The Stages of Hero's Journey

In Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, William Butler Yeats’ “The Song of Wandering Aengus” and George Orwell’s 1984, each literature piece exemplifies all of the connections in Joseph Campbell’s 17 Stages of a Hero’s Journey in order to demonstrate the changes in the character’s development and the motivation behind their transformation.

Watching a film, one can easily recognize plot, theme, characterization, etc., but not many realize what basic principle lies behind nearly every story conceived: the hero’s journey. This concept allows for a comprehensive, logical flow throughout a movie. Once the hero’s journey is thoroughly understood, anyone can pick out the elements in nearly every piece. The hero’s journey follows a simple outline. First the hero in question must have a disadvantaged childhood. Next the hero will find a mentor who wisely lays out his/her prophecy. Third the hero will go on a journey, either literal or figurative, to find him/herself. On this journey the hero will be discouraged and nearly quit his/her quest. Finally, the

During the course of this World Literature class, several stories have been covered that accurately describe Joseph Campbell's mono-myth, or basic pattern found in narratives from every corner of the world. The Hero's Journey in it's entirety has seventeen stages or steps, but if boiled down can be described in three; the departure, the initiation, and the return (Monomyth Cycle). Each stage has several steps, but the cycle describes the hero starting in his initial state, encountering something to change him, and this his return as a changed person. To further explain this concept, there are a few stories covered in this class that can be used.

Taking the time to pick apart the hero’s actions and thoughts can make the journey much more interesting and easier to understand. By understanding the basic characteristics and the stages of the hero’s journey we can not only understand the story more but we can also understand ourselves more. We can learn new ways to relate to heroes and our peers we did not know of before. In conclusion, the hero’s journey is a great way to learn a new lesson or two, learn more about yourself, and be entertained at the same

The Hero’s Journey is a situational archetype of every story made, whether it’s a poem, narrative or film they all tell this Journey.

In the late 1940’s a man named Joseph Campbell shared his Mythic principal with the world. He explains that there is a three-stage formula that he calls a Hero Journey which is the structure of every story. Though most stories are completely different on the outside, the stories are almost structured around these three stages. Stage 1 is the hero leaves the everyday world and enters another world. While Stage 2 the hero is challenged by opposing forces and must pass a series a test throughout the movie. That will then determine who will be victorious, either the hero or the opposing forces. Stage 3 is tied into Stage 2 because if the hero is victorious, they will return to the ordinary world with a gift for the world.

In stories, there is always a pattern that they all have in common. This certain pattern is known as the Hero’s Journey. There are varying descriptions of the Hero’s Journey steps but only the steps that are set by the teacher is used. These steps are the “The Call”, “Allies”, “Preparation”, “The Guardians of the Threshold”, “Crossing the Threshold”, “Road of Trials”, “Saving Experience”, “Transformation”, and ”Sharing the Gift”.This essay is explaining what the Hero’s Journey is in the book Whirligig by Paul Fleischman. The step that is coming up is the Call which is when the hero starts their journey.

On a Journey In most forms of literature heroes go through their own journey. In The Princess Bride by William Goldman, Westley must go on an adventure to save his one true love, Buttercup. During the film The Wizard of Oz a girl named Dorothy is taken by a tornado to the land of Oz and must go on a quest to return to her family. The hero archetype is found in many religions and mythologies.

“The Hero’s Journey” is a pattern of narrative identified by the American scholar Joseph Campbell that appears in drama, storytelling, myth, religious ritual, and psychological development. It describes the typical adventure of the archetype known as The Hero, the person who goes out and achieves great deeds on behalf of the group, tribe, or civilization. The hero’s journey is divided into three sections departure, initiation, and return. The three sections are then divided into subsections that give a little more in detail journey that the so-called “hero” takes in the storyline. Hamlet and Simba are the main characters in the two storylines that take on the role of the hero.

    “‘I come from under the hill. And under the hill and over the hills my paths led. And through the air, I am he that walks unseen’” (The Hobbit). When the dragon Smaug asks Bilbo of his identity, our hero speaks to him in riddles as to not give away who he is. Bilbo has snuck into Smaug’s lair, using a magical ring to become invisible. This part of his adventure is called the “Ordeal,” one of the twelve stages in the Hero’s Journey Archetype. The Hobbit, an animated film directed by Rankin and Bass, fits the Hero’s Journey Archetype by following these three stages: “Call to Adventure,” “Tests, Allies, [and] Enemies,” and “Ordeal.”

In life, heroes are everywhere. They fight crime, save lives, and basically just do good deeds. Heroes follow their journey, which, when written, is actually very cliché. A hero follows a set of events in their journey that are rarely changed. In this essay, two hero’s are examined, Santiago from The Alchemist, and Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz. These two stories seem very different, but in the end, are actually very similar. When examined closely, one may find that their journeys are very similar, following the events of a hero’s journey. This seemingly simple set of events is found in almost every heroic story. First is the problem. The hero is in a not quite perfect way of life, and needs to fix it. Then there is the refusal, the hero is called up to fixed the problem, but refuses for whatever personal reason. Then they are forced to go, and meet a mentor. This mentor gives them the wisdom that they need to get through the journey. It may even be what the hero is striving to be. Then they cross the threshold from their ordinary world to the new special world. The fifth and sixth parts can be interchangeable. Trials and allies/enemies, either can come first. Then they reach what they have been striving for, the liar, the cave, the final destination as a normal person. Once the hero reaches this part, they will be forever changed. At some point in this final destination, they will be killed and reborn, whether it is metaphorical or literal. After this they will fight

Although epic hero’s either fictional or non-fictional have similar journeys while becoming a hero, each character has distinct characteristics that present divergent outcomes. Two of the most evident characteristics that come to mind when thinking of a hero is bravery and strength. Amongst Gilgamesh, Beowulf, Luke Skywalker, Sunjata, and Rostam they’re all brave strong men with their own traits that shape them into heroes. All five of these men’s lives begin in an ordinary world when they receive a call to an adventure. Each hero has the choice to either refuse or accept the journey that they have been called upon. In “The Hero With A Thousand Faces,” Campbell’s gives an example of how the call to adventure

In 2014, I attended the Hero's journey summer program in hope to discover myself and to become a better man. My father who has attended the program many of times introduced me to the foundation and thought I should give it a try under the Young Men’s program with 8 other teens from around the world. Nervous but also excited about discovering who I truly was and what brotherhood really meant I found myself becoming the best of friends with these guys for 7 days. During the trip I learned that in relationships it is not only about how much you have in common, but that you trust each other and can work together as one. I could not tell you those guys last name or their favorite video game but I can tell you that I knew they had my back no matter what.

The Hero’s journey, or in its more correct terminology the Monomyth is an object from the area of comparative mythology. Its definition in the most basic of forms, it is a pattern or outline that is used in storytelling, usually the myth. This pattern is found in many famous pieces from all around the world. In the book The Hero with a Thousand Faces from 1949 by author Joseph Campbell, this pattern is described in detail. Campbell describes that numerous myths from different times and areas of the world seem to share an identical structure in their storytelling. He summarized this with a well-known quote found at the intro of his book:

In his renowned work, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, Joseph Campbell defined the essential stages of the Heroic Journey, using examples from a wide range of myths and stories. His objective was not only to establish the framework for hero tales, but also to convey why these elements of the monomyth prevail in so many different works. Campbell’s view states that “the hero myth is really written about every human being: we are all heroes struggling to accomplish our adventure” (Whomsley, 185). From this perspective, it seems justified that these patterns continue to appear in so many stories adventure and heroism; we all want our