The Hero's Journey

"Hacksaw Ridge"

1. The hero: The hero of this movie is called Desmond Doss, who was a faithful Christian and managed his life according to religion or the 10 commandments. He came from a family where his father was a violent and alcoholic figure due to certain traumas after having taken part in the war. He was a humble, caring and deeply passionate person. He used to help his family and he had a brother who he accidentally hurt after a fight, so he was traumatized and swore never to carry or use weapons. He was a simple and very romantic man. He loved the forest and being in contact with nature. 

2.The call to adventure: One day Desmond felt the need to enlist for WWII as a paramedic, because he decided never to use or touch a weapon ever. His parents did not agree but he did not care since he felt that it was a duty imposed by God to help people. He believed that it was unfair to be in his town while other friends or young people sacrificed their lives for the country. At first it was difficult for him to make this decision since he was afraid of the future and he had a partner, so he feared never returning with his future wife. He finally chose to go and with an incredibly positive attitude that everything would be fine and that he would be back with his family soon. 

3.Challenges and trials: Desmond was faithful to his beliefs, so since his arrival he received bullying or violence and they titled him as homosexual for not complying or being a real "man". All this was a consequence of the fact that he did not want to have contact with weapons, much less shoot them. In military training he refused to participate even if it was simulations. He was very skilled in all activities and training such as obstacle courses, agility, etc. He was a highly intelligent man who learned quickly but having a promise not to carry weapons that was the cause of all the violence that he received daily. They beat him at night and manipulated him into quitting since everyone thought he was useless. He always fought that being a paramedic it was not necessary to use weapons, but his surprise was another, the  reason he constantly had discussions and punishments for his disobedience.

4.Hero's lowest point (nadir): During the movie, Desmond had many moments where he was tired and felt defeated. When he was nominated as one of the paramedics for the Battle of Okinawa, he was very desperate and nervous about not knowing what to expect. Upon reaching the point where his army was fighting, he saw thousands of deaths in just 5 seconds. He was afraid and felt powerless when seeing his colleagues die and not being able to help them, he believed that he was failing in his mission. The humanistic and supportive side of him was in constant fight with the battle, since there were people who had been exploited or simply lost a limb and were still alive, but Desmond was not allowed to help them. 

5.Climax: Being on the battlefield there was a time when the military group left that place and another group went up to the battlefield later, but Desmond did not leave. When he was about to leave, he saw the shooting and the deaths and decided to stay. During the night, he decided to go out and help or heal those people who were dying or alive with injuries. He constantly escaped and hid from the enemy to search for his colleagues. He saved more than 75 people that night because when he found those people, he took them away and tied them with a rope to get them off the battlefield. All that time wounded bodies came down from the battlefield and those from the military base did not know where those bodies came from or who sent them, they believed it was a miracle. Desmond remained faithful to God and every time he helped a person he would say aloud "Lord, help me get one more" implying that he was asking God for the opportunity to find another person. Desmond managed to save many people and achieve one of the most important miracles in the world. 

 

6.The return to the "normal world": After saving so many people, Desmond was found and taken to the military base as a hero. The Battle of Okinawa ended, and the Japanese were defeated. Desmond Doss was a hero who managed to return to his family and was recognized and decorated with a gold medal by President Harry Truman for saving the lives of so many people. When he returned, he became the same humble and supportive man as always. His faith in God increased completely since it was a miracle what he did. The people respected him and all those who violated him repented since he saved them. He also came back with many bad memories of the war, but he was also proud of his actions. He learned that his faith was greater than anything else.