Steven Garofalo
Ms. Hatch
H
9 May 2013
Into the West, an adventurous film, has two characters that get taken out of their normal environment and have to run away to save their new companion, a horse named Tir na nOg, that brings them to their mother’s grave so they can get closure. They run into many barricades which slow them down from getting to their final destination, The West. Because of all these details the film, Into the West, ultimately turns into an epic with a hero who achieves a lot and stands out in the collection of characters. Into the West satisfies the definition of an epic because there is a detailed central character hero, the landscape and settings are vast, and the central hero embodies the values of his civilization.
The central hero is Ossie, a 6 year old boy. He is one of the reasons why this story is a perfect example of an epic. Ossie has a special connection with a horse named Tir na nOg. He rides the horse with his brother, Tito, as they set out on an adventure to keep the horse safe. There is also another main character, Ossie’s brother, Tito. Tito is the older brother that tries to be in charge when they try to go to the,” Wild Wild West!” The horse is also one of the main characters because he controlled the outcome of the story. Tir na nOg is controlled by Ossie because he is so small and innocent. Also, Ossie has a very bad case of asthma, which restricts him at certain points in the movie.
The story takes place in very vast settings. In one scene they are travelers, who travel with their father, Papa Riley. They get chased over vast landscapes on their horse. They saw that Tir na nOg was on the television and went to the races. They stole it back from the people that the dirty cops sold it too. Short after, Papa Riley is brought