Is the Hero’s Journey Valid?
Everything in the science of Lifewriting is about balance, rooted in the physical body (survival drives) opening the heart (relationships, especially with yourself) and the career of your dreams, doing something that brings joy, is of service, and provides abundance. This foundation naturally grows to expansion and spirituality, according to Yogic psychology.
The warrior way would be survival, then emotion. The Healer way would be emotion, THEN survival, and then opening intellect and spirit. According to teachers I respect, there is no healthy path that STARTS with thought or spiritual aspiration, without that rooting.
There has been considerable controversy about the Hero's Journey: whether it is "nonsense" or "gospel", whether it is universal or a specific cultural archetype, whether it stresses conflict as a purely Western position on human existence.
I find all of this interesting, and if one takes Joseph Campbell's original statements not just literally but dogmatically, there is plenty to criticize if one thinks "ah. All stories must have these elements, in this order, literally."
If you do, you often create a stilted, hackney'd pseudo-Tolkein pastiche, something we've all seen a hundred times before. Here is Campbell's original pattern, as listed at the following website:https://libguides.gvsu.edu/c.php?g=948085&p=6857311
THE STEPS OF THE HERO'S JOURNEY
THE ORDINARY WORLD
This is the original world of the hero, which "suffers from a symbolic deficiency." The hero is lacking something, or something is taken from him.
THE CALL TO ADVENTURE
The hero is given a challenge, problem, or adventure. Often it appears as a blunder, or chance. This stage establishes the goal of the hero.
THE REFUSAL OF THE CALL
The (often) reluctant hero has to be set along the correct path. He must weigh the consequences and be excited by a stronger motivation to proceed further.
MEETING WITH THE MENTOR
The hero encounters a wise figure who prepares him for the journey. This figure (or item) gives advice, guidance, or an item, but cannot go with the hero.
CROSSING THE THRESHOLD
The hero has committed to his task, and enters the special world. Often he is met by a threshold guardian.
TESTS, ALLIES, AND ENEMIES
In the special world, the hero learns the new rules by meeting people and obtaining new information. There is often a "local watering hole" component. This is where the true characteristics of the hero are revealed.
APPROACH TO THE INNERMOST CAVE
Now our hero, and often his allies, have come to the edge of the dangerous place where the "object of the quest" is hidden. This stage often is the land of the dead.
THE SUPREME ORDEAL
The hero faces danger, often a life-or-death moment that is either physical or psychological.
REWARD, OR SEIZING THE SWORD
After surviving, our hero takes possession of the object, typically a treasure, weapon, knowledge, token, or reconciliation.
THE ROAD BACK
The hero must now deal with the consequences of their actions. They may be pursued by remaining forces. They now face the decision to return to the ordinary world.
RESURRECTION
One final test is required for the purification and rebirth of the hero. Alternatively, it may be a miraculous transformation.
RETURN WITH THE ELIXIR
The triumphant hero returns to the ordinary world bearing the elixir. Common elixirs are treasure, love, freedom, wisdom, or knowledge. A defeated hero is doomed to repeat the lesson.
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I can clearly identify the moment my respect for the HJ skyrocketed. I was teaching a "Writer's Toolbox" course at UCLA,: generating ideas, breaking writer's block, characterization, and so on. One student raised his hand and said: "Mr Barnes, you've given us a lot of tools, but I honestly don't have the time and energy to use them. I work, have three kids, and a wife who needs me to be more present at home. I just can't do it."
The class went quiet. I saw people nodding their heads. We ALL have some version of that story.
I once heard a statement that from time to time life gives you "a cubic inch of opportunity." It floats by, and you either grab it, or it is gone forever.
At that moment I grabbed. I have no idea what motivated the question, but I asked him: "If you were a character in a story you were writing, and at the end of that story the character got everything they wanted, what would you have that man do next?"
Steam came out of his ears. I SAW his brain go AAAH--OOO-GAH! As he tried to find a neural path through what I'd just said. Then he settled down, and began.
"Well…" he said, "I could take my lunch to work, eat at my desk, and write in the saved time. I could negotiate with my wife to do more of the heavy-duty work, trading effort for time. I could tell my kids that Dad is trying to build a career as a writer. They'd think that was cool if I could make it pay off for THEM…"
In other words, suddenly he'd flipped a switch in his head. His creativity suddenly selected for ANSWERS rather than PROBLEMS. For the water BETWEEN the rocks, rather than the obstacles. For the space BETWEEN the trees, the negative space. And there is always negative space.
Curious, I put the same question to the rest of the class, and without exception, they started generating answers to their problems, in fact, using those problems to actually refine and advance their career plans. I remember Jerry Pournelle telling me that a writer should look directly at story problems, that they are nothing to fear. That, understood deeply enough, THE PROBLEMS ARE ACTUALLY THE ANSWERS YOU ARE SEEKING.
