The Hero's journey is basically a outline to every pieces of literature. It contains 3 stages, the Separation, which is the start of the journey. The initiation which is practically the journey it self. Last is the return when the hero (who can be anyone) returns and makes his community better.In these stages comes events each stage has three events excluding the return which only has one. In the separation there are the calling, the reason the hero leaves , the threshold, which is if he stays or goes, the descent, which is when the journey begins. In the initiation the events are the abyss, which is the hero is going into the unknown, the mentor, the hero finds a teacher, and the transformation, which is when the hero preforms a solo heroic duty. Last is the stage in the return. That is the creation, this is just basically the hero creating a better community. will be applying all of these stages into the timeless journey of the Odyssey
In the begging of this journey the main character Odysseus is called to war just as soon as his son is born, this is the calling. Although he is leaving his kingdom of Ithaca and his family he decides to fight for the king of Greece in the Trojan war , during this time he steps thorough the threshold and decides to fight. He then sets sail to Troy to fight in the war where he then enters the descent starting his journey.
Seven years into the war his brilliant brain wins the war. After the war he then sets sail to his home Ithaca. He then is thrown into the abyss where he is lost in the sea due to the God Poseidon.
He then sails in the sea aimlessly. Through out this journey he has four mentor. Athena, Aeolus, Circe and Teresias. They all give him information that will help him get home, but he then withholds information from his men to get home. This then gets 6 men killed in the fight of Scylla and Charybdis. This act counts as a solo heroic act then creating the transformation.
Then after spending quite a few years with Calypso he finally returns home. Here he reunites with his son after 20 years of having not seen him. Afterwards he goes to his house only to find that his kingdom is over ran by suitors trying to court his wife and take his kingdom for his son. He the devises a plan teaming up with a loyal swineherd, cowherd and his son to take out and kill the suitors. Succeeding he retakes his kingdom and proves himself to his wife Penelope.
So as you can see the Hero's Journey can be applied to all types of literature. Even though you cant find all these elements in every piece of literature a few can be found. You can even apply the Hero's Journey to you very own life. The Hero's Journey is a very vital part to the world of literature. So next time you clean your room or go to your job or school you can find at least on stage or event in your day.
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