Robert Soberano

In everybody's life going through the Hero's Journey is inevitable. Even in stories and movies and in songs you can pick out at least one or two elements in the Hero's Journey. In this paper I will be taking you through the Hero's Journey of a character in a movie named "Cast Away". That character will be Chuck Noland, a Federal Express worker that puts being on time and delivering his packages as one of his top priorities. Based on the events that Chuck overcomes throughout his story I think that he successfully completes the Hero's Journey. After reading this paper hopefully you will feel the same way to.

The first stage that Chuck goes through is separation. This starts when his job requires him to leave home once again, this creates the event of the calling. Leaving behind his friends, family and his girlfriend he decides to board a plane. At that point Chuck completes the even known as the threshold. From there the plane Chuck is in flies above a part of the Pacific Ocean. During this time the plane flies through what seems to be like a storm. There the storm forces the plane to crash in to the dark ocean. That is when Chuck is forced into the event of the descent.

After completing the events of the separations Chuck begins to experience the initiation stage of the Hero's Journey. The first even is the abyss. In the story I believe that Chuck goes through two events of the abyss. The first that Chuck is thrown into is when the plane Chuck is in crashes into the deep dark Pacific Ocean. In that ocean Chuck has no inkling what so ever of where in the Pacific Ocean he is. The second event is when he drifts upon an island that appears to be unpopulated. There stranded on a lonesome island makes it hard for Chuck to obtain a true mentor. I believe that within creating his volleyball friend, Wilson, gives Chuck a purpose to learn and gain more and more experience to survive on that island. Although a volleyball has no sense of experience or knowledge what so ever I say that Wilson poses as some what of a mentor because he keeps Chuck a little on the sane side and sort of gives Chuck some one to care for on the island. Chuck begins the transformation when Chuck is able to create fire and cooks with ease. In the movie the part that really shows how Chuck transforms is after he knocks him self out trying to get rid of that pain causing tooth. After that scene it fast forwards time four years and shows Chuck killing a fish with only a spear from a distance.

In the story it does quite a number on the return. Although during the return Wilson is lost in the friendship killing ocean and drifts away from Chuck. Chuck is rescued one day by a passing cargo ship. As soon as he returns home to find that his girlfriend, Kelly, moved on and married while Chuck was on the island. Afterwards I believe that the creation takes place when he goes to his old girlfriends house and returns the pocket watch that she gave him before he left to board the plane. From there he goes to talk to his friend and Chuck tells him what it was like to be on that island. Chuck also told him about the time when he almost hung himself. As he was tell the story he told his friend that he realized that after all the drama in life passes over everybody still has a life to live. With that statement I think that is where Chuck creates a better utopia for society. Although he only told his friend I still believe that that is the creation. After that event Chuck completes the Hero's Journey.

Hopefully by now you figured out that this whole paper was about the protagonist of "Cast Away", Chuck Noland, and all the trials that he went through that create the Hero's Journey in that movie. Now I think that you agree that in the story of "Cast Away" that the story meet all the criteria of each and ever event of the Hero's Journey. I strongly believe that Chuck Noland completed the Hero's Journey with flying colors. Although the event of the mentor was a little hard to believe I hope you see why I think that Chuck completed the Hero's Journey.