Paradoxical. And amazingly true, once you get the hang of it. Infamous Russian writer Feodor Dostoevsky spoke of being "'worthy of your suffering" and Viktor Frankl, author of "Man's Search For Meaning" referred to this notion as being an essential part of the psychology of those who emerged from WW2 genocide camps whole and even more evolved.
"You bought that pony. Might as well ride it home," a cowboy once said of life's problems. Problems in life, pain, fear, disappointment…are INEVITABLE. But it is up to us to either conquer them, or find a way that they teach us valuable things about ourselves. Use those stresses to tear the blinders from our eye. We bought it, or it was “gifted” to us. Yeah, right.
What would it take to "ride it home"?
NOT the only question. And yes, there are selfish and narrow people who would say this to suggest that poor and oppressed people should shut up and take what God gave them. But it is NOT that. It is a perspective that oppressors fear hugely, because no population with an attitude like that can be controlled. There are boxers who never woke up in the ring until you knocked them down. Then something shifts. The "civilized" aspect of their being falls away, and you have awakened the Beast.
Or, you have shattered their egos and released their true nature. Their souls. And that is a power no oppressor wants to deal with.
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I went home after that UCLA class, and told my wife Toni what had happened, and that it was seriously strange. She encouraged me to dig more deeply, and I looked into the relationship between story-telling and consciousness. And after a couple of weeks, I came across a quote from John Campbell, to the effect (paraphrasing), that "cultural mythologies are the externalization of our personal stories. And our personal stories are the internalization of cultural myths."
I interpreted that as saying that storytelling tries to relate truths about our lives. To the degree that people can see or feel that truth, they accept and magnify that story.
It is NOT, IMO, necessary that storytellers followed this pattern consciously. It is much like biological evolution: countless stories are told every day, and those that survive are passed on. Campbell was noting a pattern in the mythologies of various countries and cultures, and of course it was partial because all human research and effort IS partial.
But is it legitimate? Does it pass the Three Gates by being honest, kind, and useful?
It seemed to me that the pattern he discussed was NOT present in all stories as a whole. But did it still have resonance? Did it seem to relate to 80%+ stories I'd seen from around the world? Having been raised on Japanese and Chinese cinema in theaters playing in those neighborhoods, it seemed to me that it was perfectly valid to think that there were some universal aspects to story. And started playing with the pattern. Let’s take another look at that original pattern, and how I reacted to it:
THE ORDINARY WORLD
Most stories do start with a status quo. The "ordinary world" of the character.
THE CALL TO ADVENTURE
Something goes wrong externally or internally. "Die Hard" (terrorists attacking Nakatomi Tower) on one hand, or "Ordinary People" on the other (a father realizing his wife hates his son, and he must choose between his son and his marriage)
THE REFUSAL OF THE CALL
Most serious challenges CHANGE YOU. They are dangerous, painful. If not, they aren’t a Call, they are just "the ordinary world" and very few people write about how life was o.k., and tomorrow is o.k. too. We wait for something to emerge, a problem or perception change is needed. STORY IS ABOUT CHANGE. Why? Because life is change. The ILLUSION is stability. Look at the most innocuous “nothing happens” television show from the 50’s, and you’ll see that no, a planet-killing astroid wasn’t about to strike the Cleaver home, but Beaver was just as nervous about asking that cute girl to the dance..
MEETING WITH THE MENTOR
Well, this is common in fantasy and myth. A wizard or wise old woman. While this is fantasy, how many of us credit a particular mentor or teacher or role model for inspiring us? One of the most common statements about people who succeed, thrive, survive, is that someone provided inspiration, support, or education. I know that's true in my life: I was stuck, and "when the student is ready, the teacher will appear."
CROSSING THE THRESHOLD
The Hero takes action, yes. But it might be a small action. This needn't be accompanied by explosions. It might be as simple as actually choosing to LOOK at a problem previously ignored.
TESTS, ALLIES, AND ENEMIES
If you currently had the ability to accomplish something, you'd already have it. You have to adjust your emotions, learn new skills, gather a new team, answer new problems, face fears external and internal. You have to ACT, to TRY, to get the feedback from life to know what new resources you require. In that sense, that rejection note from the editor can either be viewed as a problem, or PRECISELY WHAT YOU NEEDED. Feedback from a professional editor, the "If you will do X, I'll look at it again" is just what the aspiring professional needs to get better. If you cannot control your fear of rejection, you'll never reach that point. All successful artists do, or they self-destruct. Fear, then, is the enemy within. The honest editor or critic is an ally. And if you think editors are less honest than the average person? OR that the average person is dishonest and cruel? That says you have some attitudes that will destroy you and your dreams if you are not very careful. Internal enemy.
APPROACH TO THE INNERMOST CAVE
There is always a "deeper cave", a sequence of deepest danger and potential victory or knowledge. Diving deep through our excuses and illusions, finding our courage, or facing our demons. Sure, in many stories, especially mass-market big screen fare, these obstacles are external…but emotionally if we connect with them we are taking our personal psychological and existential struggles and abstracting them into giant monsters or supervillains. The real struggles are smaller, gentler…far harder to see and deal with than a 60-foot squid.
