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jbrentonparker · 5 years

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Plotting Method #5: The Hero’s Journey

Uuuugh I’ve put off doing a write about about this one because it’s long and I’m lazy. But one of my new year’s resolutions is to quit being such a lazy ass, so here I am. Lucky you.

Okay, THE HERO’S JOURNEY. Hero myths can be found in mythology in virtually every culture, throughout human history.Many, many many many, of these hero tales follow similar structures and deal with similar themes; so much so that Joseph Campbell eventually described the hero myth pattern in his 1949 work “The Hero with a Thousand Faces”, outline the steps that are so often seen repeated in the Hero’s Journey across time and cultures.

Of course, The Hero’s Journey isn’t some universal standard for hero myths, and there are many myths that don’t follow the pattern at all, or that only encompass a few of the “steps”, or incorporate the steps in different orders. It is just that Campbell and other historians and anthropologists noticed broad degrees of similarity in themes and narrative structure that often crop up in epic tales involving heros and the supernatural.

Similar plot structures are very popular in certain genres of fiction: modern myth (obviously; though inverting the structure and themes is just as popular as following them); epic fantasy; sword-and-sorcery fantasy; some high fantasy; space operas (Star Wars is a classic example); and epic sci-fi. It also pops up in quite a bit of classic literature. Think “Great Expectations” by Charles Dickens, or “Jane Eyre” by Charlotte Brontë, which involve characters suffering in a way that inspires goals and motivation, eventually going off on wild journeys where they face temptations that they must resist in order to achieve those goals; facing the “Dark Night of the Soul” where all seems lost; and finally achieving those goals and completing the hero cycle.

No quick rundown today, I’ll be jumping right into a detailed overview since there is so much to cover. You’ll notice many parallels to the Freytag pyramid, as the subject of most Greek plays are hero myths, and to the 3 Act Structure, which is itself as adaption of Freytag’s pyramid. The Hero’s Journey, however, is the most complex and detailed of the narrative structures, with seventeen (!!) parts in Campbell’s version (less in other version of the same concept, but I’ll be basing this off Campbell’s work, and leave the option to scale back, rearrange, and cut down to you). So buckle up, it’s going to be a long ride.

The Hero’s Journey

ACT I: DEPARTURE Five major plot point are found in Act 1. They are as follows: The Call to Adventure: The hero begins in a state of everyday normalcy, but receives information that calls them into the unknown. The call itself can take a while to manifest. Frodo isn’t compelled to leave the shire until almost seventy pages into the “The Fellowship of the Rings”. Other times, it can happen fairly quickly. In “The Hobbit” (which is a children’s book, while The Lord of the Rings is not), Bilbo receives his call to adventure about ten pages in. On the other hand, in Beowulf, we receive a few lines about who Beowulf is, and then the story shifts almost immediately to the situation with Grendel and Hrothgar. We, the reader (listener originally, but few people are introduced to Beowulf orally these days) travel with Hrothgar to find Beowulf and to present him with the Call, rather than the narrative starting with our hero as is the custom with many Greek Myths. The Refusal of the Call: In many (not all) hero myths, once the hero has been presented with the call, the resist. They don’t want to abandon everything and go on some crazy adventure, they are content the way things are (Bilbo). Or, perhaps, they are too frightened (Frodo), or they feel obligated to remain where they are out of duty (Luke Skywalker). Again, these plot points aren’t set in stone. Beowulf does not refuse the call when Hrothgar begs him for assistance in defeating the monster Grendel. It does, however, add interesting characterization and depth to motivations when your hero is forced into a situation they don’t want to be in. How a character deals with a situation they’ve been thrust into against their will will speak volumes on its own. Meeting the Mentor: Once the hero is embroiled in the quest, by choice or against their will, the wise, often magical, mentor will appear to help guide the hero along the way. The mentor will often give the hero tools or talismans that will aid them on their quest. This step is where you find the most variation in the ordering of these plot points. In Sailor Moon, Luna’s appearance combines “Meeting the Mentor” and “Call to Adventure” into one event. As does The Hobbit with Gandalf. In The Lord of the Rings, you could make a strong argument that Lady Galadriel serves as the Mentor if you look at the trilogy as a whole, giving the hobbits sage advice, firming their resolve to pursue the quest, and providing them with magical gifts that save their lives on more than one occasion. And she doesn’t appear until the very end of Fellowship, after Gandalf (unquestionably the Mentor in The Hobbit) has been lost. In Star Wars, Luke meets Obi Wan and receives with “magic talisman” (his lightsaber) after his Call to Adventure, but before his Refusal of the Call. The order laid out by Campbells is more often followed in classic Greek myths than in modern version of the hero’s journey, wherein the hero, such as Perseus, have already accepted and set out on their quests before their Mentor, often gods such as Hermes and Athena in the Perseus myth, makes an appearance and provide their magical gifts. Crossing the First Threshold: The hero finally leaves the world he knew before completely and utterly. He has officially left his old life behind in pursuit of his quest and, this is important, stepped into the unknown. For Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin, this is when they leave Bree with Stryder (Aragorn). They’ve well and truly left the world of Hobbits behind, from that point on, no one they encounter has ever even heard of hobbits before. From that point on, the dangers they face become much more serious. Oh sure, the Black Riders pursued them in the Old Forest, but at Weathertop, their attack leaves Frodo mortally wounded. When they make it to Rivendell, it is a place of the utmost difference to the sleepy little world of the Shire they left behind. For Luke Skywalker, he gets into a spaceship and leaves his actual, physical world behind. You can’t get much more literal than that. The hero has left, the dangers are more serious than ever before, and usually, going back isn’t an option. Belly of the Whale: And this is the moment, right after Crossing the First Threshold, where things usually go tits up for the first time. If Crossing the Threshold for Frodo is leaving Bree, the Belly of the Whale is getting stabbed on Weathertop by the Nazgûl. This is the hero’s first test, their first trial. Instead of leaving their old life behind with their held held high and full of pluck, they are immediately knocked down. This is when their commitment to their quest is seriously tested for the first time, and they are forced to show their willingness to transform, change, and overcome their own weaknesses to pursue their goals. They are metaphorically “killed” by this challenge; but are reborn when they get back up, more determined to complete their quest. It is right around this point that the hero begins collecting allies (see: Han Solo and Chewbacca).

