The Hero's Journey: An Analysis

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When reading a novel that is an adventure, thriller, horror, or even a different genre the main story line usually involves some aspect of the Hero’s Journey. The Hero’s Journey is a concept created by Joseph Campbell to relay stories in a certain pattern. There are twelve stages to the Hero’s Journey but seven main ones. These main stages are the call to adventure, refusal of the call, crossing the threshold, ordeal, reward, resurrection hero and finally, coming back with an elixir. (Science Fiction) Each of these stages has a different meaning and represents different stages of a journey that the main character or characters go on. The call to adventure is when the hero in the story accepts that they have to go on a journey or adventure to …show more content…
A Wrinkle in Time is a novel written by Madeleine L’Engle while Moana is a film produced by Osnat Shurer. A Wrinkle in Time is a story about a young girl named Meg, who is the main character and accepts the Hero’s Journey. Throughout the book Meg faces the seven stages of the Hero’s Journey by going on an adventure to save Earth as well as her father. Meg’s little brother and her love interest in the novel both go with her on her journey, they serve as companions or side-kicks for Meg. Moana is a story about a teenage girl named Moana who accepts her Hero’s Journey to save her family. Moana lives in Tahiti on an island where a “darkness” starts to infect that Island she lives on which forces her to go on a journey to stop the darkness. On Moana’s Journey she brings her pet chicken with her as her companion. Both of these texts are about young women who step up to the plate to save their friends, families and where they live. They both accept the Hero’s Journey while having companions come on their journey with them. Both young women also have characters in the texts that act as their fairy godmother and help them along their journeys. Examination of both texts shows how the Hero’s Journey is used within novels, films, and stories to show progression of characters as well as keeping an intriguing story

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