In literature, characters often progress on internal or external journeys with the aim of discovering more about oneself or the world. Stereotypically, journey archetypes are characterized by the protagonist’s need to fulfill a particular quest, traveling through a series of obstacles to arrive at a final destination. In Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, a European sailor Marlow, travels through Congo into Africa’s “darkness,” with the aim of discovering ivory. However, oftentimes characters themselves embark on journeys within themselves, attempting to fulfill their desire for self discovery. For instance, in Zora Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God and Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway, the female protagonists engage in much more internal
The Hero’s Journey is the theory that every story follows the same basic structure revolving around protagonist. This monomyth theory was created by Joseph Campbell. Campbell lived from 1904-1987 and changed the way that we see stories by realizing they all follow this structure. Campbell was a mythologist and philosopher who we still study today. Campbell wrote a book called The Hero with a Thousand Faces, where this theory is explained.
Narratives have historically centered around the journeys of their protagonists. Whether the journey is to show the development of a historical setting or a character's personal search for identity, these quests are used to not only develop the story, but to illustrate the complexity of the human condition. One of these often complicated aspects of humanity being the conflict between rational and passionate thinking. Two fantastic examples of texts that explore these aspects and themes through the heroes journey are Carol Reed's The Third Man (1949) and Micheal Curtiz's Casablanca (1942). These films were shot and distributed during and shortly after World War II.
• The hero’s journey: Harry’s narrative follows an age-old pattern found in numerous myths and stories. American mythologist Joseph Campbell analyses this storyline of the journey of an archetypical hero in his book “The Hero with a Thousand Faces” (Campbell, 1949), a work that has inspired many writers and artists. Classic examples of Campbell’s archetypical hero include ancient Greek myths such as that of the hero Odysseus, the story of Moses and Star Wars’ protagonist Luke Skywalker (cf. Colbert, 2008, 208). Campbell writes about the concept that countless myths all share a basic structure, called the monomyth.
When writing about foreign civilizations, the theme of diaries and journals prevailed. The style too followed different travel accounts like the narration in the first person, the tone of detachment and the vivid descriptions full of details. But although this was the form Swift adopted he used it to harshly satirize society. Gulliver’s Travels is the typical travel story about the hero trying to come to grips with unknown societies he encounters. He tries his best to make them comprehend the socio-cultural and political structure of his own native England.
This journey can be found in every culture. There can be as many journeys as individuals but they will always share the basics. This idea of a shared fundamental structure is called by Campbell monomyth. He defines it in the introduction of the book as: “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” (Campbell, 1968) As it could be said of Raglan’s theory, Campbell divides the Hero’s Journey into three main
I admire her relationship with her family, her son , and the people that she encounter as they play a role in craving her belief. After I finish I am to this conclusion, writing is like life in which aim to accomplish our task through all the chaos in our mind by approaching everything with an open mindset. With such openness nothing will change our destination instead our experiences will only encourage and remind us how valuable each lessons and how paying attention to everything will pay off at the end. Once you reach the destination filing with surge of excitement and relief because you made it to
Anna Leonowens as a Travel Writer: Her Perspective on the Harem Travellers often have stories to tell of their journeys. According to Chtatou, travel writing is “literature that records the people, events, sights and feelings of an author who is touring a foreign place for the pleasure of travel.” The author’s encounters and experiences while travelling can often change their perceptions, thoughts and beliefs and inspire them to write about their journey. In The Romance of the Harem, Anna Leonowens writes on her perspective of her experiences as an English woman in Siam, presently known as Thailand. Leonowens came to Siam to be an English school teacher, teaching the many children of King Mongkut. Leonowens is an educated, intelligent woman who tends to critically view certain aspects of the native culture of Siam.
The concept of “The Hero’s Journey” plays a major role in nearly every piece of fiction humanity has created since its inception, from epic poems to blockbuster movies. In many ways, works of fiction and some pieces of nonfiction could not exist and would not make sense without the concept of a Hero’s Journey; it allows the reader to comprehend and follow the progression of characters over the course of the story. While Cormac McCarthy’s novel The Road may not display most of the archetypal qualities found in classic Hero’s Journeys such as J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit or Homer’s Odyssey and Iliad, it most clearly exemplifies the qualities of a Hero’s Journey through the Boy’s character in relation to the mentor, tests and enemies, and the
Grenby also comments on how problematic the prominence of the Empire is in adventure novels, commenting that ‘the adventure novel in particular seems structurally imperialist’. Treasure Island presents the reader with an adventure story which both conforms to many of the key elements prescribed for an adventure story as well as defying many of the traditional conventions of the adventure novel. One such instance is in the characterisation of Long John Silver and the ambiguous way in which he is described. The reader is expected to view him as the villain of the novel and yet, Stevenson presents him in such a way that the reader is unable to view him simply as a villain. This subversion of the reader’s expectations is also employed when the reader considers Jim’s companions.