ACT II: INITIATION Act 2 has six parts. There are as follows: The Road of Trials: Of course, the hero isn’t done facing trials yet. And the Belly of the Whale is only a trial of conviction. For the rest the hero will face, they will have to be an active agent. The hero needs to change, but in order to begin their transformation from Zero to Hero (see: my second favorite song in Disney’s Hercules), they need to face a series of trials that puts them to the test, physically and emotionally. More often than not, these come in threes, and they fail one or all of them. During these trials, the hero continues collecting allies (see: Princess Leia). This takes up most of the story. Now, this is where things get weird/confusing depending on what version of the Hero’s Journey you are looking at. Campbell’s version continues on with Meeting with the Goddess, which is like reiteration of the Mentor: a wise, powerful, often female character appears, bearing more gifts to help the hero on their way. If you look at “The Fellowship of the Ring” on it’s own (rather than as part of a whole with the next two books), this would be the meeting with Galadriel. Next, for Campbell, comes Woman as Temptress, in which a character, often female in true myths, uses lust to try to sway the hero from his quest. See Circe, who keeps Odysseus and his men on her island for years, and later, in a similar vein, the Lotus Eaters who do the same. In modern hero’s journey stories, the same idea of temptation to abandon the quest frequently appears, though at what point in the narrative varies greatly. For Frodo, it’s when he arrives as Rivendell, and the burden of the Ring is technically off his shoulders. For poor Sailor Moon, it’s literally every single time a monster appear and she just wants to abandon her duty and go back to a normal, peaceful life as a carefree teenager. For Luke, he’s briefly tempted by the power of the darkside Campbell follows with Atonement of the Father/the Abyss, which is the moment the hero must confront the thing which holds the most control or power over his life at the moment (usually facing the conflict). They must face it head on (though usually in a metaphorical way, as a lead up to preparing to confront it physically in the climax). This moment is famously represented when Luke literally gains atonement for his father and the antagonist, Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker, calling him back from the darkside. Next comes Apotheosis, the moment the hero reaches a state of clarity. The ultimate challenge is coming up, and the hero knows what they must do. They have a greater understanding of the situation and of themselves. They have been made wiser by their experiences, and now, finally, they know how to use that wisdom to their advantage. This is the moment after the beloved sidekick dies tragically in the main characters arms, when the main character lies their friend gently on the ground and then rises to their feet, steely eyes with fists clenched after shedding a single tear, and you know some serious ass is about to be kicked. See pretty much any episode of Dragon Ball Z. And now we finally have our Ultimate Boon! This is the achievement of the quest, usually in the form of a success after a dramatic climax. The antagonist is overcome, the macguffin is claimed, the throne is won, the Death Star is destroyed, the Ring is cast into the fires of Mt. Doom. And here’s the most important part of all of this, every step listed above: every single step is vital in preparing the hero for this moment. Without the challenges, successes, and failures that the hero faced before, they would not be ready or able to achieve their goal. They have learned something, gained something, or released something in every step that has shaped them into what they are by the end of their quest and made them capable of seeing it through to the end.

Now, here’s the dealio. Campbell’s “Temptress, Atonement, Apotheosis, Boon” stages are classic, but really focused on actual real mythologic heroic epics. They are based off common themes in stories that are thousands of years old, from cultures whose value and views don’t always aligned with contemporary ones. And most modern epics tend to stray pretty far from these steps, as they just don’t quite apply so neatly in our modern narratives. So if “Atonement of the Father” just doesn’t make sense in the context of your story, dont’ worry about it, here are the modern equivalents, listed by Christopher Vogler in 2007:

