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  • Essay / A Hero's Journey: The Saroo Brierley Story

    Joseph Campbell's monomyth defines a hero as someone who is called to a journey. This journey includes separation from the world, overcoming challenges, and returning to the known world. These steps are illustrated in Saroo Brierley's journey; he is separated from his family at the age of five, must face the challenges of moving and adapting to his new family, as well as his permanent return to his biological mother. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay The first step in Professor Campbell’s model is “separation.” “Separation” can refer to many things that include, but are not limited to, being separated from one's home and regular, daily lifestyle. Saroo's journey begins when he is separated from his biological family. One evening, Saroo's elder brother Guddu had announced that he was going to 'Berampur', Saroo decided to accompany him. After they arrived, Saroo had told his brother that he couldn't go anywhere else without resting, so Guddu told him not to worry and to take a nap and that he would be back in a while, but what he had to be careful. of certain things. Several hours later, Saroo wakes up and finds himself still on the wooden station bench and his brother was nowhere to be found. Saroo decided to try looking for him in different carriages of the train, and that's where the story of the beings takes place. He had fallen asleep again, but this time on the train. When he woke up, his brother was still nowhere to be found, and he was now scared and alone on a fast-moving train. He didn't know how long he had been on the train, but he knew he was lost. He had taken a few more trains before reaching Calcutta (Kolkata). Previously, he had spent many weeks alone trying to stay alive and safe. He was eventually taken to an orphanage. Little did Saroo know that his journey across the “threshold” would soon begin. The “threshold” is said to be the starting point of the hero’s journey. According to Campbell, it is up to the hero to decide whether he goes willingly or lets himself be pushed. Saroo's journey across the threshold begins after he, now six years old, is adopted by an Australian couple. He was soon taken to meet his new parents in Australia. In his book, Saroo says, “I was told that I would be going to Australia very soon to meet my new parents” (105). After arriving in Australia, he met his new parents, John and Sue Brierley. They spent the night in a hotel then took another plane to Saroo's new home, Hobart, Tasmania. Saroo had to get used to his new life in Tasmania, but they knew it would take time. This decision led to the next stage of Saroo's journey: challenges. A “challenge” is an objective that a hero must overcome. Overcoming this “challenge”(s) helps the hero become more mature and helps build his confidence. Saroo's first challenge would be to learn and get used to speaking English. His parents knew that he did not speak English fluently and so they got help from their friends, Saleen and Jacob, who both spoke Hindi, Saroo's native language. “They spoke to me in my own language, Hindi, asking me simple questions and translating instructions and things that Mom and Dad wanted me to know about how we would live our lives together” (Brierley 18). Not much time had passed before Saroo learned the language, and quite quickly. Another one of these “challenges” occurred when his parents decided to adopt a new child also from India. His new brother,Mantosh, didn't make the transition as easily as Saroo. He was loud, rebellious and disobedient. He and his brother fought a lot. They fought over things like toys, which led to them shoving each other. Saroo quickly realized that his parents had to pay more attention to his brother because of his difficulties adjusting and this sparked their sibling rivalry. These challenges relate to Campbell's model because Saroo's life has taken a complete turnaround. He was faced not only with having to change where he lived, but also with the language he spoke, the way he behaved and getting used to being around a new, somewhat dysfunctional family. After many years, Saroo decided to try searching for his biological family and he soon falls into the abyss. The “abyss” is the moment when the hero reaches the most difficult part of his journey. The “chasm” does not have to be a physical barrier, it can also be a mental barrier. The hero conquering this part of their journey would help them reach the end point. Saroo's journey is linked to the "abyss" after he begins his search for his biological family. So many years had passed since Saroo was in his hometown and his memories were very vague. His friends had told him about a program called Google Earth, which could show you any place you wanted. Saroo had begun his research, but he quickly lost hope when he realized that it would be an extremely difficult task that would take him away from his studies, so he chose to leave them. Saroo had finished his studies and returned to Hobart, but he soon realized he had lost interest in his career. After a series of difficult changes including his job, location, and the loss of his relationship, Saroo had found himself stuck in a dark place. He was stuck in a rut and didn't know how to get out of it. His parents worried about him and wondered when he would become a happier man again. With the help of his friend Byron, he had now moved into a spare room at Byron's house and started to get his life back together. Saroo had started his search again to find his hometown. Byron did his best to keep Saroo from falling back into his depressed state and made sure he got out and didn't get stuck in front of the computer for days. Saroo had finally met a new girl, Lisa, and they soon started dating. Their relationship had many obstacles along the way, especially after Saroo began to obsess over his search. He would go out with her during the day and as soon as he got home, he would stay hunched over his computer for hours. This caused tension between them and led to several breakups and reconciliations. After several months of this permanent abyss, he made his final return home. The “return” is the moment of the trip when everything returns to normal. The “return” is not always greeted with warmth and joy by the hero, for fear that things will be changed forever and adaptation to his new life will be difficult. In Saroo's case, it couldn't be more opposite. After so many years, he had finally found his hometown, Ganesh Talai. His only fear was that he would make a mistake and see his hard work come to nothing. This fear soon proved invalid because he had actually found it. With the support of his family and his girlfriend, he traveled to India about eleven months after discovering Ganesh Talai. Saroo was walking around the town where he spent his early years before finding a man who spoke good English. The man understood enough to help Saroo realize his dream: to meet his family. Saroo had shown/.