Are All HERO stories the SAME? | The Hero’s Journey | Joseph Campbell
SAME SHOW, DIFFERENT VARIANTS?
Many of us have been captivated the stories of Luke Skywalker, Harry Potter, Bilbo and Frodo Baggins, Katnis Everdeen, Avatar Aang, and many other adventure story protagonists. Would it be crazy if someone tells you that they’re all the same show?
And by that, I mean that these modern shows all have the same essential story elements. Elements that are also present in Ancient Myths and Stories.
Joseph Campbell & The Hero’s Journey
This is where the American Literature Professor and Writer, Mr. Joseph Campbell, steps in with his theory. During his years of travelling and studying myths, religions and cultures of people all around the world, Mr. Campbell noticed a pattern when it comes to hero stories. A template that can be used to describe the departure, trials and return of many champions and protagonists. The Monomyth or The Hero’s Journey. A Theory that claims that all traditional myths and legends are variants of a single great story.
THE HERO'S JOURNEY
Joseph Campbell’s works influenced many great writers and filmmakers such as George Lucas and Dan Harmon.
Joseph Campbell was describing ancient myths and traditional stories in his book but In this video, we’ll examine if his Theory can also apply to TV shows, Movies and modern fictional stories that we are watching today.
Also, the template we will be using today will rely heavily on the American screenwriter Christopher Vogler’s version of The Hero’s Journey, inspired by Joseph Campbell’s book, The Hero With a Thousand Faces, of course, because I think this is more tailored to fit modern adventure shows and I found it easier to approach this topic if I adapt from Vogler’s template.
Vogler's take on Campbell's The Hero's Journey
image credits: https://chrisjonesblog.com/2017/05/christopher-vogler-and-the-heros-journey-the-outline-archetypes-and-mythical-memo.html
Before we continue, just wanna let you know that this video may contain spoilers for the following shows. This video is also just my personal interpretation of The Hero’s Journey, so please take all my words with a graint of salt. Avatar: the Last Airbender, Black Panther, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, Harry Potter, Hunger Games and Game of Thrones. If you’re willing to take the risk, we’ll be moving forward in our journey.
If you’re an aspiring writer or if you just want to deepen your understanding regading the many shows you’re watching right now, join me as we go through the different sections of the Hero’s Journey. In this analysis, we will also use examples from different shows so we can examine and understand the concept better. And later on, we’ll be answering the question I posed earlier: Are they all the SAME show? And is there a benefit for us regular humans to understand this concept?
From the Known World
A. Departure
1. Ordinary World – The Status Quo
We start our journey in the ordinary world, taking notice of the status quo.
The everyday life of the hero, way before embarking on the journey. The world they’re living in could be at peace or it could be one that is messed up. This is where the story shows us whether the hero is content or not content with everything that is happening.
If the everyday life of the hero is boring, now it’s time to spice things up…
2. Call to Adventure - Trigger
The Call to Adventure scene is where the Hero receives a news or warning about something bad that is about to happen and the only way to prevent it is by taking up a mission or a challenge.
The announcement of his Avatar status is basically Aang’s first call to adventure in becoming a fully realized Avatar. A future threat of war was looming and the Air Nomads decided to announce Aang’s destiny to be their savior and protector way before he turned the right age of 16. The 12 year old’s quest will be to master all four elements to be strong enough to prevent the rumoured invasion of the Fire Nation.
If the heroes are living in a world threatened by tyranny and chaos, a future remedy might convince them to take up the challenge. A make the world-a-better-place kind of deal.
For Harry Potter who was living in a world that is cruel to him, his call to adventure moment arrived when he received that letter from Hogwarts. Taking up that offer would remove him from the Dursleys for the most part of the year. It would also help him discover everything about his past and his true identity.
In here, we’re not just talking about threats, the hero could also be enticed to take the quest if there is a very good reward at the very end.
3. Refusal of the Call
In some cases, they heroes might think they’re not worthy or up to the task. Some of them might already be comfortable in the safety of their home, like how Bilbo Baggins was at the start of the Hobbit, initially refusing Gandalf’s invitation to join them in their quest, thinking that a Hobbit has no place in the dangerous world outside of the Shire.
