1. The Hero’s Journey: The Search for Meaning in the Patterns of Literature Mr. Sobon English II – World Literature

2. The Hero’s Journey "Yet every descent is followed by an ascent; the vanishing shapes are shaped anew, and a truth is valid in the end only if it suffers change and bears new witness in new images, in new tongues, like a new wine that is put into new bottles." ---- Carl G. Jung

3. The Hero’s Journey The archetypal hero appears in all religions, mythologies, and stories of the world. He is an expression of our personal and collective unconscious. All archetypal heroes share certain characteristics. They can be seen as a metaphor for the human search of self-knowledge. In other words, the hero shows us the path to our own consciousness through his journey. This journey can be found in ancient and modern literature…..even in contemporary film.

4. The Hero’s Journey

5. The Hero’s Home / Beginnings The early life of the hero is usually a unique one that determines the manner in which he will accept and carry out his journey. A hero's birth will almost always have an unusual aspect to it. Many heroes are born to royalty or are in danger at birth. There may be a prophecy regarding his destiny. Either way, he is marked by these circumstances as “different,” as bound for greatness.

6. The Hero’s Home / Beginnings

7. I. Departure from the Known World “A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder…” --Joseph Campbell, The Hero With a Thousand Faces (30)

8. The Call to Adventure The call to adventure is the point in a hero’s life when he first discovers that life as he knows it is going to CHANGE, whether he wants it to or not. The Call may come boldly through the invitation of an individual, or through a sudden, often traumatic event in the hero’s life. Or it can sneak up on him gradually, with the first awareness of it being a vague sense of unhappiness, imbalance or restlessness.

9. The Call to Adventure

10. The Refusal of the Call Fear or feelings of inadequacy may motivate the hero to refuse the call to adventure. Often the hero feels that he has it "too good" and refuses to give up all that he currently has (often resulting in the hero being forced to move on). The hero doesn't understand that the refusal of the call means a refusal to move on in life. The hero may view his present system of ideals, virtues, goals, and advantages as fixed and secure, or the hero may be waiting for the perfect call. Sometimes the refusal will be encouraged by another character.

11. The Refusal of the Call

12. Supernatural Assistance An individual - usually an elder (old crone or old man) – appears on the scene to provide the hero with something (physical or mental) that will help the hero move forward in his adventure - perhaps a sword to fight the dragon or a confidence boost to help the hero believe in him/herself.

13. Supernatural Assistance

14. Crossing the First Threshold The hero ventures into an unknown world - the Unconscious Realm - which breaks from the traditions and norms of his homeland, and the hero meets some dangerous presence. The hero may encounter a "threshold guardian" at the entrance to the unconscious realm. This guardian stands in the way of the hero moving on to the next area, offering resistance or putting the hero to an “entrance exam.” Beyond the entrance to this zone is darkness, the unknown, danger (desert, jungle, deep sea, alien land, etc.)

15. Crossing the First Threshold

16. The Belly of the Whale Once the hero has crossed the threshold, his old world is destroyed (literally or figuratively). He moves into a world of darkness (the belly of the whale) or uncertainty and will not come out until he is ready to proceed (so, technically, the hero stays in the belly of the whale through all of initiation). Often times there will be a "deepest part" to the belly. This stage gets its name from the Biblical Jonah and the whale story.

17. The Belly of the Whale

18. II. The Quest / Initiation “…fabulous forces are there encountered, and a decisive victory is won…” --Joseph Campbell, The Hero With a Thousand Faces (30)

19. The Road of Trials Hero experiences terrible and miraculous tests or ordeals on the road of trials. There are usually several events that affect the hero at this point. The hero will appear weak and vulnerable, but he will also begin to show growth. The hero finds parts of himself he was unaware of and begins to use that newfound skill or strength. The "item" that the supernatural agent has given the hero at the time of departure will now start to become useful as the hero learns how to use it to his advantage.

20. The Road of Trials

21. Meeting with the “Goddess” After surviving the road of trials, the hero may experience a great love. In many stories it is a romantic love. Or it may be the warm heart filling love we feel for friends and family. It may also be an experience of a divine love. Either way, the hero gains healing, strength, wisdom, and wonderful feelings of well being as a result of the experience.

22. Meeting with the “Goddess”

23. Encounters with Temptation The hero meets a presence that attempts to destroy the hero's mission. Often the temptress is sent by the evil forces working against the hero in order to try to stop the hero from finishing his journey. The hero is misled into giving up. "This is the easy way out." "Stop now or you will be destroyed." "Join us; you will be happy here.” These encounters are distractions meant to stop the hero from finishing the journey, and they must be overcome. Like the Meeting with the Goddess, these encounters do not necessarily have to take the form of a female figure.

