Analysis of Percy Jackson and the Olympians

2756 Words6 Pages

The fact that Percy Jackson has friends is incredible. It is an unshakable fact that any friend of his within a ten-mile radius will be in a life or death situation with him by dinner, and they are not always as lucky as he is. However, that is getting ahead of ourselves. Over the course of the five-part contemporary young adult series, Percy Jackson & The Olympians, the titular character, Percy Jackson, must embrace his Greek God parentage and save Olympus with the help of his fellow demigods. The aim of this paper is to discuss his Hero’s Journey throughout the series, provide an in-depth character analysis, and draw parallels between Percy and the three classic Greek heroes of mythology: Perseus, Theseus, and Hercules. The first novel in the series, Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, is where Percy's Hero's Journey begins, encompassing the first five stages. The Ordinary World, the first stage, introduces the main hero. "The hero, uneasy, uncomfortable or unaware, is introduced sympathetically so the audience can identify with the situation or dilemma" (Campbell). Percy Jackson, a twelve-year-old diagnosed with both dyslexia and ADHD, lives in New York with his loving, overworked mother and abusive stepfather. He begins his story attending a boarding school for "troubled youth" and has a less than spectacular time being the new kid. Despite his good intentions of protecting his only friend Grover from a bully, Percy gets in trouble at school and is pulled aside by one of his teachers, who is revealed to be the Fury Alecto, one of Hades's servants in disguise. It is at this point in the story that the second stage, The Call to Adventure, comes into play....

... middle of paper ...

...Over the course of this novel, Percy must embark on a quest to clear his name, much like Hercules had to endure his Twelve Labors. These Twelve Labors would prove to be a recurring theme for Percy throughout the entirety of his five-part series. While Hercules abandoned his quest with Jason for the Golden Fleece, Percy did not, and succeeded where the ancient hero had failed. Hercules was also directly referenced in Titan’s Curse in a flashback by Percy’s new friend and Hesperide Zoe, a goddess entrusted with protecting Hera’s apples which Hercules had stolen. Over the long chain of events throughout the entire series, Percy and his friends encountered and battled numerous monsters that Hercules had originally slain in his Twelve Labors, such as Cerberus, a hydra, the Nemean Lion, the Erymanthian Boar, and cleaning the Aegean stables, home to flesh-eating horses. Suffice it to say that Percy Jackson and the Olympians is a contemporary masterpiece of a series and is more than worth its salt in the context of classic, factual Greek mythological references. Therefore, one can examine the series through the scope of Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey and explore the heroic parallels between Percy Jackson and the great Greek heroes Perseus, Theseus, and Hercules through a timeless lens. No paragraph provided.

Show More
Related

  • Hercules in The Aeneid

    1245 Words  | 3 Pages

    Hercules is one of the most well-known mythical heroes in history; his associations with adventure and violence exemplify as to why audiences are so interested in him. Virgil briefly writes about Hercules within The Aeneid, showcasing his heroic qualities within a climactic event with the monster, Cacus. Through the characterization of Hercules and Cacus, demonstrations of Hercules’ anger, and exemplifications of vividness, Virgil’s account of the battle between Hercules and Cacus in Book 8 of The Aeneid exemplifies an element of impact, heightening the conflict between the two characters for entertainment purposes.

    Read More

  • Fifth Business

    1558 Words  | 4 Pages

    Percy – Percy provides the novel with the perfect parallel to Dunstan. He does, however, contrast in many ways to Dunstan. They are best friends, but Percy rivalry results in the formation of the main setting of the novel. Percy also feels more of an attachment to material goods than Dunstan does. He thinks only of himself and is in constant pursuit of total and utter control. Percy was low moral standards in comparison to Dunstan and in some ways, feels he is of a higher stature than other human beings. This awkward relationship between him and Dunstan forms the basis of the novel.

