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Essay / The Concept of a Hero's Journey in American Literature
Table of ContentsThe Hero's JourneyThe Literature of Mark Twain“To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper LeeConclusionsThe Hero's JourneyLiterature can basically be called the term used to describe some spoken documents, but mainly to give a detailed description of written documents. The hero's journey is undoubtedly the basic template for most great stories. The story was described in depth by Campbell in "The Hero with a Thousand Faces", in which he describes the different stages one must go through to become a hero (Campbell and Edward p. 108). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The hero's journey essentially comprises a relevant call to adventure, in which there is the involvement of a supernatural mentor, numerous trials of difficulty intended to toughen the hero and prepare him adequately to face a tough enemy and achieve ultimate victory in the end. Many fiction and literary writing courses typically focus on the hero's journey in one aspect or another. Have you ever noticed that most stories have a beginning, a middle, and finally an end? Well, the stories are consistent with the context of the hero's journey. This essay will discuss “A Hero’s Journey in American Literature” in detail. Most folklorists, including some narrative scholars, will agree that the hero's story undoubtedly forms the basis of most stories ever taught. Campbell described the “hero’s journey” in great detail in his book “The Hero with a Thousand Faces.” He describes the "hero's journey" as each creature's most recurring story. The hero's journey includes the explanation of the path, the call to adventure, the inclusion of a supernatural helper or perhaps a guide, the appearance of challenges as well as the return and victory (Baym and Levine p. 450). The most influential American screenwriters, including fiction, usually place a lot of emphasis on the hero's journey, this becomes evident as its universality can be noticed quite often in their works. The hero's journey, then, is a network-like model from which broad categories of tales originate, particularly those tales in which a hero goes on a journey and performs life-defining actions that ultimately guarantee him victory and eventually victory. returning to society as a transformed or changed man (Robbins and Ruth 767). Most of America's founding writers had their works confined within the precepts of the hero's journey, by which they largely followed the relevant steps of any popular tale well explained by Campbell. However, some writers deviated from this and went their own way, creating stories that reflected any aspect of the "hero's journey," as Campbell explains. Normally every tale usually has a beginning, a body and an end, the stories in most cases usually have this determined person who makes it his mission to achieve something after having a certain aspiration, then he begins his mission by meeting challenges and avoids them, then finally he ends up succeeding and therefore returns home a hero. In other cases, someone becomes a hero after completing a given mission but does not emerge alive. According to (Campbell, p.260) 'The Hero's Journey' includes a standard form of edifice which was taken from Campbell's Monomythic, particularly in the volume 'A Thousand Faces' from which Vogler derived 12 stages of the Hero's Journey' Expressed in the terms already formulated, the hero's first task is to live consciouslythe previous stages of the cosmogonic cycle; to cross the eras of emanation. Its second objective is therefore to return from this abyss to the level of contemporary life, to serve as a human transformer of demiurgic potentials. (296.1).” Generally, the twelve stages of the “hero’s journey” include stage one; the ordinary world. This is a stage where the hero's life is simply normal; and includes call for adventure, refusal to meet the mentor and cross the threshold. Second step; the particular world, the trials and challenges, the approach to the most intimate cave and the ordeal. The last stage includes the ordinary world; the scene involves the path back to society, resurrection and the great return. As you carefully examine some of the founders of American literature, you will realize that the context of the hero's story was reflected in many cases. The themes of some of their works mainly borrow from the relevant stages through which the hero must pass to become victorious (Serafin, et al p.124). Nevertheless, some literary works do not necessarily include all the relevant steps, but upon examining them from a broader perspective, you will realize that they have borrowed significantly from the "hero's journey" as analyzed in the context below; The Literature of Mark Twain There is no doubt that Mark Twain was one of the most eminent writers America has ever produced. Looking logically at the American literary journey we can find many aspects of the hero's journey, in his work, Mark Twain who is considered one of the greatest American writers and humorists, his works especially on his novels which explained that his childhood life greatly reflects the hero's journey (Blair, p.205). He had lived in a small village; Florida to Missouri and spent his childhood life on the banks of the Mississippi River, which greatly influenced the person he ultimately became. From there, he underwent little training that further prepared him for the challenge ahead. Among his greatest and most controversial works is "The Adventures of Huckleberry." travel story. This book has been surrounded by much controversy due to the use of many obscene terminologies (Twain, et al 145). Twain presented a logical flow of ideas that is to some extent similar to the hero's journey. The story begins by familiarizing us with the occasions in the novel that announce it. Just like in the story of Hero where the hero is an ordinary person, Twain introduces us to Tom Swayer who is just like any other boy in society. His journey to victory begins by overcoming several challenges. First the boy I raised in a poor environment by a very drunken father who never cared about the boy's well-being. He therefore makes it his mission to realize his passion for adventure. During the trip, he collects a reserve of gold. The adventure proves successful for him, but his drunken father always seems to harm the boy's efforts and fortune (Twain, et al 145). The story highlights the racism that is prevalent in the "here's a free nigger" society. there, from Ohio, a mulatto, almost as white as a white man. He also wore the whitest shirt you've ever seen and the shiniest hat; and there is not a man in this town that had clothes as fine as he, and he had a gold watch and chain, and a silver-headed cane – the old gray-headed nawab the worst in the state. And what do you think? It was said that he was a college professor, that he spoke all kinds of languages and that he knew everything. And that's not the bad thing. They said he could VOTE when he was home. Well that left me.