“A million girls would kill for your job” (Frankel, The Devil Wears Prada), is repeatedly drummed into dowdily dressed Andy, newbie to the fashion industry. She takes up the job purely for status, and endures her impossible boss; Miranda. Like many others, her path to enlightenment can be compared to ancient hero myths such as Perseus and Hercules. They all follow a series of steps, which Joseph Campbell demonstrates in his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces, in 1949. Her journey can be followed through Joseph Campbell’s model of a hero’s journey, which traces the development and growth of the archetypal hero from their hesitant beginnings to their enlightened endings. Elements of a hero’s journey are found in the movie “The Devil Wears Prada,” as Andy departs into the frivolous fashion world for a job, is initiated through a series of trying tasks, and finally returns back to her regular life with a greater understanding of moral justice.
After quickly refusing the job as an assistant to Miranda Priestly, Andy eventually accepts it, and is thrown into despair until she finds aid in Nigel, another employee. Andy is furious when Miranda dismisses her abruptly with “That’s all” (Frankel, The Devil Wears Prada) during her job interview. Her uneasiness towards the superficial fashion industry causes her to run away from the job. Although she believes working with Miranda would greatly elevate her status so that one day she would be able to work for a big newspaper company, her uneasiness of the fashion industry causes her to not take the leap of faith. She also believes she is above something as trivial as fashion, and strives to hold onto that thought with a stubborn zeal that doesn’t allow for compromises. Like many who have just...
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..., she is free to live however she wants, without fearing criticism and being looked down on by others.
Andy’s journey to becoming a hero can be traced through three pivotal parts: departing into the superficial fashion world, being initiated through a series of tests and roadblocks, and finally returning with a greater sense of right and wrong. As Andy learned, no material object is worth compromising one’s beliefs and morals, and the same lessons can be applied to day to day life. Just because someone is powerful does not mean they should abuse their power by pushing others around. No matter what, hold on to morals, because they are the one thing that separates human beings from savages. Realize that life is a journey, not a race, and that everyone travels to a different beat. It is okay to follow another beat, but never fine to hold in contempt someone else’s.
In movies, novels, and life, people are named as heroes. The heroes we establish and the heroes we recognize, however, may not meet the criteria for a mythic hero. A mythic hero ventures forth on his journey, and comes forth from the hero’s path to greatness. Joseph Campbell, a mythologist who studied many of the great human myths and religious tales, realized, in studying these myths and tales, that there were certain steps that every hero went through. Campbell called this “The Hero’s Journey”; it is based on Carl Jung's idea that all human beings have an archetype. After Campbell studied a lot of the great myths and realized this pattern, he published his findings in his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Ever since then, authors have used “The Hero’s Journey” as an outline to tell their stories. “It is important to note that not all of these individual steps are present in every hero’s tale, nor is it important that they be in this exact order” (Vogler 20). The Hero with a Thousand Faces gives a sense of significance as it looks into the inner mind and soul. The author, Joseph Campbell, performs two extraordinary accomplishments: compelling his readers that myth and dream, those are the most effective and everlasting forces in life and a unification of mythology and psychoanalysis with a gripping narrative. One well-known example of “The Hero’s Journey” from popular culture is the Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, by J.K. Rowling. In the novel, Harry Potter, the main character, is the chosen one and “The Hero’s Journey” applies to his life from the moment he is attacked by He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named as a baby.
In “Creating the Myth,” Linda Seger outlines the essential aspects that make up the hero myth, and why movies that follow this outline are generally successful. In her analysis, she begins with the idea that every hero myth revolves around a hero who is called upon to accomplish a feat that nobody else in the story is able to do. The hero’s journey begins with an unlikely person being called upon to serve a purpose greater than themselves. Along their journey, the hero is influenced by several archetypical characters that either help the hero, or try to deter the hero from accomplishing their task. The hero’s journey ends when they have accomplished their task, and in doing so, become a greater person than what they were in the beginning. A film that found tremendous success by following this outline was “Kung Fu Panda.”
right to express what she feels, and fights for her right to do what she wants
Heroes play a critical role in society. Joseph Campbell’s Monomyth explores the archetype of a hero as well as its necessities to society. In a hero’s journey, the hero will always return changed after being away for a long time. The archetypal hero in Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game, a work of science fiction, is Ender Wiggin. Shakespeare, Lord of the Rings, by Tolkien, and Beowulf, mirrors the traits that Ender portrays in Macbeth. By displaying acts of selfishness, extreme violence, and being egotistical, a hero, no matter and previous act, society no longer considers the a hero, a hero. Through the societal damage resulting from these acts, heroes show their true worth to society.
