Symbolism In The Belly Of The Whale

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Henceforth, the next substep in the trials is The Belly of the Whale. Most of the time being in the belly of the whale is symbolic for when the hero faces their deepest fear when they are deep into the journey. When the hero is facing that fear, evil, or a source of despair, the hero is in the belly of the whale. Sometimes this stage can be literal and the hero may be in an actual belly of a whale, but generally speaking this stage is symbolic. Also, the darkness and sadness experiences by the grief that the parents feel is another example of being in the belly of the whale. A Sacred Marriage is also experienced in the hero 's journey. A special connection with another character can symbolically represent a sacred marriage between the hero and the other individual. The marriage may also be an actual marriage between the hero and someone else, but it is most often a symbolic unity between two spirits. An example of a symbolic unity between souls is the sacred marriage between Jack with Jean, Barbara, and Martin. An example of a literal sacred marriage is the marriage between the husband and wife in "Do Not Go Gentle". To represent the tranformation of the hero, the abandonment of the hero 's previous life …show more content…

This is when the hero is looked upon as a idealized, or god like figure by the people that he was serving due to his purpose of going on the journey. Throughout the whole movie Jack was looked at as an idol and the protector. This is clearly represented at the end of the movie when the students and members of the reservation all stand up to praise him as he is taken to the jail. The captain in "O Captain My Captain" was praised by the people who were waiting for him on the shores and this praise show an idealized look upon the captain. Therefore, these are two examples of the hero experiencing the apotheosis stage in the hero 's

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