Jospeh Campbell Hero's Journey

Jospeh Campbell, an American mythologist, has popularized the idea of the hero’s journey. The hero’s journey is something that every hero is required to go through. According to Campbell, “A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself” (Campbell 1). A hero must also accomplish one of two deeds. The first deed is the physical deed, where “…the hero performs a courageous act in battle and saves a life” (Campbell 1). The second deed is the spiritual deed, where “…the hero learns to experience the supernormal range of human spiritual life and then comes back with a message” (Campbell 1). According to Campbell, the journey a hero goes through consists of three main steps. Step one is called separation, which is where the hero leaves the realm of what they are familiar with, and end up in a new and unfamiliar world. …show more content…
The final step of the hero’s journey is the return, where the hero comes back to their home world and brings back new power or knowledge. There is also a reason for the hero to take the hero’s journey, whether it is voluntary or not. Campbell stated, “The usual hero adventure begins with someone from which something has been taken or who feels there’s something lacking in the normal experiences available or permitted to the members of his society” (Campbell 1). In Amy Tan’s novel The Joy Luck Club, four Chinese immigrants and their American-born daughters attempt to understand both the American and Chinese cultures. Waverly Jong, one the daughters, fits the role of a hero who successfully goes through the hero’s