Hero's Journey Analysis

The last step of the hero's journey is the Return. The Return is when the hero is able to come back to the old world with his accomplishments. Sometimes the hero may feel content in the new world and refuse to return to the old world. In order for the hero to fulfill their destiny and become the leader they need to return to their old world. An example of a refusal is when Jack fights against the cops and refuses to turn himself in and go to jail. Another step in the Return is the Magic Flight. Sometimes even if the hero wanted to return to the old world, forces can be preventing him/her from returning. During the church fighting scene in Billy Jack when Jack and Barbara are getting shot at by her father this helps represent a force that is …show more content…
During the attempt to return, the hero may face a dim situation at the end of their quest that seems like they won't be able to return to the old world, but when hope feels like it is lost someone will rescue the hero from the grim situation. One example of this is when Jean talks to Billy Jack about death and how he gave into his aggression despite the school. This talk helped him realize what he needed to do in order to stop the battle with the cops and to help him make the decision to turn himself in. In the short story when their baby boy opened his eyes for the first time it helped save the parents from the trials of grief near the end of their journey. Just like crossing the initial threshold to the new world, the hero needs to cross a threshold to exit the new world and return to the old world. When the family left the hospital, they crossed the return threshold and made their way to the old world which is their home. Another example is in "O Captain My Captain". Although the captain was not able to fully return he was able to go through the journey and make his way back to the old …show more content…
This freedom to live often results in the hero being a leader of their people. In Billy Jack, Jack makes sure that agreements will be made to have the school be able to stay in session. These agreements towards the school and the school children can symbolically represent Jack's freedom to live after his various trials due to his peace felt from having the school be able to stay in session. The freedom to live occurs in the short story when the baby lives and they are able to return home