What Thor: Ragnarok Teaches Us About Storytelling
The Ultimate Masculine Fantasy | Stoner Life Analysis #1
Hi! This might be a new series. Maybe.
I’ve recently learned to enjoy the benefits of … a certain plant… and all the stereotypes are true, especially the ones about “deep thoughts”. To keep those thoughts in a sensible manner, I organize them by “levels”.
It’s kind of like the 5 Whys method. If you don’t know what that is, you basically ask yourself why again and again to get to a core belief or answer.
I’ve adapted that method to find deeper meaning in a question. Example time!
Example: What is your story, i.e. what is your identity?
Level 1 Thought: An identity is the sense of being your true self — the version of yourself you completely resonate with.
Level 2 Thought: Being your perfect self is the ultimate desire of everyone, because that is the deepest and most complete personal truth. But it can be hidden, which is why our thoughts and actions often don’t line up. Identity is buried deep within layers and layers of conditioning, habits, and insecurities.
Level 3 Thought: I realize that the real question is, “what is MY identity?”
My fantasy/identity is to become machine-like, in the sense that I am able to put in pure effort, and achieve pure results. This means letting go of even the satisfaction of victory, because satisfaction and ego often get in the way of attaining results.
Another way of thinking about it is that I want to be the most dependable person in the room. This is achieved by detachment and detached virtuosity.
I put in effort to be a good person, but at my core I want to believe that I am good just through my natural actions and behavior. I want to be virtuous and good just because of the way I am, not because I consciously do it. That is what I mean by detached (or I guess, passive?) virtuosity.
More analysis on my identity at the bottom of this article, if that interests you.
I used this system to analyze Thor: Ragnarok.
Plus it’s a neat way to present an essay.
Thor’s Displaced Identity
Level 1: In his mind, Thor knows he’s infallible. He has a great track record of being validated, having achieved several victories with and without the Avengers. That is why he is so confident in his fight against Surtur at the beginning of the movie.
Level 2: However, Thor’s identity is not within himself. It is in Mjolnir. He believes that as long as he has his hammer, he will always be infallible.
Level 3: This is a case of complete displacement. With Mjolnir, he is Thor. Without it, he is not. That is why he always keeps it with himself or nearby.
Slowly Recovering His Identity
Level 1: After losing Mjolnir to Hela, Thor does not have time to grieve as he keeps getting thrust into situations that require immediate attention and action. During this time, he masks his grief with more humor than ever before. [1]
Level 2: By being humorous and nonchalant, he projects an aura of control, and thus gets to remain the dependable, “alpha” male.
Level 3: As he goes through the events of Sakaar, his successes start teaching him that his identity does not depend on the hammer.
[1] This is of course, within storyline. The real reason for more humor in the film was the director, Taika Waititi.
The Test of Character
The next 3 sections are all within the span of this scene.
This scene is basically motivation porn for the male identity.
Level 1: When faced with the true challenge of his identity in Hela, he retreats into his mind and his fear and displaced identity fully emerge. He says exactly 3 lines to Odin, which address his 3 fears.
- Mjolnir (0:47) — “She’s too strong. Without my hammer, I can’t.”
- His Desire to Save Asgard (1:05) — “It’s too late. She’s already taken Asgard.”
- The ultimate displaced identity, his Father Odin (1:30) — “I’m not as strong as you.”
Level 2: While he wants to surpass his father [2], he also idolizes him. He believes his father to be his mentor. That is why when he retreats into his mind to seek guidance and strength, Odin is the form his subconscious takes. And Odin validates him completely. All 3 fears are addressed.
Level 3: (1:42) After Odin validates him by telling him he’s stronger, there is a long zoom out, which to me looks like him delving even deeper into his mind. There, he discovers true self-motivation. His true identity.
[2] Side thought: Isn’t there a concept in philosophy and psychology that the son always wants to surpass the father?
Infinite Strength
Level 1: After discovering his true belief in himself, he immediately gets to manifest it in the fight against Hela. [3]
Level 2: He throws his entire being at Hela (the giant lightning bolt at 1:57) to defeat her. He manifests the fantasy/identity that with enough effort, he can do anything.
(He later confirms this when he tells Loki that he hit her with the biggest lightning bolt there is.)
Level 3: He continues to manifest the fantasy more deeply, when he discovers his infinite, replenishing source of power. What I mean is that after throwing his all at Hela, he generates more power to continue handling obstacles — the minions on the bridge. Cue Immigrant Song at 2:11.