When Aang received the news of him being the Avatar, he was reluctant to commit to his destiny, for he was too young to understand and carry the weight of his appointed duty. So when things got very emotionally difficult, at first, he decided to run away from his destiny.
4. Meeting the Mentor. Supernatural Aid
When the hero finally accepts the challenge, they will need the guidance of a Supernatural Ally. A mage, a professional, a seasoned veteran, someone who knows what it’s like to be on the front lines.
For Luke Skywalker, it’s Obi Wan. For Katniss Everdeen, it’s Haymitch, for Frodo and Bilbo Baggins, it’s Gandalf. And for Aang, it’s probably Avatar Roku and the strong benders he would meet along the way.
5. Crossing the First Threshold into the Unknown
When the Heroes have finally commited to the challenge, with the guide and instructions from their allies and supernatural helpers, they would then have leave their comfort zone to cross the First Threshold into the Unknown World where everything is unfamiliar and extremely dangerous.
On the entrance, the team might encounter gatekeepers and powerful guardians that would test whether or not they’re ready to press deeper into the Unknown territory.
To the Unkown World
B. Initiation
6. The Road of Trials – Tests, Allies and Enemies
Now that they’re in the Unknown World, the Heroes will face back to back trials that will hinder them in their path. This could take the form of the Assassins sent by their enemies, a division of Stormtroopers or a horde of Orcs marching to invade the strongholds where our heroes are lodged. Monsters, Dungeons, Tournaments, Trap Doors. The road our Heroes will have to take will be The Road of Trials. This is where they will encounter new enemies, and even meet good friends that will help them in fulfilling their quest. They will have to use their Lightsabers, their invisibility cloak, and the other Powerful Items, mostly provided to them by their Supernatural Helper, in order to survive in their harsh new environment. And as they descend deeper into the unknown, the stakes in their journey will only get higher and the challenges and dangers will only become worse.
In this section, the heroes might be tempted to abadon the quest in pursuit of the pleasures or desires offered to them by the world or by another alluring character.
7. Approach To The Inmost Cave - Moment of Reflection
From what I understood, this moment of quiet is reserved as the Hero prepares for the Final Battle. This is when the hero asks oneself the real questions. Facing doubts and fears. Reflecting on what happened all throughout the journey, in a calm before the storm fashion. Understanding the impact of the upcoming major battle and its effects on the known and unknown world. The quiet in this section would also amp up the emotional tension and struggle the main character has for the upcoming big struggle.
Before Aang confronted the Fire Lord, he first had a moment for himself to reflect and meditate on everything. He then had a conversation with his past lives, talking about the morality of the deed that he had to do.
Atonement with the Father – In this section, the heroes will have to look deep within themselves, overcoming their inner demons, to have a renewed understanding and heightened awareness of their situation before they approach the great conflicts that are inevitable in their path.
8. Ordeal (Boss Battle, Kinda) and *11. Ressurection (Belly of the Whale)
These are two separate sections in Vogler’s version but in this Video, we will be looking at them simultaneously since my deviation would fit the next story examples we will be using.
The Ordeal section is the part where heroes face one of their biggest challenges, the boss battle, often in a winner takes all, do-or-die-situation.
For T’Challa in Black Panther, it’s his first battle and second battle with Killmonger and his return to reclaim his throne in Wakanda, at the middle and at the last quarter of the story’s runtime, respectively.
The heroes might have to undergo a transformation or a metamorphosis in order to gain a strong power up.
They would be swallowed up by the Unknown, appearing to have died in the quest, only to be ressurected and born again, having a greater understanding of the situation and the things they are fighting for, taking on a stronger and awakened form.
And when they get Ressurected, they would need to have a Final Battle with the Final Boss or their Strongest enemy for the fate of the known and unknown world. The hero doesn’t always have to face a Dark Lord or a Demon King in this section. The Ordeal can take the form of an intense situation or struggle to be undergone by our protagonists.