    Read More

  • Internal Conflicts In The Battle Of The Labyrinth

    476 Words  | 1 Pages

    Percy is always afraid that his friends might die. He is constantly questioning his “own powers” (29, Riordan) and is unsure he can save his friends. The protagonist is unable to complete his missions properly, because he is always battling his own self confidence. Anyone who is incapable of having confidence in themselves will not obtain their goal. Moreover, when Percy realizes he is able to “destroy” (79, Riordan)

    Read More

  • The Ordinary World In Yancy Jackson, By Percy Jackson

    1316 Words  | 3 Pages

    Percy Jackson lives a normal but hard life. The reader is able to determine that this is the ordinary world as Percy has not been told his true identity. Percy thinks he is an ordinary average teenage boy attending sixth grade at his sixth school, Yancy Academy which is a “private school for troubled kids in upstate New York.” Percy mentions that his life is quite confusing as well as he describes he has dyslexia and ADHD. These are the problems create a major issues as they affecting and make his academic achievement difficult. At birth Percy’s first father had left him and his mother. After his father left them his mother decided to get remarried. From Percy’s point of view this was not a smart choice as his step father treated her poorly. Percy is definitely unsatisfied and frustrated with her decision as he respects and cares about her a lot. Percy also greatly loves his mother as he defends her when she is disrespected by his stepfather. Percy seems to only have one real friend, Grover who is scrawny and “on top of all that, he is crippled”. He does not associate with other kids as he feels he does not belong with them. The reason he is in trouble at home and school could be that others don’t recognize and realize him as well as he does not understand his place. This is what the reader would classify as Percy’s ordinary world. From this point on, the story will further develop into the next stage call to adventure as the ordinary world seems to be a place the he despises.

    Read More

  • The Struggle between Hercules and Hera

    1054 Words  | 3 Pages

    Hercules’ as a young child was watched by the best of the best. His father made sure h...

    Read More

  • Achilles' Honor in Homer's Iliad

    1308 Words  | 3 Pages

    Schein, Seth L. The Mortal Hero: An Introduction to Homer's Iliad. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1984.

    Read More

  • Importance of Male Relationships in Homer's Iliad

    1628 Words  | 4 Pages

    Schein, Seth L. The Mortal Hero: An Introduction to Homer's Iliad. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1984.

    Read More

  • Percy Jackson: A True Hero

    524 Words  | 2 Pages

    Percy Jackson is a true hero. Imagine if you had the chance to save your mother, but put your own life at risk. When Percy was given this chance, he never even thought about his own life. When he saved the world, he didn't care if he put his own life in immense trouble. When he met his half brother, he stood up for him, not caring if no one liked him after. It is clear that there is no way that Percy Jackson can be thought of anything but a hero, which is what he truly

    Read More

  • Greek Mythology in Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief

    1443 Words  | 3 Pages

    Percy Jackson is the main character in this story, who is a demi god, who mortals are after. His name is short for Perseus and his father is one of the big three gods, Poseidon. He is suffering from dyslexia and ADHD, which could be deliberately added to the character by Riordan, to show he is meant to be a hero, and not to do well in school. This shows that school is not what he is good at, and he is destined to be a hero and save people. The character Grover, who plays Percy’s best friend, parallels a Satyr who is human from the waist up and goat from the waist down and is a companion of wine God, Dionysus, who we later learn, is the camp director for Half-Blood Camp.

