Comparison Of The Heros Journey In Christopher Johnson's Siddhartha

Joseph Campbell who is an American scholar identifies The Hero's Journey as a pattern of narratives that appear in the drama, storytelling, myth, religious ritual, and psychological development. In the film "Into the Wild" produced by Sean Penn, Christopher Johnson embarks on the hero's journey on the quest to rid the materialistic world and to seek adventure. In the novel Siddhartha, written by Hermann Hesse, the main character Siddhartha embarks on the hero's journey to achieve Nirvana. In the film "Into the Wild" and the novel Siddhartha, aspects of the Hero's Journey that most emphasize the motivation behind their journey to achieve their goals are the call to adventure, crossing the first threshold and belly of the whale

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In both cases, they are going on the hero’s journey to escape societal expectations, to rid themselves of the materialistic world or to experience adventure. For Siddhartha, he “had begun to feel that the love of his father and mother, and also the love of his friend Govinda, would not always make him happy, give him peace, satisfy and suffice him. He had begun to suspect that his worthy father and his other teachers, the wise Brahmins, had already passed on to him the bulk and best of their wisdom [but] his soul was not at peace.” (Hesse 3) Siddhartha has all the love he needs in life, yet he has a true to desire to understand the world around him. He feels like he needs to do more to live a fulfilled in life. His goal is to find true happiness by understanding the world around him and by achieving Nirvana. This desire and knowledge compel him to follow the Samanas on the journey to enlightenment. Likewise, in the film "Into the Wild" Christopher Johnson decides to embark on a journey to achieve true happiness outside of materialistic aspects. From a very young age, Chris’s parents always gave him things that he does not want and

For Siddhartha, leaving Govinda who is childhood friend was crossing the first threshold. He realizes that "He dwelt long on the words which Govinda had uttered. Yes, he thought, standing with a bowed head, what remains from all that is holy to us? What remains? What is preserved? And he shook his head." (Hesse 16) realizing the Samanas are not who he needs to follow to achieve Nirvana. To seek Nirvana, he must go on a journey to find it himself. Thus, leaving his best friend is the first step for Siddhartha being able to achieve Nirvana. In the film “Into the Wild”, Chris burns his social security card, money and abandons his flood-damaged car and heads off on an adventure into the wild to escape the materialistic world. After this, Christopher mails his final college transcript and a brief note to his parents’ home with a note saying that they will never hear from him again. Shortly after these events, Chris decides to call himself Alex, short for Alexander Supertramp. This represents the rejection of his parents, along with their values. With getting rid of his materialistic belongings and gaining a new identity, he decides to cross the first threshold and continue on his journey and plan to rid himself of the materialistic world and seek adventure. Chris decides to embark on a journey to achieve his goal of adventure. Although living this life is not always easy for