The Hero's Journey as Joseph Campbell defined it describes stories of valiance and overcoming adversity. Before Campbell, there wasn't one template for all the stories contained within this narrative. From Achilles in Homer's Iliad to Harry Potter in JK Rowling's books, stories of the hero's journey have captivated audiences for thousands of years. In this blog post, I hope to explore the reasons those 17 steps are so fascinating.
In the ordinary world, the hero doesn't know they're a hero yet. In most stories, even those with supernatural elements, the hero is just an "average Joe" before the crossing of the threshold. This changes, however, when they are called to action. The hero's call to action and initiation may be the most important step in the hero's journey. Even though by the end they have completed their journey and achieved godliness, I argue that the initial crossing of the threshold is the most vital step. The change in mindset is what makes a hero a hero. For example, in Star Wars, Luke Skywalker's mindset changes once during the movie and it's when he receives the message from Leia in R2D2. As a person crosses the threshold, they go from being an average Joe to a hero.
A hero's time within, in my opinion, only serves as a buildup to the final boon. After the hero's initiation, they learn the rules of the new world, make friends with the same hero mindset as them, and prepare for the ordeal. Although it's often the longest part of the storyline, I argue that it's the least important and compelling part of these narratives. Although world-building in stories like Harry Potter is often captivating, it serves no purpose other than to solidify the hero as a hero.
The hero's journey is popular for several reasons. First, the engrossing storyline of a new world and a passionate battle captivates listeners and readers. Even before the hero's journey was solidified as a monomyth, authors chose to follow its narrative. Second, the crossing of the threshold makes the reader feel that they could be a hero if they were called to action. In Siddhartha, Siddhartha went from a regular boy looking for his place in the world to someone who achieved true inner peace and Nirvana. What Joseph Campbell was able to capture in his template of the hero's journey is the storyline of a regular person becoming a master of their world.
I think that you make a very compelling argument. I agree that there is a clear change in the hero's attitude and self awareness from the beginning to end of the narrative. However, I think that the hero doesn't always start as an "average joe" and go to a hero. For some narratives it seems the opposite is true. For example, in Siddhartha, Siddhartha starts with a very high view of himself. He believes he is better than many people, this continues throughout the story until the very end when he finally realizes he is not. This is when he is able to connect with others and no longer feels alienated.
ReplyDeleteI think it's interesting that crossing the threshold could be the most important part of the hero's journey. Even though usually people look at the stages in the middle since they take up most of the story. I think sometimes characters can start as heroes but I agree that usually they just start as ordinary people and that it helps make the hero easier to relate to.
ReplyDeleteI agree that crossing the threshold is one of, if not the most important step in the hero's journey. There's this idea called the skill valley (often used in shitty memes) where people new to one thing assume that they have a lot of skill in it because the don't realize how complex it is. Then more intermediate people realize how much they have to improve, and lastly masters of a certain skill realize how much they really have learned. I think these phases also correlate with steps of the hero' journey as the hero begins to explore an unknown world.
ReplyDeleteI agree that crossing the first threshold is the most important step in the Hero's Journey for the hero. Personally, as a reader, I find that the buildup to the Ultimate Boon is the most compelling part of a Hero's Journey. Its where the reader is learning along with the character, and as you said, where most of the world building takes place, which is vital to immersing the reader in a fictional world.
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