The Lightning Thief Hero's Journey

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“Go on with what your heart tells you, or you will lose all”. This quote, spoken by Percy is a repetitive thought that he uses in his quest to persevere to the end. From movies, to stories, to plays, the hero undergoes a journey, that is universal in nearly all. This journey is referred to as the Hero’s Journey and consists of three stages with other elements within each stage, and was recognized by Joseph Campbell. The pattern of the journeys allows a universal audience that all, young and old, can relate to. A broad description of the monomyth includes the hero leaving their ordinary life, commencing the bulk of the journey, and returning home. In the movie The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan, the protagonist Percy Jackson presents discernible …show more content…

As every work that involves a hero does, the journey starts with the Call to Adventure. Percy’s individual call occurs when he is on a school field trip after he is life alone with his teacher Mrs. Dodds. Without any indication, she transforms into a fury and viciously attempts to attack Percy. While in the process of this she repeatedly asks him “where is the bolt?”. Muddled, he evades her until his Latin teacher, Mr. Brunner gives him a pen that when clicks, transforms into a sword. Throughout the movie, this remains as Percy’s Talisman, or an item with special significance to the hero. At this point, Percy is completely bewildered. He is not yet told why that event occurred, but when he is, he is not promptly ready to accept his mission. This rejection is known as the Refusal of the Call and is another aspect of the hero’s journey. Percy does not believe that he could be a demigod, for he views himself as an inept, dyslexic boy with ADHD. He readily is taken home by Grover to pack and explain to his mom that he has been “found”. Grover then reveals himself as Percy’s protector and reveals that he is a satyr. In the hero’s journey, this mythical mentor is known as the Supernatural Aid. Grover then tells Percy that he is being taken to a safehouse, Camp Halfblood, for kids like him. As Percy, his mother, and Grover near the camp, a minotaur appears and endeavors to capture Percy for stealing …show more content…

The Refusal of the Return is when the hero refuses to return to where he began the journey, and Percy faces this once in the underworld. He only has three pearls which means only three can leave and one must reside in Hell. Percy offers to be the one who must stay behind, because he cannot bear to leave his friends or his mother behind, otherwise known as the rescue from without. This is because the audience sees Percy in a state of hopelessness. Upon Grover deciding that he will be the one to stay, Percy experiences a Magic Flight; the point after requiring the Ultimate Boon that the hero must escape something. In this journey, Percy must escape from the underworld using one of the pearls after receiving the bolt. As the bolt is returned, Percy masters both the immortal, his unfamiliar world, and the mortal, his familiar world. The Gods no longer have to battle for the disappearance of the lightning bolt, which would ultimately wreak havoc on the mortal world, destroying it in the process. Now that the hindrances have seized, Percy is free to return to Camp Halfblood. Once he enters, he crosses the Return Threshold, since he returns to his home. The last scene of the movie shows Percy and Annabeth partaking in a friendly duel, without any sign of worries. This is due to Percy resolving his problem of being named the “lightning thief”, and acquires Freedom to Live. These

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