Propps Theory of Narrative

The explanation courtesy of Wikipedia:

The villain — struggles against the hero.
The donor —character who makes the lack known and sends the hero off.
The (magical) helper — helps the hero in the quest.
The princess or prize — the hero deserves her throughout the story but is unable to marry her because of an unfair evil, usually because of the villain. the hero's journey is often ended when he marries the princess, thereby beating the villain.
Her father — gives the task to the hero, identifies the false hero, marries the hero, often sought for during the narrative. Propp noted that functionally, the princess and the father can not be clearly distinguished.
The dispatcher —prepares the hero or gives the hero some magical object.
The hero or victim/seeker hero — reacts to the donor, weds the princess.
False hero — takes credit for the hero’s actions or tries to marry the princess

I decided to relate this film to Shutter Island by showing who the main characters are and where their roles link...


Leonardo DiCaprio as Teddy Daniels (The Hero)


Mark Ruffalo as Chuck Aule (The Donor)


Ben Kingsley as Dr. John Cawley (The Helper/Dispatcher)


Michelle Williams as Dolores Chanal


Emily Mortimer as Rachel Solando












Elias Koteas as Andrew Laeddis

Initially Andrew Laeddis is the villain of the movie. he fits the conventions as he struggles with the hero in terms of a mental battle inside the hero's head.