    Read More

  • Achilles Vs Odysseus

    3801 Words  | 8 Pages

    Homer's two central heroes, Odysseus and Achilles, are in many ways differing manifestations of the same themes. While Achilles' character is almost utterly consistent in his rage, pride, and near divinity, Odysseus' character is difficult to pin down to a single moral; though perhaps more human than Achilles, he remains more difficult to understand. Nevertheless, both heroes are defined not by their appearances, nor by the impressions they leave upon the minds of those around them, nor even so much by the words they speak, but almost entirely by their actions. Action is what drives the plot of both the Iliad and the Odyssey, and action is what holds the characters together. In this respect, the theme of humanity is revealed in both Odysseus and Achilles: man is a combination of his will, his actions, and his relationship to the divine. This blend allows Homer to divulge all that is human in his characters, and all that is a vehicle for the idyllic aspects of ancient Greek society. Accordingly, the apparent inconsistencies in the characterization of Odysseus can be accounted for by his spiritual distance from the god-like Achilles; Achilles is more coherent because he is the son of a god. This is not to say that Achilles is not at times petty or unimaginative, but that his standards of action are merely more continuous through time. Nevertheless, both of Homer's heroes embody important and admirable facets of ancient Greek culture, though they fracture in the ways they are represented.

    Read More

  • The Odyssey Disguise To Find True Identity

    1229 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Odyssey is an epic that shapes and defines the roles of many great leaders. These leaders are made up of mortals, alive and dead, and immortals. The trip taken by Odysseus is not only a journey of a war hero back to his homeland, but is a journey in all of the characters lives, which develop a better sense of personal identity and selfhood as the epic goes on. It is the many disguises that each character uses that uncover their true identities from their experiences. The revelations of each characters identity are what teach the lessons that Homer is trying to portray to his audience, and what lead to each character’s success in their personal journey. Each character’s identity is constructed by the courage and morality that they reveal, through disguise, by their actions to help or prevent bring Odysseus home. These actions are what make each character who he or she is, whether god or human. Homer uses Odysseus and Athena as the principle identities developed throughout the poem to send his messages.

    Read More

  • The Son Of Neptune Essay

    734 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the second installment of The Heroes of Olympus, The Son of Neptune is a thrilling adventure written by Rick Riordan. The book begins where The Lost Hero left off. Percy, also in Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, is wandering Southern California with no memory of where he came from or who he is except one name, Annabeth. Being chased by three gorgons, Percy stumbles upon, with the help of Hera/Juno, Camp Jupiter. In the Roman camp, Percy joins the 5th cohort, which are the misfits of the camp, and befriends Hazel the daughter of Pluto and Frank the son of Mars, who are the biggest misfits of all. Percy and his newfound friends are soon called on a quest. Their mission is to recover the missing standard of the entire legion. They board the Pax, a small rowboat which makes up the entire Roman navy, and embark on their journey.

    Read More

  • Heracles: From the Myth to a Disney Movie

    1617 Words  | 4 Pages

    Since the days of mythological origin to the origin of pop culture, various mythological stories have been adopted and presented to newer generations. Some of these presented adaptations of mythological stories have significantly been modified in order to be deemed entertaining by audiences in a pop culture generation. Thus, my study will seek to compare mythological hero's during their time to how they have been depicted in modern day. Moreover, my study will analyze the similarities and differences between the Greek hero Heracles and his replica character, Hercules, depicted in Disney's adaptation of this myth. Although there are few similarities between the two versions, the differences between Heracles and Disney's Hercules are prominent. These differences help modern day audiences relate more easily to the characters in the story. Furthermore, the alterations have enabled a new aspect of heroism to emerge since Disney tailors it's movies towards youth who can seek valuable lessons from animated movies. Disney's choices through these alterations will be determined by focusing on the main plot, characters presented in the movie, peripheral details, and the notion of being a "true hero" that Disney presents.

    Read More

  • Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief

    3090 Words  | 7 Pages

    This is the true start to Percy’s quest. He made a few friends in the camp and they agreed to go on this journey with him. Those accompanying him were his protector Grover and Athena’s daughter Annabeth. They also get some helpful tools fro...

    Read More

  • Hector as the True Hero of Homer’s Iliad

    2380 Words  | 5 Pages

    Schein, Seth L. The Mortal Hero: An Introduction to Homer's Iliad. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1984.

    Read More

More about Analysis of Percy Jackson and the Olympians

Open Document