THE SUPREME ORDEAL
And there is always a moment we can point to as the MOMENT of greatest risk and danger, usually about 90-95% of the way through the story. The moment that demands greater courage, honesty, creativity, clarity. The transformative moment, in which you either act and progress, or fail and deteriorate or stagnate.
REWARD, OR SEIZING THE SWORD
If the character has done everything right, then whether or not they get the reward is a statement by the storyteller and his audience concerning the ethical structure of the universe. Does it reward honest and courageous effort? Punish it? Act as a neutral observer, and its all chaotic chance? Do “the gods” care about us? The commonality of the "reward for honest effort" pattern throughout the world suggests that the majority of people believe the universe is neutral or benign for those who act properly.
THE ROAD BACK
Well yes, there are always unintended or unfinished consequences in life.
RESURRECTION
Literal or figurative, we can probably find aspects of this in most popular stories, even if it is a "spiritual rebirth" or renewal, hitting the "second wind" or some such.
RETURN WITH THE ELIXIR
Also the "movement to the higher level", the "Student becomes the teacher". An acknowledgement that human society advances when the elders teach the young people what they have learned, so that knowledge is cumulative from generation to generation. This is, by the way, one of the only things which appears to be unique about human society: the DEGREE to which we can pass on complex ideas so that each generation builds on the last. In comparison, chimpanzees live lives pretty much like chimps 100k years ago. Or, you go through an experience and it changes you. The right experience lifts you to the next level. The old problems are solved, but you have a whole new raft to deal with. That's life.
These steps seemed reasonable to me, but exaggerated in stories where the storyteller sought to hold the audience's attention and earn that leg of mutton or bowl of ale. Not dealing with the subtlety of watching your parents age and dealing with your own mortality, but fight this OGRE! Descend into a VOLCANO to bring back a fire rose! Give them symbols that connect dreamlike with their real concerns, allowing them to address or represent deep and painful life issues without ever walking through the front door of the emotional fortress.
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What I decided to do was to test a theory: "Stories are the elders of the village telling the youngsters: `this is what life will be.'"
If true, I needed to see how this pattern Campbell observed relates to ordinary human behavior. Something which, in other words is useful for studying or creating stories, but also for defining the process of addressing ANY task. And I devised the following pattern:
Hero is confronted with a challenge
They initially reject it.
They accept it.
They set out along the Road of Trials
On which they meet Allies and gain Powers
They have their initial confrontation with evil, in which they are defeated.
They enter the Dark Night of the Soul in which it feels failure is inevitable
They take the Leap of Faith, which is always faith in one of three things: themselves, their companions, or a higher power.
They confront evil again, and this time are victorious
The student becomes the teacher.
Now…I look at these ten stages as similar to the 88 keys of a piano: each has a meaning and tone, a significance. And there is an order. But no musical composition is simply playing those keys left to right, in a steady rhythm and intensity. Music is hitting those notes in sequences that create specific resonances in human consciousness, in different orders and rhythms and with repetitions and omissions.
The same with story. Hit these steps in sequence, and the human consciousness will recognize it as "story" but our adult mind will say "I've heard this too many times" and tune out. The full ten steps of the HJ (as I am defining them) are like the 360 degrees of a circle. MOST stories will minimalize, abstract or repeat, take steps out of order, use different levels of emphasis and so on. A real artist can write a short story or even novel from a single step. The beginning artist should apply them to ten of their favorite books or movies and see how they are used, even if it is a matter of a few "degrees of arc" that the writer trusts an educated reader to fill in for themselves.
But you can also map these ten steps onto ANY human process, ANYTHING you are trying to learn or accomplish, and this is where it really shines, because it suggests the steps you have to take IN ADVANCE. That if you wish to change your life in any substantial way you will have to have courage, take constant action, find new allies and learn new skills. That you WILL fail, and how you DEAL with that failure will determine your fate. And that when you win…you have the responsibility to teach what you learned, to serve your community.
That is what I extracted from THE HERO WITH A THOUSAND FACES, and it has served me for thirty years and across thousands of students and millions of published and produced words. "The Hero's Journey" is b.s.? What precisely are you looking at, how dogmatic and inflexible are you being? It is just a description of a common spine of the way humans parse time and effort and reaction, not some perfect idealized cookie-cutter pattern.
For me, it works to understand story and human effort. And frankly…that's enough. LIFEWRITING grew from this, the application of the tools and understandings of life to writing, and of writing to life. It works in all three major arenas of life: Physical mastery, relationships, and career. Body, mind, spirit and emotion.
Applied to the body there is FIREDANCE TAI CHI
Applied to a writing career it is LIFEWRITING PREMIUM
And just recently, applied to relationships and emotional health it is THE SOULMATE PROCESS.
For the very first time, we've applied this notion to the basic totality of human existence. I can't wait to see what happens next. Spent my whole life getting to this point. What an adventure.
Whew. That was a lot! As always, take what is useful, and discard the rest.
Namaste
Steve
