4 great examples of stoicism in movies

Warning for possible spoilers*

Tyler Durden in Fight Club

Fight club (based on the Chuck Palahniuk book by the same name) is told through the eyes of a character who isn’t named (played by Edward Norton) — the “narrator”. He leads a boring nine-to-five-cubicle life as an insurance analyst. His whole existence centers around his job and the material possessions it enables. That’s until he meets Tyler Durden — an eccentric rebel who seem to be everything the protagonist is not.

Tyler have realised something the main character hasn’t. When the narrator loses everything he cares about, Tyler explains the emptiness of material possession; he alludes to the futility of shallow pursuits and trying to be perfect. He tells the narrator to let go and “let the chips fall where they may”. The stoics believed in only putting effort towards changing what is in our control. One thing, that is in our control, is to not desire that which doesn’t give our life meaning.

“I say never be complete, I say stop being perfect, I say let… lets evolve, let the chips fall where they may.” ― Tyler Durden (Chuck Palahniuk, Fight Club)

Yoda in Star Wars

The Jedis in Star Wars have a way of life similar to the Stoics. The dark side, the antagonistic counter-balance to the Jedis, believe in passion. They covet power and the way to get it is through an emotional drive. But being controlled by your emotions is slavery. You lose the ability to see situations clearly and rationally. The Stoics knew this; Epictetus said: “he who is capable of angering you becomes your master.”

In the prequel-movies Anakin, in a state of grief, anger, and fear, goes down the path to the dark side. He destroys the Jedi but is unable to save the one he loves.

“But beware of the dark side. Anger, fear, aggression; the dark side of the Force are they. Easily they flow, quick to join you in a fight. If once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny, consume you it will, as it did Obi-Wan’s apprentice.” ― Yoda

Andy dufresne in Shawshank Redemption

Andy Dufresne is a banker and an upstanding citizen that is framed for the murder of his wife and her lover. He is sentenced to a long prison sentence to be served at Shawshank prison. Andy doesn’t become enraged by the justice system — He doesn’t become dejected by his predicament. He instead proceeds by creating a dignified life for himself. He never loses himself in the face of hardship. He makes a group of friends, that together battle to keep their humanity.

“Forget that there are places in this world that aren’t made out of stone. That there’s something inside…that they can’t get to, that they can’t touch. That’s yours… Hope.” ― Andy Dufresne (Stephen King, Shawshank Redemption/Different Seasons)

Mark Watney in The Martian

The movie The Martian is based on the Andy Weir book by the same name. It tells the story of Mark Watney, a NASA botanist that gets stranded on Mars. Watney’s team leaves him behind, presuming him dead, in a dramatic departure of the planet.

What most astronauts might have seen as a cruel death sentence, Watney sees as a set of problems. In what can only be described as a story of dealing with adversity, Mark Watney does what it takes to stay alive, and come home to earth.

“At some point, everything is going to go south on you. Everything is going to go south, and you’re going to say ‘This is it. This is how I end.’ Now you can either accept that, or you can get to work. That’s all it is. You just begin. You do the math, you solve one problem. Then you solve the next one, and then the next, and if you solve enough problems, you get to come home.” — Mark Watney

These were the best examples of Stoicism in movies that I could think of. There are probably more great examples in other books or films; feel free to suggest any you can think of in the comments below!