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Heroine

As you can probably guess, Rey is my chosen heroine, though I would argue that Finn is have a similar hero's journey, so I may mention it at times, or maybe I'll just write up a quick thing at the end for him. But the story is built around Rey and it's her journey that drives the story forward.

Plot Summary

A brief summary of the story primarily follows Rey, who is trying to learn who she is, but also follows the burgeoning conflict between the Rebellion, and the First Order. This is a sequel to two previous movie trilogies, so the First Order is actually elements of the Galactic Empire that had fallen, and is now trying to rebuild. And as mentioned, Rey is an orphan who ends up working with the Rebellion, trying to discover where she came from and who she is, as well as learning to manage her discovered jedi talents.

Departure

Call to Adventure - Rey's Call begins with a feeling of discontent as she returns from a scavenging job, feeling a bit stuck, but also holding out hope of her parents finding her. It's made into a full call by the droid BB-8, whom she rescues from others at the scavenging camp, and who also introduces her to Finn. The final aspect of this call to adventure is the literal attack on the camp by the First order, which compels our ragtag group to escape.

Refusal of the Call - This is a repeated motif throughout the middle of the movie, tied back to the hope of her parents. She's afraid of leaving Jakku and missing their return, and keeps insisting throughout her adventures here that she has to go back. It's not until the end of the first film that she fully accepts the call.

Supernatural Aid - There are actually two in a way. Our primary one is Han Solo. It's his ship they steal to escape, And he's the one who supply Rey with a blaster (that she uses off and on for the rest of the films), and also knowledge about the resistance, about Luke, about the Force. Much of this was myths to Rey, who tries not to get embroiled into it. However, Maz that runs the cantina that they come to on the planet Takodana, also provides supernatural aid. It's here that Rey makes true contact with the Force and where she is provided (but refuses) a lightsaber.

Crossing the Threshold - I argue that this gets mixed in with Belly of the Whale, but for simplicity, we'll focus on Takodana. It's a physical crossing, as it's the first time Rey has ever been off the planet Jakku, but it's also a spiritual crossing. It's here that she makes contact with the Force, and even has visions of the past and future. But she refuses the call again, even running off this time. Which ends up leading to her capture. 

Belly of the Whale - It is during her capture and her following escape, that Rey is fully thrusted into the story. First, she ends up utilizing the Force to make her escape She also uses it some in the fight with Kylo Ren, who she ends up defeating enough to make him retreat. But there is also a Star Wars tradition that the first magical helper dies, which also propels our hero forward. It is continued here with the death of Han Solo by Kylo Ren. It forces Rey to recognize that she needs to be involved, and more importantly, needs to learn how to use the Force fully. When Rey chooses to move on again, it's not to Jakku, it's to another planet, where she connects with Luke. And here, is where our first film ends. 

P.S. I mentioned a source I'm utilizing the breakdown from this article, but I'm also rewatching parts of the films to see if I agree with their assessments.