“The Hero’s Journey.” Ariane Publications, 1997. Course handout. AS English I. Dept. of English, Woodside High School. 26 October 2013.
Yann Martel’s “Life of Pi” shows all three of the main elements of a hero’s journey: the departure, initiation and the return, helping the story to greatly resemble Joseph Campbell’s structure of a hero’s journey. Through the trials Pi has to face, he proves himself to be a true hero. He proves himself, not just while trapped on the lifeboat with Richard Parker, but also before the sinking of the Tsimtsum. His achievement to fulfill the heroic characteristics of Campbell’s model are evident as he goes though the three stages.
In conclusion, in every short story the main character is challenging or going against the world in many ways. Whether it 's by challenging the Law, Themselves, or society. Everyone has something they have to prove and they try their best to live life the way they want without regrets at the end of the day. Each one has a lesson behind it that you can relate to one way or another. Everyone’s
Whether it is straying from a religious upbringing or a personality type, many characters have the internal struggle that goes beyond the story’s central struggle of the hero. Discovering one’s identity is a universal struggle that can be utilized to expose a humane side to a character or draw a reader to make a personal connection with a story. By understanding a Diamond’s and Reagan’s internal struggles, one receives a deeper understanding for the humanity of the mythic
Holmes, Thomas. “The hero’s journey: an inquiry-research model. Jun 2007, vol 34 issue 5, p19-22.4p. 1 Diagram
When reading a novel or watching a movie, the audience often looks for a guiding light; a character that steps up to take the lead when all hope is lost. It is not uncommon for that beacon of hope to be a complete stereotype, all too often, the hero of the day is a strong, virile, ruggedly handsome man, but what if he was not? What if he was just an average man, or not even a man at all, but a woman or a child? When reading fiction, the imagination is allowed to run wild, painting vivid pictures interwoven with personal life experiences, relatable to the characters in the novels and to one’s own life experiences. The most memorable content of both The Road, by Cormac McCarthy, and World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War, by Max Brooks, leaves a lasting impression due to strong lead characters, their resolve to survive, no matter what obstacles may wind up in their paths, and the simple truth that they are human and flawed, but still resilient and willing to push forward as an example to others, both in the novel and in the target audience.
Joseph Campbell defines a hero as “someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself” (Moyers 1). The Hero’s Journey consists of three major parts: the separation, the initiation, and the return. Throughout a character’s journey, they must complete a physical or spiritual deed. A physical deed involves performing a daunting and courageous act that preserves the well-being of another person. A spiritual deed calls for action that improves another individual’s state of mind.
... persistence when attempting to garner funds for the prison library demonstrates his belief in hope humanity. Andy utilizes his power to bring about positive ethical changes for the entire prison. This again demonstrates how the ethical positions of a leader have relational consequences upon the actions of their followers.
Every child has fantasy's of being a super hero and leaping tall buildings in a single bound or staring death in the face everyday and somehow finding a way to escape. All of these imaginative thoughts have been derived from the past literary works by the great writers of the early American literary period. These early writers entered society into a world of action and adventure, where one can see spectacular events unfolding through the eyes of a notorious man of courage and feel as though they are defending there country or saving the woman they love. Though the modern heroes are much more
The image of the pure girl who sacrifices herself for the sake of another seems very positive at first glance. However, this figure perpetuates the notion that girls should be selfless; rather than portray selflessness as a desirable characteristic for any morally upright human being, it is portrayed as a suitable characteristic for women. The female is supposedly the moral center of society, so she is the character who sacrifices herself for others. The martyr figure is a role model for all good girls to follow, while boys have brave heroes to look up to.
There is another type of hero that almost no one is aware of. In the poorest areas of the country, live mostly minorities and other ethic background. All their lives they’ve been expected to work harder and expected not succeed in life. Some individuals living in poverty with a determination to succeed work hard all of their lives to become what everybody doubted they could. Escaping the crime, drugs, and prostitution is enough to escape hell, even if they don’t go to college. Despite of their financial problems, drug and crime surroundings, or difficulties in the language skills, their desire to triumph fuels their persistence. Those who make it to success are the few living examples of the purest form of hero anyone can be. They are not only their own heroes but also the heroes of the poor children who dream of becoming like them someday.