The Hero's Journey By Joseph Campbell

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As there are maps for roads, there is also a map for stories. Joseph Campbell invented a way to compare and write stories, and this is called the Hero’s Journey (Day). The Hero’s Journey is divided into three main parts: The Departure, The Initiation, and the Return (Day). One classic story that clearly follows Hero’s Journey is The Oddysey. Although Joseph Campbell created The Hero’s Journey to organize and compare stories, it can also apply to individuals going through their everyday life. The Hero’s Journey begins with the Departure which is comprised of five subsections: The Ordinary World, The Call to Adventure, Refusal of the Call, Meeting with the Mentor, and Crossing the Threshold to the Special World (Day). The Ordinary World is the …show more content…

After multiple tests, the Hero Approaches the Innermost Cave. In this part of the Hero’s story, he will win a major battle which prepares him for the most important battle of all. Now, in The Ordeal, the Hero finally fights the antagonist–his biggest enemy. Defeating the antagonist leads to the Reward: a reward given to the Hero for winning. Just like lives in stories, lives in the real world continue after Crossing the Threshold. The person usually goes through tests. They may have failures in their life and have to mature emotionally, or they may have physical tests and have to overcome a challenge. Throughout life in unfamiliar territory, a person is bound to make enemies and friends. There may be a rival, a person that needs to be beaten, or a friendship developed that could last forever. With these new-found friends and new abilities from all they have experienced, a person may approach their Innermost Cave, or biggest enemy. This person may be leading towards graduating college and may have to be taking tests or maybe even about to have a child. Odysseus’s approach to the Innermost Cave was when he was about to get to Ithaca to fight off the …show more content…

The Return includes The Road Back, The Resurrection, and the Return of the Elixer (Day). In society, The Road Back is an example of getting used to the different, and the different starts becoming the ordinary. The Resurrection is when the Hero is tested on the Road Back (Day). Sometimes people may be tested on the way home; maybe hardship hits the person. Odysseus has to fight the suitors at this time, finishing his final testing. Finally, the Hero will Return with the Elixer, which is making the world a better place (Day). People make the world a better place- some people teach the younger generation and change things for the better. Having a better understanding of the Hero’s Journey may open up a new perspective. Instead of the Call to Adventure being a good thing, it could be an accident or sickness. A person in an accident would first be in denial, and refuse the call. However, they would probably meet with a mentor, perhaps a doctor or a new friend. This mentor could help the person realize that they can recover, but they would have to Cross the

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