Two approaches that have shaped my thinking are rites of passage and trickster. Rite of passage tales deal with major transitions in life, including birth, puberty, marriage, and death. In order to complete these transitions, a person must first be separated from the past and face a series of challenges before they can finally be reintroduced into society in their new form. Identifying the separation, ordeal, and reintegration stages allows one to determine the when the journey began and was completed, as well as determining the message to be gained from this journey. The trickster is an ambiguous and amoral character who represents chaos and order within the world. This character is often a fantasy image within the story whose energy
