Page 169 - Šolsko polje, XXVIII, 2017, no. 3-4: Education and the American Dream, ed. Mitja Sardoč
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gutman ■ the morphological and archetypal traces in the american dream
works as a metaphor for enthusiasm and work ethics. The story of Chris
Gardner concludes with the successful completion of the training pro-
gram; the hero overcomes the poverty [Solution]. Shortly afterwards he
started his own business which eventually brought him a multi-million
dollar success [Victory]. Consequently, various awards and honours fol-
lowed soon after [Recognition].18
The fourth case also demonstrates a significant number of narrative
functions, attributed to the biography of Arnold Schwarzenegger. As a
child, growing up in a small Austrian village, Arnold experienced emo-
tional withdrawal from his father, who had a preference over his older son;
this feature can be implicitly linked to emotional [Absentation]. Arnold’s
relationship with his father was particularly difficult as he experienced
physical and emotional abuse [Villainy]. This strained relationship later
marked all aspects of Arnold’s life. He remembers his childhood as a trau-
matic and at the same time defining period:
My hair was pulled. I was hit with belts. So was the kid next door. It was
just the way it was. Many of the children I’ve seen were broken by their
parents, which was the German-Austrian mentality. They didn’t want to
create an individual. It was all about conforming. I was one who did not
conform, and whose will could not be broken. Therefore, I became a re-
bel. Every time I got hit, and every time someone said, ‘You can’t do this,’
I said, ‘This is not going to be for much longer, because I’m going to move
out of here. I want to be rich. I want to be somebody.’19
His father insisted for Arnold to become a police officer and his
mother wanted him to study trade finance20 [Interdiction, an inverted
form], but Arnold had plans to become a bodybuilder [Violation of Inter-
diction]. At the age of 15 he visited the gym in Graz, where he met a famous
Austrian bodybuilder who invited him to train at the gym; the experience
turned out to be a defining moment in his life [Mediation, the Connec-
tive incident – The hero is dispatched directly by promises]. Soon after,
Arnold left for Munich [Departure], where he won his first contest [Rec-
ognition]. Early acknowledgements encouraged him to train intensely in
order to shape and build his body. Consequently, at the age of 15 he expe-
rienced the first body transformation [Transfiguration]. One of the judg-
es at the competition offered to coach him, and Arnold moved to Lon-
don, where he lived with the coach’s family. He was soon invited to the
United States [Spatial Transference between two Kingdoms –The Hero
18 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Gardner
19 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arnold_Schwarzenegger
20 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arnold_Schwarzenegger
167
works as a metaphor for enthusiasm and work ethics. The story of Chris
Gardner concludes with the successful completion of the training pro-
gram; the hero overcomes the poverty [Solution]. Shortly afterwards he
started his own business which eventually brought him a multi-million
dollar success [Victory]. Consequently, various awards and honours fol-
lowed soon after [Recognition].18
The fourth case also demonstrates a significant number of narrative
functions, attributed to the biography of Arnold Schwarzenegger. As a
child, growing up in a small Austrian village, Arnold experienced emo-
tional withdrawal from his father, who had a preference over his older son;
this feature can be implicitly linked to emotional [Absentation]. Arnold’s
relationship with his father was particularly difficult as he experienced
physical and emotional abuse [Villainy]. This strained relationship later
marked all aspects of Arnold’s life. He remembers his childhood as a trau-
matic and at the same time defining period:
My hair was pulled. I was hit with belts. So was the kid next door. It was
just the way it was. Many of the children I’ve seen were broken by their
parents, which was the German-Austrian mentality. They didn’t want to
create an individual. It was all about conforming. I was one who did not
conform, and whose will could not be broken. Therefore, I became a re-
bel. Every time I got hit, and every time someone said, ‘You can’t do this,’
I said, ‘This is not going to be for much longer, because I’m going to move
out of here. I want to be rich. I want to be somebody.’19
His father insisted for Arnold to become a police officer and his
mother wanted him to study trade finance20 [Interdiction, an inverted
form], but Arnold had plans to become a bodybuilder [Violation of Inter-
diction]. At the age of 15 he visited the gym in Graz, where he met a famous
Austrian bodybuilder who invited him to train at the gym; the experience
turned out to be a defining moment in his life [Mediation, the Connec-
tive incident – The hero is dispatched directly by promises]. Soon after,
Arnold left for Munich [Departure], where he won his first contest [Rec-
ognition]. Early acknowledgements encouraged him to train intensely in
order to shape and build his body. Consequently, at the age of 15 he expe-
rienced the first body transformation [Transfiguration]. One of the judg-
es at the competition offered to coach him, and Arnold moved to Lon-
don, where he lived with the coach’s family. He was soon invited to the
United States [Spatial Transference between two Kingdoms –The Hero
18 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Gardner
19 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arnold_Schwarzenegger
20 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arnold_Schwarzenegger
167
