Baby in the Underworld

From Baby in the Underworld: Myth and Tragic Vision in Dirty Dancing
(Presented by William Wians at the conference “Epiphanies of Beauty," University of Notre Dame, Nov. 2004)

"Now here there might seem to be an inconsistency. I said Baby is traveling to the underworld. But Kellerman’s resort is on a mountain. I don’t think we should be bothered when a myth combines symbols in this way (Campbell?). Besides, in myths and fairy tales we know that on top of a mountain one often finds a castle. The name of the dancer (played by Patrick Swayze) who Baby falls in love with is Johnny Castle. Now in all such stories we also know that, though it’s sometimes buried underground, sometimes hidden inside a castle, there lies a treasure. So what we can say is this. Baby has gone to the underworld in search of some treasure. But first she has to get past the cellar man (who was put there by the Man of the House) before she can get to the Castle."