24. Encounters with Temptation

25. Atonement with the Father One of the classic conflicts in literature – both ancient and modern – is the Father/Son conflict. The Father- figure symbolizes judgment; the hero must overcome fear, judgment, and mental blocks that may have been holding him/her back. Sometimes the father-figure is larger than life, and the hero must learn to live outside his shadow. Other times the hero finds himself making up for the sins of his father. Most simply, this stage shows growth and the ability to take on adult responsibilities – to move beyond the past and embrace the future.

26. Atonement with the Father

27. Apotheosis The literal meaning of this term is “elevation of a person to the rank of god.” After facing and surviving the confrontation with the great power in his or her life, the hero may experience some great truth, an almost “divine” gift of wisdom, about himself, about his identity or purpose in life. Of course, if the hero did not survive the encounter with the great power in his or her life, he or she may actually be in heaven. In this case, it is a period of rest and reflection before the return journey is made. Usually, some sort of outward physical change accompanies this inner transformation.

28. Apotheosis

29. The Ultimate Boon The hero receives the prize that he has been after. All the previous steps serve to prepare and purify the person for this step, since in many myths the boon is something only the truly worthy can obtain - like the elixir of life itself, or a plant that supplies immortality, or the holy grail. Though the boon may come in the form of a physical reward (like the dragon's treasure), it will more importantly include a mental/emotional reward (like inner peace or special wisdom). The boon is, above all else, symbolic of inner truths, of the hero’s transformation.

30. The Ultimate Boon

31. III. The Return “…the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man.” --Joseph Campbell, The Hero With a Thousand Faces (30)

32. Refusal of the Return So why, when all has been achieved, the ambrosia has been drunk, and we have conversed with the gods, why come back to normal life with all its cares and woes? Sometimes, when the adventure has been a glorious or very satisfying one, the hero refuses to come back to normal life. The hero often wishes to remain in isolation with his prize. The hero can refuse a return, and may sometimes experience a symbolic "death." Or the hero may experience a literal death that follows self-sacrifice. Rarely will a true refusal occur, but often times the temptation to refuse a return is evident. It’s hard to leave paradise once you’ve found it…

33. Refusal of the Return

34. The Magic Flight The hero has his reward; now he must return to safety. There may be forces still working against him (possibly trying to get the treasure back that the hero has taken or to keep him from sharing his wisdom with the folks back home). A "chase" ensues. The hero usually appears as a changed person by this time. Their final chase is characterized by the hero's confidence and bravery.

35. The Magic Flight

36. Rescue from Without Just as the hero may have needed a magical guide or helper to set out on the quest, sometimes he or she must have help to come back to everyday life, especially if the person has been wounded or weakened by the quest. Or perhaps the person doesn't realize that it is time to return, that they can return, or that others need their boon (wisdom). This is sometimes a blow to the hero's ego, but the hero will recover because he sees the big picture and has accomplished a great deed.

37. Rescue from Without

38. Crossing the Return Threshold The hero crosses a threshold to return just as when the adventure began. The hero’s task at this point is to remember what was learned during the quest, and to use it to make life better for him or her and others. There is a difficulty in the hero's return to the conscious realm; the world has changed and so has the hero. The hero may not be accepted back to his old world. He may feel awkward in his immediate return. The returning hero must survive the impact of the world; he may not be able to verbalize the wisdom he has gained through his journey. The hero conquers the difficulty in returning, showing that he/she is able to adapt.

39. Crossing the Return Threshold

40. Master of Two Worlds The hero has gained wisdom in both the spiritual (unconscious) and physical (conscious) worlds. The hero completely gives up all attachment to his personal limitations, hopes and fears. The hero no longer tries to live out his own plan, but willingly accepts whatever may come to pass in him, focusing more on the plan for mankind. The boon that the hero brings restores not himself, but the world (water to a drought-ravaged land, protection from an outside invader, etc.).

41. Master of Two Worlds

42. Freedom to Live When a hero has survived a great adventure, and has learned to accept himself, he often becomes free from the fear of death. The hero reconciles himself to the reality of the cycle of life - that every creature lives on the death of another. The hero understands that it was only through the "death" of his/her former self that the new life was able to begin. The hero learns never to be afraid of the next moment (destruction or change), he has simply learned "to be" (exist).

43. Freedom to Live

44. The Journey is a Map The Journey gives you a means for understanding and benefiting from these fictional adventures. Even if the characters aren't real, the journeys they take and challenges they face are reflections of the real journeys and challenges we all face in life. As you watch them move through their quests, observe their victories and their defeats, you can learn from their experiences.

45. The Journey is a Map “It is not society that is to guide and save the creative hero, but precisely the reverse. And so every one of us shares the supreme ordeal – carries the cross of the redeemer – not in the bright moments of his tribe’s great victories, but in the silence of his personal despair." ---- Joseph Campbell, The Hero With A Thousand Faces (391)