Olson, Eric Lars2014-03-142014-03-142011-05-03etd-05172011-113805http://hdl.handle.net/10919/32929This study performed a mythic analysis on three films with child heroes including E.T.—the Extra-Terrestrial, Stand by Me, and The Goonies. Several unifying themes were extracted and then compared with the dominant values of Reagan America to determine if these films provided a unique cultural outlook. While most of the uncovered themes have been recognized in other films of the era, the theme of childhood as a community in peril is unique. It is purported these films pass judgment on Reagan as a dubious national patriarch, and that it is possible that this is a function that many myths with child heroes fulfill.In CopyrightCinemaSpielbergMonomythMythHeroThesishttp://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-05172011-113805/