The Goonies
Steven Spelberg's 1985 movie, The Goonies, is full of mind,
body, and spirit symbolism. I will only address the three main
characters here, but I recommend you watch the film and see the various
layers of mind, body, and spirit at play. Even if you are not into that
kind of analysis, you should watch it, anyway, just to see the on-screen
debut of Josh Brolin.
The movie opens with a police chase through town. Various characters are shown reacting (or not reacting) to the scene as it passes them by. Chunk is in a pizza joint/arcade and sprints to the window to see what's happening. He presses his hands to the window, forgetting he has a slice of pizza in one hand and a milkshake in the other.
Chunk is very distracted by food. As the group approaches the bad guys' hideout, he frets over the danger until he sees an old soft drink cooler. All of the danger he might be feeling is wiped away by, 'Soda Pop!' Later, he begins ranting about the danger the group is facing and how they are all going to die, when he suddenly stops and says, 'I smell ice cream.' Again, the danger is completely erased by the presence of food.
Chunk gets his nickname from his size, but he seems unaware that he is so big. He is very clumsy and is constantly knocking things over or breaking things. When the group is locked out, Mouth insults Chunks mother, enraging him. When he charges, Mouth moves out of the way, and Chunk barrels through the locked door.
Besides finding a creative way to break through a locked door, Mouth is vital to the group's success in finding One-Eyed Willie's treasure. He speaks fluent Spanish and is called upon to translate the treasure map at various stages of the quest. He even uses his knowledge of Spanish to make Mikey's new housekeeper very uncomfortable, telling her there are drugs and torture devices in the house while Mikey's mom is none the wiser.
When the group comes across some underground pipes, he knows the group must be under a building's foundation and that if they bang the pipes, someone might hear them.
The scene beneath the wishing well really lets his mind characteristics come through. He recognizes the coins as modern, which allows someone else to realize they are under the well. One character suggests they should leave the coins because they are someone else's wishes - something a spirit character might suggest. Mouth agrees, but he picks up one coin and says he once made a wish that never came true, so he was going to take his back. Wishes have no value to him, anymore.
Where Mouth has little time for wishes, Mikey can't help but follow the dream of treasure promised by a map and a rumor. All along the way, he talks to the ghost of One-Eyed Willie to bolster his own belief in the treasure. When he find's Willie's skeleton, he says, 'You've been expecting me,' speaking more to the 'idea' of Willie than to the skeleton itself.
The wishing well scene is also a defining scene for Mikey's character. They have the opportunity to escape and get out of the caverns safely. He won't give up on One-Eyed Willie's treasure, though, and delivers a deeply inspirational speech that convinces the others to see the quest through to its end. Statements like, 'This is our time,' and 'Goonies never say die,' are used throughout Mikey's dialogue.
Besides encouraging the group, Mikey also encourages individuals along the way. When they reach the trap at the organ, only Andy can get them through. When she makes a mistake and starts to doubt herself, Mikey says, 'I believe in you.' This kind of encouragement is one of the hallmarks of a spirit character.
The Body Character: Chunk (Jeff Cohen)
The movie opens with a police chase through town. Various characters are shown reacting (or not reacting) to the scene as it passes them by. Chunk is in a pizza joint/arcade and sprints to the window to see what's happening. He presses his hands to the window, forgetting he has a slice of pizza in one hand and a milkshake in the other.
Chunk is very distracted by food. As the group approaches the bad guys' hideout, he frets over the danger until he sees an old soft drink cooler. All of the danger he might be feeling is wiped away by, 'Soda Pop!' Later, he begins ranting about the danger the group is facing and how they are all going to die, when he suddenly stops and says, 'I smell ice cream.' Again, the danger is completely erased by the presence of food.
Chunk gets his nickname from his size, but he seems unaware that he is so big. He is very clumsy and is constantly knocking things over or breaking things. When the group is locked out, Mouth insults Chunks mother, enraging him. When he charges, Mouth moves out of the way, and Chunk barrels through the locked door.
The Mind Character: Mouth (Corey Feldman)
Besides finding a creative way to break through a locked door, Mouth is vital to the group's success in finding One-Eyed Willie's treasure. He speaks fluent Spanish and is called upon to translate the treasure map at various stages of the quest. He even uses his knowledge of Spanish to make Mikey's new housekeeper very uncomfortable, telling her there are drugs and torture devices in the house while Mikey's mom is none the wiser.
When the group comes across some underground pipes, he knows the group must be under a building's foundation and that if they bang the pipes, someone might hear them.
The scene beneath the wishing well really lets his mind characteristics come through. He recognizes the coins as modern, which allows someone else to realize they are under the well. One character suggests they should leave the coins because they are someone else's wishes - something a spirit character might suggest. Mouth agrees, but he picks up one coin and says he once made a wish that never came true, so he was going to take his back. Wishes have no value to him, anymore.
The Spirit Character: Mikey (Sean Astin)
Where Mouth has little time for wishes, Mikey can't help but follow the dream of treasure promised by a map and a rumor. All along the way, he talks to the ghost of One-Eyed Willie to bolster his own belief in the treasure. When he find's Willie's skeleton, he says, 'You've been expecting me,' speaking more to the 'idea' of Willie than to the skeleton itself.
The wishing well scene is also a defining scene for Mikey's character. They have the opportunity to escape and get out of the caverns safely. He won't give up on One-Eyed Willie's treasure, though, and delivers a deeply inspirational speech that convinces the others to see the quest through to its end. Statements like, 'This is our time,' and 'Goonies never say die,' are used throughout Mikey's dialogue.
Besides encouraging the group, Mikey also encourages individuals along the way. When they reach the trap at the organ, only Andy can get them through. When she makes a mistake and starts to doubt herself, Mikey says, 'I believe in you.' This kind of encouragement is one of the hallmarks of a spirit character.
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