Transcript Hero`s Journey

The Hero Cycle
The Stages of the Hero’s Journey
 With Examples from:
Departure (or Separation)
1. The Call to Adventure
2. Refusal to the Call
3. Supernatural Aid/The Meeting with the Mentor
4. The Crossing of the First Threshold
5. The Belly of the Whale
The call to adventure
The call to action
1. Departure (or Separation)
a. The Call to Adventure
 In Star Wars, Luke Skywalker, the hero,
begins the story in frustration over being
unable to leave home. The heralds are
the two droids who carry a message
from Princess Leia
Refusal of the Call
The hero initially refuses
the call to adventure.
When this happens, the
hero suffers somehow,
and eventually chooses
the quest.
1. Departure (or Separation)
b. Refusal of the Call
 In Star Wars, Luke is refused adventure
by his uncle, a man who seeks to protect
Luke from the inevitable dangers of fate.
As a result, Luke's family is killed by
stormtroopers.
Supernatural Aid/The Meeting with
the Mentor
The hero often encounters
a mentor who gives both
psychological and physical
weapons (usually a wise
old man).
1. Departure (or Separation)
c. Supernatural Aid/The Meeting with the
Mentor
 In Star Wars, Luke encounters the Jedi
Master Obi-Wan Kenobi who presents
Luke with a lightsaber and teaches him
the Force.
Crossing of the Threshold
The hero takes
responsibility
for/ownership over the
journey
The “Belly of a Whale” –OR-
THE DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL
The hero eventually must cross
into a dark underworld, where
he will face evil and darkness,
and thereby find true
enlightenment. The ‘belly of a
whale’ may be an ambiguous
place of dark dream-like forms.
Departure (or Separation)
e. The Belly of the Whale
 In Star Wars, it is the Death Star, in
which Luke is engulfed and in which he
learns how to be a hero.
Initiation
1. The Road of Trials
2. The Meeting with the Goddess
3. Women as Temptress, or Temptation From the
True Path
4. Atonement with the Father
5. Apotheosis
6. The Ultimate Boon
The Road of Trials
Once in the other world,
the hero is repeatedly
challenged with mental
and physical obstacles
that must be overcome.
2. Initiation
a.

The Road of Trials
In The Empire Strikes Back, Luke
undergoes his training with Yoda.
The Meeting with a Goddess or divinelike being
After completing the
Road of Trials, the
hero often
encounters a
goddess-like woman
2. Initiation
b. The Meeting with the Goddess
Temptress or Temptation from the
True Path
In some hero’s quests the
hero will encounter the
goddess, but before he can
unite with her, he must prove
his worthiness by
overcoming the temptation of
the Woman as Temptress.
2. Initiation
c. Woman as Temptress, or Temptation
From the True Path

in Star Wars, there is tension between Luke
and Han Solo over their love for Princess
Leia -- this is resolved in Episode VI, Return
of the Jedi when Luke finds out that Leia is
actually his sister.

Luke is also tempted by the dark side itself, as
demonstrated by his vision in the cave on
Dagobah.
Atonement with the Father
The hero may encounter a
father-like figure of
patriarchal authority.
“Father” and “son” are
often pitted against each
other for mastery of the
universe.
2. Initiation
d. Atonement with the Father
 In The Empire Strikes Back, Luke
confronts Darth Vader and learns that he
is his father; in Return of the Jedi, he is
reconciled with the reformed Vader.
Apotheosis (Deification)
The Hero’s idea of reality
is changed; he may find
himself able to do new
things or able to see a
larger point of view.
Allowing him to sacrifice
himself.
2. Initiation
e. Apotheosis
 In The Empire Strikes Back, Luke
sacrifices himself rather than turn to the
dark side.
The Ultimate Boon
Having reconciled with the
father and achieved personal
enlightenment, the hero’s
psychological forces are again
balanced. His new found
knowledge, or boon, also has
potential to benefit society.
2. Initiation
f. The Ultimate Boon
 At the end of The Return of the Jedi,
Luke has made peace with his father,
and recognizes that he has saved him
from the Dark Side.
Return
1. Refusal of the Return
2. The Magic Flight
3. Rescue from Without
4. The crossing of the Return Threshold
5. Master of Two Worlds
6. Freedom to Live
Refusal of the return
Having reconciled bliss
and enlightenment in
the underworld, the
hero may not want to
return with the boon.
3. Return
a.
Refusal of the Return
The Magic Flight
A mad dash is
made by the hero
to return with the
prize.
3. Return
b. The Magic Flight
Rescue/Help from Others
The hero may
need to be rescued
or helped by
someone else.
3. Return
c. Rescue from Without
 In The Return of the Jedi, Luke is unable
to destroy the Emperor, and must rely on
his redeemed father.
The Crossing of the Threshold
Before the hero can return to
the real world, he must
confront another threshold
guardian. The first threshold
was a symbolic death; this is
now a symbolic rebirth.
3. Return
d. The Crossing of the Return Threshold
 In Return of the Jedi, Luke again
confronts Darth Vader, this is the
culmination of the plot. Luke faces Vadar
and uses the talents that have been
building throughout the story to
overcome his enemy.
Master of Two Worlds
Once the final threshold is
crossed, the hero is now free
to move back and forth
between the two worlds at
will. He has mastered the
conflicting psychological
forces of the mind.
3. Return
e. Master of Two Worlds
 In Return of the Jedi, Luke becomes a
Jedi. He has mastered the force and
defeated the one true temptation, the
Dark Side.
Freedom to Live
With the journey now
complete, the hero has
found true freedom, and
can turn his efforts to
helping or teaching
humanity.
3. Return
f. Freedom to Live
 In "The Return of the Jedi" Luke has
overcome the Empire and his rebellion is
free to live and thrive, the ending scene
establishes the peacefulness
established by Luke's victory.