Tests, Allies, and Enemies: The equivalent of “The Road of Trials”. The same thing, essentially. The hero gains new allies, meets their enemies for the first time face to face, and must face a series of tests which they usually fail to “forge them in the heat of battle”, if you will. Approach to the Innermost Cave: The Hero must approach and enter the place of danger. Luke, Han, Chewbacca, and Obi Wan must sneak into the Death Star to rescue Leia. Sam and Frodo must make their way into the heart of Mordor with Golem’s aid. Sailor Moon and the Sailor Scouts must face Queen Beryl in her own lair. Beowulf descends in the lair of Grendel’s mother. And this is the key: the hero isn’t playing on their own home turf. The antagonist has the upperhand, this is their realm. The Ordeal: Usually the climax. The Hero must face a final, and ultimate test. They must rely on the skills and knowledge they have gained through the rest of their journey to see them through, and to achieve their quest. This is the struggle itself, Frodo being overcome by the ring on the edge of Mt. Doom; the actual process of rescuing Leia and the challenges they face in doing so; The Battle of the Five Armies. Reward/Seizing the Sword: Now we come back around to “The Ultimate Boon”. This is the hero’s moment of success. Luke, Chewy, and Han flee with Leia. The ring is cast into the mountain and Sauron is toppled. The Sorcerer’s stone is saved, Garfield gets his lasagna. The goal of the quest is achieved.

Back to Campbell’s version. Now comes: ACT III: THE RETURN The third and final act has six parts. There are as follows: The Refusal of the Return: The Hero is enlightened. He has found success, even fame. He’s a big fish now, and his old life, his old world, seems like a very small pond. Sometimes, the hero will not want to return to the way things were, and to bring his wisdom back to those he left behind. You see this most often in YA contemporary urban fantasy, in which a teenage girl is swept up in a world of magic and adventure, and, when given the option to return to her old ordinary, non-magical life at the end, she refuses, unwilling to go back. This does not always manifest. The Magic Flight: Sometimes, the moment the prize is won is a moment of extreme danger. Sometimes the hero must flee immediately, lest they be killed by an antagonist who has not been defeated. Perseus beheads Medusa, but he quite literally take a magic flight away with his boon (Medusa’s head) using the winged shoes given to him by Hermes as Medusa’s gorgon sisters come after him. Again, this scene is not present in every hero’s journey. Rescue from Without: Sometimes, the hero is in such a state that they cannot return to their old world on their own. Outside help need to come to their aid, to get them back to the world they knew. Return of the King is a great example of this. Frodo and Sam lay, exhausted and dying, on a rock surrounded by lava flow after destroying the ring. They need to be rescued by the eagles to return to a state of safety. The Crossing of the Return Threshold: But no matter how they do it, unwillingly, in a madcap flight, or with outside help, the hero must return from the world of adventure, to the everyday world. They don’t necessarily need to return to their original starting point, but they need to step out of the state of “quest”. The most important point here is that when they return, they return with all the knowledge and wisdom they have gained on their journey. At this point, they should be qualified to be the Mentor in the quest of the next generation. They should be able to become a part of ordinary life again, and maybe share their wisdom with others. The Master of Two Worlds: This is the hero actually doing just that. They have seen so much, done so much. They have lived in an ordinary, mundane world, and they have lived in one full of magic and adventure and danger. Ideally, by the end of their journey, they feel comfortable and confident in both. A young hero returns to a village where he was once an outcast, but now feels no reason to fear his old bullies as he had grown stronger and wiser. Bilbo Baggins returns to the Shire laden with treasure and bitten by the adventure bug, but lives quite comfortably in his hobbit hole writing his book in between the travels he makes. This isn’t just in reference to their physical state, thought. The hero also strikes a balance between the inner world, and the outer world. The material world, and the spiritual one. The hero is at peace with themself, is confident in themself and their abilities and knowledge. They are no longer plagued by fear, self doubt, uncertainty, even the fear of death, which they have faced and conquered. They are in control of their physical world, and their inner one. Freedom to Live: The hero has faced death. They have lost those close to them. They have nearly lost themselves. They have had to accept the fact that they may die, that they probably will die, and yet they have chosen to go forward anyways, to pursue their goals or die trying. They no longer fear death, and in that freedom of one of the most basic and deepest mortal fears, they have gained the freedom to truly live, unfettered by “what ifs”. They’ve already seen the worst, and it didn’t keep them down.

Vogler has a slightly different version of “The Return”, which includes only three steps: The Road Back: The hero starts his journey back home. Something usually stops him or prevents him--there is one more thing that must be done. The Resurrection: The hero is reborn in some way. They find the strength to make one final push, to believe in themself, to believe in the force, or the Schwartz, or whatever. Speaking of the Schwartz, this is the scene where Lone Starr gets his money and leaves Princess Vespa on Druidia, only to find out that he is actually a prince and can marry her after all, pulling the Winnebago around with his confidence regained for a zero-hour confession of love. The Return with the Elixir: The hero had achieves the goal of the quest and has the thing that was needed to save the day (or in the case of LotR, got rid of the thing). Luke returns after blowing up the Death Star with the knowledge that the rebels will continue fighting. Conan the Barbarian probably brought some magic sword back to his kingdom or something in one of his many movies that made him a stronger king. Bilbo returns with his 1/14th of the treasure. The quest is well and truly completed.

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