Hero With A Thousand Faces Monomyth Analysis

“A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man.” This quote comes from Joseph Campbell in his book, The Hero With a Thousand Faces, where he lays out his theory of the monomyth. One of the aspects of the monomyth is the fifth stage, crossing the first threshold. This stage involves the hero entering a world completely unlike their own. In this new world they must adapt to the new environment by learning the rules of this unknown place and adhering to them. In the movie, Mulan, this stage is very clearly utilized.

The special world Mulan must cross into in this movie is the world of men. The crossing of the threshold is deeply symbolized when Mulan takes her first steps into the camp. Everything about the land was dissimilar from her normal life. The camp was full of men in armor, the expectation of how she will act was not the same as it was at home, and even the geography of the land was different from what she was used to. For example, at home when she was viewed as a girl, she was expected to obey others and always respect men. However, in the new world Mulan was to be respected by others and did not have to fit the societal constraints she

In the old world, she wore traditional feminine clothes, had long hair, and spoke in her normal voice. However, when she entered the training camp her hair was short, she spoke in a gruff voice, and wore a suit of armor. This is reflective of the crossing of the threshold because with new territory for Mulan, came a new persona. She changed physically to face the new world. Given these points, it is clear that Mulan’s journey over to the new world is extremely similar to that described in Joseph Campbell’s, The Hero With a Thousand