[3] This is probably why there is a lot of fiction that talks about finding the answer in the heart of battle.
Passive Virtuosity
Level 1: Loki, Valkyrie, and Hulk, among others, are shown to turn the tide on their ends of the battle. They are emboldened by Thor’s emergence. Thor’s identity empowers his friends to be better version of themselves.
There’s a couple of jumps in logic here to get to the next one. Sorry for not having a better explanation.
Level 4: Loki and Valkyrie have a displaced identity in Thor, and believe they can be the best versions of themselves because they have Thor.
This is mainly signified by Loki taking the time from a battle to smirk, and for Valkyrie to nonchalantly strut towards the battle. It’s a leap in logic but basically there’s no need to look cool if your desire is to serve and be better than yourself.
Yeah, maybe ignore this one, and the next one. But the one after that is vital, because it’s the climax.
Distaste for Redemption
This one might just be a me thing, and not a male fantasy thing.
Level 1: Skurge has a redemption story where he flip-flops in his desire to be safe and his allegiance to his people.
Level 2: When Thor is in the final battle, he is not concerned with Skurge’s redemption — he goes about his work, manifesting his own self.
Why this struck me is because I have a distaste for redemption. My desire is to never have to be in a position where I need redemption.
Level 3: But ultimately his redemption is good for him, as he ends up a hero of sorts. I have to make peace with my distaste, because it is ultimately unproductive.
Level 4: And as Thor’s identity manifests and he emboldens the good in others around him, he enjoys the passive benefit from having them on his side. I learn that enjoying the passive effect of your identity (i.e. your personal truth) is a good thing.
The Ego Sacrifice
This one is key to the masculine fantasy.
Level 1: When Hela reemerges, Thor has a small crisis that he wasn’t able to defeat her after throwing all his power at her. At that point, he realizes that his effort is not enough, and that he must step aside to allow Surtur to be revived.
Level 2: By doing this, he made the ultimate sacrifice — he sacrificed even his ego to get the desired result. This is true detachment. Ultimately, it is not the satisfaction of being the hero that Thor desires, but the assurance of the survival of his people.
Level 3: Ironically, it is by sacrificing his own identity, that Thor achieves everything he wanted. Hela is defeated, Thor succeeds Odin as king, and Asgard is redefined as its people and hence saved.
Why do I Call This the Masculine Fantasy?
Level 1: I am a man; I identify as a man. I accept all the goodness of my feminine traits, but my desired being, my identity, lies entirely in masculinity.
Level 2: Masculine/feminine is another way of interpreting the duality of the universe. Other examples are order/chaos, nurture/nature. I did not choose these classifications, but masculine is equated with the need for order and structure, and femininity is equated with the need for chaos and art.
Level 3: By way of my desired being being entirely masculine, I realize that I want to be order incarnate, that pure effort leads to pure and expected results. I want to be entirely in the realm of nurture, that only our action leads to our own development, and no element of birth is a significant factor.
Level 3.1: Maybe an offshoot level 1, i.e. future analysis on, “Why do we want to be order or chaos? Why do we have different identities?”
This is why Thor: Ragnarok is the ultimate male fantasy — it documents the journey to discover your identity, to manifest it in yourself, to sacrifice it, and thus universalize it.
Order requires unhindered cooperation to the point of self-sacrifice, where your thoughts, feelings, fears, and insecurities to do not have a part to play in the life that you create for yourself. That is the ultimate male fantasy — to be free of inhibition and manifest your powerful being. And Thor: Ragnarok captures it perfectly.
That’s the end of the Thor: Ragnarok analysis. Now a side-note about this format.
While coming up with this level system, I managed to equate each level to a Tarot card-esque classification. I doubt all such analyses will fit into this classifcation, but I guess it covers the stages of personal development.
Level 1: The Protagonist — I have a desire or thought to be better than my current self. “I will be a …”
Level 2: The Guide — I believe my desire comes from an idol, and I create a mentor in myself. “I want to be like…”
Level 3: The Hero — My real desire is to outshine my mentor and become self-dependent. “I have become better than … or have discovered a trajectory which is better than …”
Level 4: The Trial — Upon receiving my projected desire, I discover the illusion of perfection in it, and consequently suffer an ego death. “This isn’t anywhere near as good I thought it would be.”
Level 5 The Saving Grace — The strength you discover to overcome the trial comes from realizing your full self — that is your perfected being. I do not have a sample sentence for this one. :)
Thanks for reading! If this made any sense at all, please let me know on Twitter, and I will want to make this a series.
