The Hero's Journey

 Joseph Campbell, an American mythological researcher, wrote a famous book entitled The Hero with a Thousand Faces.  In his lifelong research Campbell discovered many common patterns running through hero myths and stories from around the world.  Years of research lead Campbell to discover several basic stages that almost every hero-quest goes through (no matter what culture the myth is a part of).  He calls this common structure “the monomyth.” It is commonly referred to as "The Hero's Journey." It can also be be referred to as a quest.

This quest is a journey that a hero takes in order to achieve a goal or complete an important task. It is one of the oldest narrative frameworks in literature, and has proven the test of time because it is not uncommon today to see the latest TV show, movie, video game, or novel following the same structure.

As critical readers of literature, it is important for us to trace the progression of a plot in a story in order to help us make meaning of a text. Once we understand a story, we are then able to draw conclusions about the text and have the ability to make connections between the text and the larger world. It is one way for us to more deeply analyze literature.

All quests contain at least these 3 characteristics: 

• A hero

• A journey 

• A goal

At its most basic level, all quests include the three characteristics of - a hero, a journey, and a goal. However, there can be additional similarities throughout quest stories if they are following the traditional framework. When analyzing a story in order to determine if it fits into the quest framework, examine the progression of the plot to include these three major stages of the hero’s journey: 

• the Separation 

  • • At the beginning of quests, the hero is residing in his/her ordinary world when he/she experiences the “call to adventure.” Most of the time, the hero will show apprehension and hesitation before eventually accepting this “call” that is presented during this first stage of the quest. Often another character will offer some "assistance". This is the hero’s literal mission or journey for the story. 

• the Initiation 

  • • Once the hero is fully on the journey and has crossed the threshold into a more unfamiliar world, he/she will experience a “road of trials” or challenges that will be a test of heroic ability. It is during this stage that the hero will experience the most intense challenge, or “ordeal”, which will prove if he/she is a true hero and worthy of the reward. 

• the Return

  • • After the hero’s most intense ordeal, he/she must journey back to the ordinary world and bring with him/her the reward. It is at this stage that the hero realizes that “real purpose of the quest” which is much deeper and more important than the reward. Many times the real purpose for the quest is because the hero is searching for his/her identity, true love, self-knowledge, or for a deeper discovery about humankind.

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