The Hero In James J. Braddock's Cinderella Man

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The Hero in Boxing Gloves

Cinderella Man is the story of James J. Braddock, a struggling boxer who was faced with many hardships during the great depression, and learned to overcome these obstacles to provide for his family. Cinderella Man illustrates the journey of how James Braddock became a hero for his family. His quest is driven solely by his will to provide for his family. The Hero’s Quest can be categorized into 3 steps: Departure, Initiation, and Return. The Departure of any hero is the time he/she is first exposed to a situation in which they will end up saving. James Braddock is first exposed to the Call to Adventure when the Great Depression hits America. The director of Cinderella Man illustrates this by showing two different time frames of Jimmy’s house; the first shows jewelry and valuable items, and the second shows his house during the depression - rid of everything valuable. The Crossing of the First Threshold is when James first gets his boxing license revoked. He is no longer able to support his family in the best way he knew how. James struggles to find odd jobs at the docks, but rarely is ever picked to work for the day. The Departure ends as James …show more content…

In Braddock’s case, this starts with The Road of Trials. Joe Gould, James’s manager, is able to get him a fight. During The Road of Trials, James spends his time training for fights in hopes to renew his boxing license. One of the many hardships James is faced with is his wife, Mae. She never wanted James to pursue boxing after his license had been revoked, in fear that he would get hurt, disabling him from work. She could be described as James’s Woman as the Temptress. The Initiation ends with the final step, The Ultimate Boon. After winning several fights, James gets his boxing license renewed and has had a steady income for the first time since the Great

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