Last month I wrote, "According to an excellent summary I've found online (no author given), The Hero's Journey is a pattern of narrative identified by the American scholar, Joseph Campbell, that appears in drama, storytelling, myth, religious ritual and psychological development."
According to Vogler, in his book The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers (Third Edition), "In his study of world hero myths, Campbell discovered that they are all basically the same story, retold endlessly in infinite variations. He found that all story-telling, consciously or not, follows the ancient patterns of myth, and that all stories, from the crudest jokes to the highest flights of literature, can be understood in terms of the hero myth, or the "mono-myth" whose principles he lays out in his book.
"The theme of the hero myth is universal, occurring in every culture, in every time; it is as infinitely varied as the human race itself, and yet its basic form remains the same.
"The repeating characters of the hero myth such as the young hero, the wise old man or woman, the shape-shifting man or woman, and the shadowy antagonist are identical to the archetypes of the human mind, as revealed in dreams. That's why myths and stories constructed on the mythological model strike us as psychologically true.
"Such stories are true models of the workings of the human mind, true maps of the psyche. They are psychologically valid and realistic even when they portray fantastic, impossible, unreal events." (This explains the success of fantasy classics such The Lord of the Rings, and the more current crop of successful fantasy novels including The Harry Potter Series.)
"This accounts for the universal power of such stories. Stories build on the model of the hero myth have an appeal that can be felt by everyone because they spring from a universal source in the collective unconscious, and because they reflect universal concerns.
"They deal with the child-like but universal questions: Who am I? Where did I come from? Where will I go when I die? What is good, and what is evil? What must I do about it? What will tomorrow be like? Where did yesterday go? Is there anybody else out there?"
Campbell gives a condensed version of the basic hero myth. Vogler restates the basic story in twelve "story stages" organized below in three major dramatic "acts" that can be found in all stories and dramas.
Act I – Separation from the Ordinary World & The hero's decision to act.
1. Ordinary World. Most hero stories begin in the ordinary, mundane, everyday world. Think of The Wizard of Oz before the tornado. But there's often a tension going on either inside or around the main protagonist; we often detect a certain unease about the character or about something that is about to happen that allows the audience to identify with the character. The main character is often being pulled in different directions, and this causes stress that allows us the reader or viewer to identify with that character.
2. Call to Adventure. The hero is presented with a problem or challenge so pressing she or he must go on the quest. "In Star Wars, think of Princess Leia's desperate holographic message to wise, old Obi Wan Kenobi, who asks Luke to join in the quest. For example: Leia has been snatched by evil Darth Vadar. Her rescue is vital to restoring the normal balance of the universe."
3.Refusal of the Call. The hero is afraid. He turns down the call to adventure out of fear of the unknown or doubts about his capabilities. He's no hero, he's just a regular person. "At this point, Luke refuses Obi Wan's Call to Adventure, and returns to the farmhouse of his aunt and uncle, only to find they have been killed by the Emperor's storm troopers. Suddenly Luke is no longer reluctant. He is eager to undertake the adventure."
4. Meeting with the Mentor. The mentor is usually a wise old man or woman who gives the Hero valuable advice and gets him over his fears. "The Mentor may appear as a wise old wizard (Star Wars), a tough drill sergeant (An Officer and a Gentleman), or a grizzled old boxing coach (Rocky). In Jaws, it's the crusty Robert Shaw character who knows all about sharks."
5. Crossing the First Threshold. The hero commits to the adventure and crosses the first threshold. He's now committed to the adventure. Because the hero has now decided to act, this is the end of Act I. "This is the moment at which the story takes off and the adventure gets going. The balloon goes up, the romance begins, the spaceship blasts off, the wagon train gets rolling. Dorothy sets out on the Yellow Brick Road. The hero is now committed and there is no turning back."
Act II – Descent into Crisis. What happens when the hero acts?
6. Tests, Allies & Enemies. Now that the hero has gotten into action, "he encounters new challenges and Texts, makes Allies and Enemies and begins to learn the rules of the Special World." Saloons and seedy bars are good places for these scenes to happen. In Casablanca it's Rick's Café. In Star Wars, it's that bar with those crazy space aliens. We see the main character and his pals interacting with one another. Character development happens in this phase of the story, as our hero is put under stress and has to produce results."
7. Approach to the Inmost Cave. In mythology, "the hero may have to descend into hell to rescue a loved one (Orpheus), into a cave to fight a dragon and win a treasure (Sigurd in Norse myth), or into a labyrinth to confront a monster (Theseus and the Minotaur.)" In Star Wars, the Approach to the Inmost Cave is Luke Skywalker being sucked into the Death Star to face Darth Vader and rescue Princess Leia. In Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, the inmost cave is the Temple of Doom itself.
8. Central Ordeal. "Here the hero's fortunes hit bottom in a direct confrontation with his greatest fear. In the Biblical story of Jonah, it's when Jonah is "in the belly of the beast." In E.T., it's when the little guy appears to die on the operating table. "In romantic comedies the death faced by the hero may simply be the temporary death of the hero." "At this point in Beverly Hills Cop, Alex Foley has a gun pointed at his head." At this point in the story, we the viewers/readers of the story identify with the principal protagonist so closely that whatever happens to the hero seems to happen to us."
9. Reward (Seizing the sword). The Hero finally takes possession of what she or he has been questing after. "In Star Wars, Luke rescues Princess Leia and captures the plans of the Death Star, keys to defeating Darth Vadar."
Act III – Return. How does the Hero integrate new understandings about life and what is important about life into his or her personality or psychology?
10.The road back. "Our Hero isn't done yet. He must confront the dark forces of the Ordeal. If the Hero hasn't reconciled with the Gods, they may come screaming after him or her. The best chase scenes spring up at this point of the story. For example, "Luke and Leia are furiously pursued by Darth Vader as they escape the Death Star."
11. Resurrection. "The hero who has been in the realm of the dead must be reborn and cleansed in one last Ordeal of death and Resurrection before returning back to the Ordinary World of the living. Axel Foley in Beverly Hills Cop once again faces death at the hands of the villain but is rescued by the intervention of the Beverly Hills Police Force. Axel Foley emerges as a more complete human being."
12. Return with the Elexir. The hero returns to the Ordinary World, but making it meaningful means bring with him or her, some elixir, treasure or lesson from the Special World. "Dorothy returns to Kansas with the knowledge that she is loved. E.T. returns home with the experience of friendship with humans. Luke Skywalker defeats Darth Vader and restores peace and order to the galaxy. Sometimes the Elixir is treasure won on the quest, but it may be love, freedom, wisdom or the knowledge that the Special World exists and can be survived."
So, this is the 12-step mythical, archetypal story that creates a strong connection with the reader's or, in the case of a movie, the viewer's heart.
Can it also be applied to a literary fiction novel in a way that is highly original? Can it cause the reader to engage with the fiction without necessarily being aware of the hero journey achetype? Absolutely. But it takes a writer who comes to this archetypal story with his or her independent view of story, not someone trying to copy this 12-step formula.
In my view, there's something extremely elemental, ineluctable, and involving about these archetypal myths. When handled correctly, hero-journey stories create page-turners readers cannot put down and movie-goers are compelled to see. Next month I'll discuss the various kinds of heroes and storytelling archetypes.
