the film’s story.
Casablanca is a special movie that, with a little planning, can be used to teach students about the hero’s journey. Giving students the ability to recognize this archetype and training them to apply it in different circumstances is a strong lesson they will use for years to come.