THE HERO CYCLE
Joseph
Campbell came up with the hero cycle in 1949 in his book, “The Hero with a
Thousand Faces. This cycle is a complex 17 step cycle that brings a hero
through a complete change of character.
The
first step of the cycle is a call to adventure. This is when a herald appears
to the hero and calls them to a journey. The hero is enticed with promises of
danger, treasure and travel to a distant land that could be above the sky,
below the ground or even in a dream (Campbell).
The
next step is the refusal of the call. Only true heroes refuse at first but in
order for them to become self-aware in life, they must in the end accept the
call and go on the quest (Ubelhor).
Supernatural
aid is the third step. In this step, a figure, usually masculine in form and
someone living on the periphery of the community, supplies necessary amulets
and advice to the hero to help them on their quest (Ubelhor).
The
next step is the crossing of the first threshold. The hero comes to a place of
magnified power, beyond which is a dangerous unknown. In this step, it looks
like the hero dies (Campbell).
The
belly of the whale is the fifth step, where the hero is born again and becomes
a new person. At this stage in the adventure the rules have changed for the
hero (Ubelhor).
The
hero must then submit to intolerable acts where they must put aside pride and
virtue in the road of trials. Here, dragons must be slain and victories must be
won (Campbell).
The
seventh step is meeting with the goddess. Here, a young and beautiful woman
teaches the hero an important lesson (Ubelhor).
Next
comes the woman as temptress. This is where a woman who represents lust and a
lack of spirituality tries to lead the hero off the path (Ubelhor).
Atonement
with the father is the next step, where the hero encounters a strong male presence
that either literally or symbolically kills the hero. This allows the hero to
be born again (Ubelhor).
Apotheosis
is the tenth step. This is when the hero is exalted into divine rank. After
this, the eleventh step is the ultimate boon. The hero who has been prepared by
all the previous steps now receives the object of his quest, be it an elixir or
a holy grail, etc (Campbell).
Refusal
of return comes next. Here, the hero must return to the real world but is
unwilling. Magical flight, the next step, is when the hero encounters their
supernatural patron. Then comes rescue from without where the world comes to
get the hero (Campbell).
The
fifteenth step is the crossing of the return threshold, where the hero reenters
society. Next the hero has the freedom to live and pass between both worlds.
Finally, the hero is the master of both worlds and is the conscious vehicle of
the law (Campbell).
A parallel can be made between the
hero cycle concept of John Campbell and the intercultural sojourn process, or
culture shock. With culture shock, the stages are honeymoon, crisis, recovery,
adjustment, honeymoon at home, crisis at home, recovery at home and adjustment
at home (Hart).
The honeymoon stage of culture shock
is when the new culture is still new and exciting (Culture Shock). This is like
the crossing of the first threshold in the hero cycle. For the hero, the
adventure is still new and exciting and the dangerous parts have not yet been
reached so it is still fun (Hart).
The ordeal stage of the hero cycle
is similar to the crisis step in an intercultural sojourn. At this stage, a
person must face the alien world that they know very little about. In the hero
cycle, the hero also faces an unknown land and must struggle through each trial
put his way (Hart).
Recovery and adjustment can be
compared to the ultimate boon stage of the hero cycle. In this stage, the hero
succeeds in his quest and retrieves whatever it was that he was sent to get
(Hart). For the sojourner, this might include learning some of the language and
customs and getting into a routine in their new land (Culture Shock).
When the hero and the traveler have
succeeded in their quest, they get to return home. Both, however, usually are
unwilling to do this. They have adjusted to their new surroundings and are
comfortable where they are. Both find, however that it is imperative to go home
(Hart).
Finally, as master of the two
worlds, the hero has the ability to travel between both worlds without trouble.
The sojourner finds this is true about themselves as well. They now can travel
to either place and feel comfortable and at home. This is the adjustment at
home stage of the intercultural sojourner process (Hart).
Works Cited
Hart,
William B. "The Intercultural Sojourn as the Hero's Journey." Mythsdreamssymbols.com.
N.p., 2 Feb. 2005. Web. 29 Jan. 2014.
Campbell,
Joseph. "Part 1: Chapters 1-4." The Hero with a Thousand Faces.
Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP, 1968. 45-226. Print.
Ubelhor,
Anthony. The Hero's Journey Defined. Diss. University of Kentucky, n.d. N.p.:
n.p., n.d. Uky.edu. Web. 29 Jan. 2014.
.
Culture
Shock. New Jersey: Rutgers University, n.d. Print.
"The
Hero's Journey." Mythologyteacher.com. Hostblitz.com, n.d. Web. 29 Jan.
2014. .
I really liked your blog post on the hero cycle. Looking back, I feel that every piece of literature we looked at over the past semester either fits directly into the hero cycle or the culture shock cycle. The most obvious is The Odyssey because Odysseus is the stereotypical hero that everyone thinks of when they think of heroes. With this same logic, Inman would fit into this cycle. His struggles are a lot like Inman’s, even if he dies in the end. Inman is called to fight in the Confederate Army. When the war started, every man was in some way called to fight, yet Inman at first did not enlist. Next, he receives his weapons from the Confederate Army. The first scene in witch Inman is seen fighting, his base was bombed. The strength of the bomb and the brutality of the battle should have killed him, yet he survived. Soon after, Inman ends up deserting the army. This would be his rebirth. The old lady then helps him. He is tempted by the prostitutes. The Home Guard tries to kill him. When he first appears in the woods, he almost worshiped by Ada. To avoid being found by the Home Guard, Inman refuses to return to home completely. In the last step, Inman crosses the threshold when him and Ada make love. This symbolizes that he is truly home. I think that the repetition of this cycle further reinforces the idea that all stories in history are somehow connected. Many of our creative projects dealt with this theme, and it is comforting to think that throughout all of time the same common theme can be found. This speaks of the resiliency of human nature.
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