Becoming a Man Gives Life Meaning

"What makes a man a man?" (Hellboy, Dir. Guillermo del Toro, 2004.)

              Taking the story of a demon conjured by and rescued from nazis, director Guillermo del Toro successfully leveraged the ridiculous with the real in Hellboy. However fantastic and stylized, viewers can comfortably suspend their disbelief through Hellboy's journey because of the humanity Del Toro instilled in this character. Hellboy is magnetic, his story compelling and his actions believable because his "coming-of-age" process is consistent with Viktor Frankl's "will-to-meaning" theory.

       According to Frankl, an individual's primary motivational force is to find a purpose in life, directly opposing Freud's will-to pleasure theory and Adler's will-to-power theory. Frankl suggests that man needs meaning, and can discover it in the following ways:

1. by doing a deed
2. by encountering someone
3. by defining our attitude toward life

       The experiences that guide Hellboy to manhood fit Frankl's descriptions of experiences that guide one to meaning, man's ultimate purpose. Experiences that fit Frankl’s requirements and help Hellboy become a man include developing a relationship with Liz, overcoming Rasputin and the forces of darkness, and defining his attitude towards life (described in the words of Agent Myers as, "What makes a man a man? It’s the choices he makes--not how he starts them, but how he chooses to end them." 01:58:41.)

        Frankl suggests that when we find meaning in life by any of the three ways described, we can overcome depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, OCD, etc. Similarly, the process of becoming a man/finding purpose transforms Hellboy. His extreme self-consciousness in the beginning (evidenced by Agent Clay’s warning, "Don't stare at him, you'll make him angry... His horns! He files them to fit in!" 00:24:57.) is replaced with  self-assurance (evidenced by Hellboy telling Liz, "I wish I could do something about this *points to face* I can't,  but I can promise you two things: One, I'll always look this good, and two, I'll never give up on you." 01:29:39.) However absurd the premise, Hellboy’s journey to manhood and meaning harmonizes with reality. Having the experiences prescribed by Frankl transformed Hellboy in the ways they would any man, and thereby make a man out of Hellboy.