"The Way"

If you haven't seen the movie that I'm writing about, don't read this as there be spoilers ahead.



"You don't choose a life, Dad. You live one." Words to live by. That's one of the central themes of the Emilio Estevez film, The Way. The film stars Martin Sheen  as Tom Avery, an ophthalmologist (eye doctor) living an insulated life of his choosing in southern California. I recently watched the film at the suggestion of a good friend of mine, and it was fantastic. Daniel (Estevez, also wrote the screenplay, produced and directed the film) embarks on a journey around the world, to get a better sense of his place in it. While hiking through the Pyrenees mountains, he gets lost in a bad storm and ends up in a fatal accident. Tom gets the call from the Captain of the Gendarmerie (national police force) in St. Jean Pied de Port, informing him of the tragic events that claimed Daniel's life. In shock, Tom packs his bags and flies to France to bring Daniel's remains home for burial. It turns out; Daniel was on pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain, a trek of over 800 kilometers {500 miles}.

I have written about this pilgrimage in another blog posting (Feeling a Little Weary). Tom decides to walk the road to Santiago in memory of Daniel. Some have made the assertion that the film could be a new twist on the classic Wizard of Oz, and I partially agree. I'd add the argument that the film follows the classic hero tale as expounded upon by Joseph Campbell (no relation) in his classic work The Hero With A Thousand Faces. That's the framework that I'm going to base this essay on. I'll include a link to a more detailed explanation of the Hero's Journey (http://www.thewritersjourney.com/hero's_journey.htm). I suppose I should also add that the Hero's Journey that Tom goes through is not in the order originally mapped out by Campbell.

An illustration of the theory of the Hero's Journey.

For the Ordinary World , we start the film in Ventura, California where Tom lives and has his practice. After seeing a patient and going over the schedule for the following day with his secretary (played by Renee Estevez), Tom learns that Daniel called the previous night from France and things were going well. He neglected to leave a number so Tom could return the call, which could point to their estranged relationship. Tom makes the remark of "the world on Daniel's terms".This would be the Ordinary World phase as described by Campbell. Tom goes about his business as he always has, not knowing what a Higher Power (God, Adonai, Allah, The Almighty, etc) has in store for him.

While playing golf with some friends, Tom gets a call on his mobile. Here's the comparison to what Campbell called the Call to Adventure. However; Tom says the call can wait when he sees the other guys checking their cellphones. This would technically be a Refusal of the Call, as he waits until he finishes his swing before answering.

Tom answers the phone call and it's not a call he was expecting. The caller is Captain Henri Sebastian of the French Gendarmerie (like a national police force) with some bad news about Daniel. While on the call, Tom gets into his golf cart and drives away, leaving his friends wondering what he's thinking. This would not be typical of the Hero's Journey because our Hero usually doesn't journey off without a word. In shock, Tom goes to visit his parish priest, seeking counsel and consolation. Tom tells the good priest that he's going overseas to bring Daniel home. His pastor asks if Tom would like to pray with him. It might be the overbearing grief he's dealing with, but Tom is also a lapsed Catholic (attends Mass at Christmas and Easter, but that's about it). The next stop Tom makes is at his office to grab plane tickets and his passport from his secretary. You could consider everything that happens to Tom part of the Ordeal as described by Campbell.

Capt. Sebastian and Tom in the Gendarmerie Precinct.

 For the Crossing of the Threshold; Tom flies to Paris, then makes the journey to Saint Jean Pied-de-Port by train. Tom has some time to think about what has happened to Daniel and has a flashback to when he drove Daniel to the airport at the start of his journey around the world. Tom arrives at St Jean and is met by the captain of the Gendarmerie, Henry Sebastian. The two head to the police precinct, and Tom is faced with identifying the body of his son. Henry (or Henri, in French) talks with Tom about what had happened and about the Camino (Chemin in French). Henri would be the Mentor in the Hero's Journey. Tom also receives a backpack that Daniel had with him. After looking at the possessions and gear Daniel had with him at the time of his death, Tom decides to walk the road to Santiago in memory of Daniel.Keep in mind; Tom is over well sixty and has not trained for this journey at all, you could say it would not be easy. Tom encounters two phases of the Hero's Journey at this point: Answering the Call to Adventure and Meeting with the Mentor.

