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A Hero's Journey Analysis

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The hero’s journey is a set of ideas created by American writer Joseph Campbell that has presented itself in many myths, films, and in literature. The hero’s journey describes the adventure of a hero or archetype.The hero accomplishes an abundance of great deeds and is later rewarded. Campbell’s theory is ten steps with three major categories, The Departure, The Initiation, and The Return. Even more recently works have been created loosely based on Campbell's Journey. Forest Gump, written by Winston Groom, is a heyday example of a hero's journey. The first step of a hero’s Journey is rather difficult for Forest because he is not a normal child. Forest grew up in Greenbow, Alabama and did not have very many friends. He had to wear leg braces …show more content…

Forest is very excited for this. After many years of Jenny blowing him off, she finally wants him. This is forest’s reward or as Joseph Campbell says “seizing the Sword’ The now married couple returns to their home town of Greenbow, Alabama, and is very happy for the short time that they had. Not long after they were married Jenny became ill with a disease. She died shortly thereafter. Forest, devastated, focused on raising her son Forest Jr. Forest “returns with the elixir” in the closing scene of the movie. He does so by saying goodbye to his son who was going to school. This is very similar to the scene in the beginning of the movie. Forest learned to care for his child despite his disability.
As you now can see, a Hero’s journey is followed by many different authors. Forest Gump is just one example of a Hero's journey. It comfortably fit into all the major categories of the Hero’s journey, The Departure, The Initiation and the Return. Forest had his normal world, and he had few mentors. He left became a hero and returned home back to his his everyday life. Joseph Campbell's “monomyth’ truly has shaped films and literature of

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