Elyn Saks: An Archetypal Hero

“Pain and pleasure do not enclose him, he encloses them- and with profound repose. And since he is what all of us may be, his presence, his image, the mere naming him, helps”(Campbell 129). In the book, The Hero With A Thousand Faces, Campbell, an American mythologist, writer, and teacher ,elaborated all the stages that a person experience to become an archetypal hero. An archetypal hero possess characteristics that represents universal pattern of human nature. One of the stage is the apotheosis, in which the hero transcends and gain a better knowledge and understanding of everything around them after a trial. Not all the hero gets the opportunity to reach this stage. Elyn Saks,however, was one of the exceptions; she reached apotheosis by surpassing expectations and …show more content…
Going through a unique experience made her who she is today, People admire her for her courage and drive in life. She managed to get through even the most challenging obstacles in her life. “ My Note helped someone. My work had made a difference. It helped another attorney and it helped patients who were no different from me. No different at all”( Saks 213). She was able to influence and contribute to many people. She inspires a lot of people to believe that everything is possible. People look up to her and see her as a one strong individual. All her writings contains powerful messages, she writes with passion. She shared her personal experiences and how she dealt with her mental illness. Saks proved that our differences should not hinder our success but rather motivate us to strive even harder. There may be a time when Saks wanted to give up but that made her stronger. All the choices we make impact the life we live. As for Saks, she chose to pursue her dreams despite all the difficulty she faced. It’s hard to share personal stories; Elyn Saks was vocal about the wrong turns that she made in her life. She was open about her experiences and