With a pack on his back and Daniel's ashes in a box lashed on to the side, Tom begins his trek on the long and ancient Camino de Santiago de Compostela. He has no idea what lies ahead, but he goes anyway. Near the spot, Tom thinks he sees Daniel in the distance. He has visions of his son at various times along the route, mostly at key times when Tom needs a little guidance.

At the cross planted for Daniel at Roncesvalles Pass.

Tom isn't alone in his journey to Santiago, not by a long shot. He meets his first unlikely companion in St Jean, a Dutchman named Joost. Joost is doing the Camino not for religious reasons, but to lose a few pounds  to make his doctor and his wife happier (sounds kinda like me, aside from the wife bit). Tom also meets Sarah, a Canadian trying to quit smoking and gain a sense of self-worth. The fourth member of the group is Jack, a writer from Ireland doing the Camino so he can write a book. Like Tom, Jack is also a lapsed Catholic, but he is angry with the Church for many reasons. The three companions that Tom has along The Way are sometimes a blessing, sometimes a curse. I think that they bring out the best in each other most of the time, occasionally they grate on each other. Tom is a father figure to Sarah, Joost and Jack, but his mourning and isolated lifestyle prior to the Camino make him hard to get along with. Joost, as Jack describes "for whom kindness is an instinct" is friendly, engaging, if somewhat of a pothead. Sarah is trying to quit smoking, but I think she's looking for people to accept her after being in a bad marriage (and having an abortion). Because of this inner pain and lack of being able to trust make her hard to approach. Jack comes off as someone looking to make a few bucks off of writing about his journey, and something of an arrogant know-it-all. He also gives the audience more of the story of the Camino ( he even cites the Codex Calixtinus, thought to be the first travel guide). Jack also helps Tom in a couple of ways: by bailing him out of jail for public intoxication and by getting him to open up and talk about Daniel. I think when Jack gets Tom to talk about Daniel, it helps him with the grieving process and makes him vulnerable (in a good way). Although we don't get to hear what they talked about, Joost can be seen smiling because he knows Tom is coming around.

Our four fellows on the Camino. L to R: Tom, Sarah, Joost, Jack.

Tom, Joost, Sarah and Jack walk the Camino together, for better or worse. They laugh together, cry together, tell stories and have a family experience.Tom has the goal of completing the journey for Daniel, but gains the added gift of living outside himself and his insular world. When Tom is arrested for public intoxication, Jack bails him out (a Test if there ever was one). It was when Tom was drunk that he let his companions know what was on his mind, becoming an Enemy as opposed to an Ally. When a Gypsy boy steals his pack, all four run after the boy to get it back. The major turning point for the group is at Cruz de Ferro, where many pilgrims leave stones with prayer intentions as a symbol of letting go of their former selves. Tom had been leaving little piles of ash along the route, and his friends are there to help him remember and let go.


Finally, the group gets to Santiago de Compostela. They walk into the Pilgrims Office to receive their Compostelas, proving that they completed the journey. While talking to the staff in the office, Tom and Sarah have difficulty explaining their motives for making the journey. Whereas Jack and Joost have no problem in describing their motivations. It's here that they each become keenly aware that their journey is at an end. While in the Cathedral, each has an encounter with the divine. For Joost, he drops to his knees in thanksgiving at having made it. Sarah is found staring at a Crucifixion scene. Jack breaks down and weeps like a baby in a pew (maybe finding something he didn't know he was missing, like God?). Tom kneels at the tomb of Saint James and prays for his son. During the Mass for Pilgrims, Tom sees Daniel one last time, helping to hoist and then swing the botafumerio (a massive incense burner used in the Cathedral at Santiago).

The group feels a strong desire to go with Tom to Muxia, another few days walking from Santiago. Tom had been advised to put the remains of Daniel's ashes in the water there near a church named for Our Lady of the Boat (La Virgen de Barca). This is where our four friends go their separate ways. After scattering the ashes of his son, Tom walks back towards his pack. You would think that after his Ordeal that he'd want to go back to Ventura and pick up where he left off, but things aren't so. Tom has come through his Ordeal and has had a Resurrection. We next find him walking the streets of Marrakech in Morocco. We can make the assumption that Tom has resolved to be a changed man and get out to see the world. His experience on the Camino de Santiago have had a profound effect on his life, as it usually does for pilgrims. What does this new life hold for him? We don't know, but I hope it's full of adventure. 

Buen Camino (Good Journey)