9. The Ultimate Boon (Reward)
Once the heroes overcome their worst nightmares and internal struggles, they will then receive the Ultimate Boon or Reward, the reason why they embarked on the journey in the first place. It could be an ancient artifact, the Elixir of Youth, the power to Cure for all diseases, the six Infinity Stones and the power to bring everything back to the way it once was, the removal of threats or the advent of a peaceful period or situation. It could be love. Not being killed by a Dark Lord is also a good reward in and of itself.
In some cases, the heroes might have to steal the Reward so they could take it back to the Ordinary World.
10. The Road Back
For many stories, this is The Chase scene wherein the remnants of the Evil Forces in the Special World will chase after the heroes, preventing them from crossing the Threshold back into the Ordinary World with the Reward. The heroes might be rescued by their supernatural allies on their way back.
11. Ressurection*
In some stories, the Heroes may face another death and Resurrection as a form of cleansing before they finally return to their own world.
12. Return With the Elixir
Finally after overcoming the challenges, fears, doubts, enemies and even the claws of death itself, the Heroes will have succeeded to return back to the Ordinary World with the Reward in hand. The elixir can take the form of the guarantee of peace and the hope for a brighter future that they can share to others in the Ordinary World. For most stories, it’s their Happy Ending where everything is back to normal. The threats have been blocked and the evil enemies have been vanquished. Peace has been restored as a result of the Hero’s valiant efforts. That’s a wrap!
Symbols and Metaphors
Joseph Campbell, a man who has devoted his life in studying countless myths, legends, religions, and ancient traditions noticed these reoccurring sections on most, if not all, of the stories that he encountered.
He used this discovery as the basis of his Theory of the Monomyth, also known as The Hero’s Journey.
Now, like the Heroes of Old returning triumphantly from their Victory in the Special World, let’s get back to the question posed by this Video earlier and take another look at the stories at hand.
Are they all the same show?
My answer is yes and no. And by that I mean that they have different titles, different characters, different setup and different themes. Obviously, they’re NOT 100% exactly the SAME. But I think that Mr. Joseph Campbell was right in pointing out to us that many of these adventure stories have similar elements following a similar template, like what we witnessed as we journeyed all throughout the video. But not all subparts of the Hero’s Journey are present in every show. Some parts may be skipped because of the personality of each show but we can conclude that most of the essential parts are, arguably, present in every hero story. They maybe jumbled up in sequence, taking up different symbols and forms, but they’re definitely in there.
According to Campbell, the similarities of many myths and ancient stories with their counterparts in different time periods are caused by something deep within every individual’s psyche. He classified myths as metaphors made by us humans as our attempt to make sense of the universe and the challenges we face in life. The symbols present in many traditional and ancient stories come from our Unconscious mind which would lead to a path of study towards Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung, renowned Psychologists from whom Campbell drew some of his points.
Daily Life Applications
The Hero’s Journey is not exclusive to special individuals. It can also be an adventure that we as normal humans can undertake.
In life, we face many difficult challenges. However, if we complete those challenges, we often find ourselves rewarded at the very end. Our call to adventure can be that one job offer we are afraid to accept. That trip to a foreign country we are unsure we should commit to. The tests and trials could take the form of your own college midterms exams, your driving assessment, your hotheaded boss, or your landlord giving you an earful because you are late on paying rent. Along the way in an unfamiliar territory, you might find a Mentor, someone you would consider as a Supernatural Aid, in the form of a Coach, a lecturer, Youtube Podcasters, a Manager, or a very knowledgeable and well-meaning friend. Everyone at some point in life will experience extreme hardship, however, if we persevere and do our best, we can increase our chances to triumph over all these problems in order to gain the reward that we desire, mastering the unknown world, returning to the ordinary one with increased knowledge, strength and experience, completing the whole cycle. That is the Hero’s Journey. Something we all can undergo, when the world is calling us, if we choose to leave our comfort zone and face the challenges life has in store.
I hope this article finds you well, no matter where you currently are in your own hero’s journey.
I hope you make it through.
I hope you find whatever it is you are looking for at the end of your adventure.
All the best. See in you in the next one.
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