Great quote for life and for characters! I have a protagonist who is trying to live his life by this quote and escape the trappings and things that haunt him from his past. But like in our lives history repeats itself and he finds himself making the same mistakes he made years before. Not major mistakes but tiny incremental ones that all catch up with him in the end at the worst time. His conflict survives because of his inability to shed the old skin or at least his reactions when presented with similar obstacles

Ah Joseph Campbell. He inspired me on the last script I wrote. I decided to go through each scene for dialogue and consider: 1. Who's point of view the scene was taking place from. 2. a. His opinion of himself b. Who he wants to be c. Who he needs to be d. His opinion of who he's talking to e. What he thinks the person he's talking to thinks of themselves. f. What he thinks the person he's talking to thinks of HIM 3. a-f from the other character's perspective Needless to say, it was a long process but it significantly improved my writing. Joseph Campbell is the man.

I think this quote is a great approach, but the exact opposite is an equally great approach... In other words, is the process of character development one of revelation/trial-by-fire of what's already there or one of evolution/adaptation to become something new? The end goal is the same- finding our (or our characters) true essence. But it may not require any change at all (consider for example Forrest Gump. It's precisely because he doesn't change, despite the wild tests and situations which surround him, that makes such a powerful character)

David, you put the spotlight on the fact that there are all sorts of Protagonist transformations... and non-transformations. Most times, the Protagonist in movies goes through some sort of metamorphosis. Generally it is a positive one. Sometimes negative. In some situations, such as Forrest Gump, as you point out, the Protagonist doesn't change, but changes others [sometimes called a 'change agent']. This reinforces the point that stories resist formula and they are open to all sorts of interpretations by writers.

Good point! I was thinking along the lines of how strong Forrest Gump is that he stayed true... I completely missed the fact that his real power is in how he affects others! (which he can only keep doing as long as he stays true to himself/his momma)