Article written by Ashleigh Lowry.
The world of heroes is vast and wide, but how do they get there? Could it be that all heroes have the same journey, just with different aesthetics?
There are a lot of people that have dissected this commonly used character arc. Joseph Campbell (The Hero with a Thousand Faces) and Christopher Vogler (Twelve Stage Hero's Journey) both have covered it in detail, explaining the intricacies and common threads that almost all heroes have in their journeys to greatness.
Within the hero’s journey there are 12 stages, 2 worlds and 3 acts. The two worlds consist of the ordinary world and the special world, and the acts are The Setup, The Confrontation, and The Resolution. All play a role with the twelve stages:
1. Ordinary World
2. Call to Adventure
3. Refusal or Accepting of The Call
4. Meeting the Mentor
5. Crossing the Threshold
6. Tests, Allies, Enemies
7. Approach to The Innermost Cave
8. Ordeal
9. Reward (Seizing the Sword)
10. The Road Back
11. Resurrection
12. Return with The Elixir
The first 4 stages are part of the first act, set in the ordinary world. The hero is living their average life when something such as a disaster, villain or major event occurs.
Either from fear or determination, the hero's journey to greatness begins as they meet their mentor. An example of this is Katniss in district 12, where she answers the call by volunteering for the Hunger Games after her sister Prim is chosen by the lottery. In this point of the novel, we are introduced to both Effie Trinket and Haymitch Abernathy, her future mentors. Though it can be within a short period of time, these first four sections can be instrumental in setting up further plot points down the road.
Then comes one of the biggest stages in a journey, and the beginning of Act 2. The hero comes to step five, where they exit out of the ordinary world they know and move into the special world. Either physically, spiritually or emotionally, they cross into this new world and begin their real adventure. They step through their comfort zone and into the unknown to achieve their goal, whatever that may be for this version of the story. Be it Bilbo leaving Hobbiton with Gandalf and the dwarfs, or Clary Fray killing her first demon in City of Bones, the hero begins to realise that they may not return to the life they knew before.
In stages 6, 7 and 8, the hero meets both friend and foe along their journey, and faces trials and tribulations as they try to achieve their goals. They finally come to the point where everything is tested. Morals, mission and their sense of self are all questioned, and the hero must come to an answer. They search themselves and their surroundings, trying to find what they need. Fighting both literal and metaphorical demons, they realise that this is the moment where everything is on the line.
This part of the hero’s journey can take as long or a little time as the author wants and, if long enough, it can span over multiple books and have the character endure miniature hero’s journeys throughout (an example being any YA dystopian novel series), and in the end the hero has died (could be metaphorical or real) and has been resurrected. By doing so, they are granted the final boost (emotionally or supernatural/magically) to prevail and be victorious.
For the last act, the hero and their friends receive their ultimate reward and return to their lives (both old and new). The hero themselves can reflect on what it has taken, but discovers is it not over yet and engages in one final battle for their lives, their friends and everything they hold dear. As they succeed, they emerge from the battle and are reborn as a hero or legend. Then the epilogue, where the hero either returns to their simple life or creates a new one. Holding tight to the lessons and friends they gathered along the path, they now have come to appreciate what they have just that little bit more. This final push for victory has a great example in the final Harry Potter novel, where he has just returned to life and faces Voldemort one last time, emerging victorious, and then 19 years later, watches his own two boys leave for Hogwarts.
As mentioned before, the hero’s journey is something that is part of most novels. It takes different forms in different genres, with some of the stages mixing and swapping, but overall this full circle effect usually occurs. Authors have debated heavily if it is overused or a timeless template, with some even mentioning that a few of the stages are not even needed at all. However, in the end, this literary trope has been a part of novels since the classics and has provided the scaffolding for so many beloved heroes and their stories. So, in my mind, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
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