For the past few years I have been teaching high school writing in our homeschool tutorial co-op. Having seen several groups of students through the courses, I've noticed some issues and questions coming up regularly. I hope these Tip Sheets will be helpful to my students, their parents, and perhaps to other students and parent/teachers as well.
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Today we're going to discuss the concept of a plot framework that is very widely used in literature―the Hero's Journey. The Hero's Journey structure is discussed in Literature classes because so many novels and plays and other works are based on this framework, and students writing fiction can make use of this template for their stories as well.
Even if you've never taken a Literature class, or studied plot structure in a writing class, I bet you're familiar with the Hero's Journey, even if you don't recognize it by its name. Even if you're not a reader of classic literature! If you're familiar with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, The Hunger Games, Star Wars, The Lion King, or The Hobbit, just to name a few, you have read or seen a Hero's Journey story. It's the same basic narrative pattern going all the way back to ancient literary forms we call "epics" which were often written in poetic form. Think Homer's Odyssey.
In 1949, an academic named Joseph Campbell published a mythology book titled The Hero With a Thousand Faces, in which he described his theory that all mythological narratives follow the same basic structure. He called it a 'monomyth' or Hero's Journey. In 2007, screenwriter Christopher Vogler expanded on this concept in his book, The Writer's Journey.
A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man. ~Joseph Campbell, The Hero With a Thousand Faces
Or how about this description: some crisis forces the lead character to get out of his comfort zone and confront his worst fears or tackle his biggest obstacles in order to rescue someone or achieve something he values. The conflict almost destroys the hero in some way, but against the odds he wins, and his life returns to a new normal. New because he has learned and grown from the experience, and now has something of great value to contribute to his community.
You've seen that movie or read that book, haven't you? We all have, in one form or another. Let's break it down a little bit.
The Basics of the Journey
The Hero's Journey has three broad stages to it, each of which can be broken down further. Let's start with the basic three:
The Departure - The hero receives some type of call to adventure and leaves the familiar world behind.
The Initiation - The hero learns to navigate the unfamiliar world, facing various tasks or obstacles, often with the help of a mentor. There is a prize of some kind that the hero wins.
The Return - The hero returns to the familiar world, realizing how the adventure has changed him.
You can see that the story is not just about the things that happen to the character, but also about how the character is changed, almost always for the better. This is called a character arc. The hero may return physically to the same place he started from, but he has grown or changed personally.
Each of the stages can be broken down into smaller sections. Some sources say it's twelve stages altogether, others say it's seventeen. Not every one of these smaller steps will necessarily be present in every novel or movie you analyze, and not every sub-step is necessary if you are writing a story with this structure. The sub-steps may be combined or be slightly different in order, and a stage that involves crossing a threshold from one world to another could straddle the two stages.
The Departure
This stage includes the Introduction or Ordinary World, the Call to Adventure, the Refusal, Meeting a Mentor, and Crossing the Threshold.
At the beginning of the story, we're introduced to the hero and find out what his Ordinary World is like. The hero should be introduced as a sympathetic character with some needs and wants that will drive his decisions. There should be a hint that something isn't quite right or is missing in that existence. Examples: Harry Potter lives with his aunt and uncle and sleeps in a cupboard, or Bilbo Baggins in his comfortable, predictable Hobbit hole in the Shire.
Something happens to disturb this Ordinary World and spur the hero to take some unexpected and often unwelcome action. This is the Call to Adventure. Usually this involves some kind of Refusal, with the hero initially being afraid or feeling unworthy, but the crisis is something that cannot be ignored. This is an introduction of conflict and the hero will be compelled to step out of his ordinary world. The refusal is often a clue to what the hero's biggest fear or weakness is, because they will need to overcome it. Examples: R2-D2 plays a message from Princess Leia pleading for help, but Luke initially refuses to leave his home planet, and Neo (in The Matrix) receives a message telling him to follow the white rabbit but he doesn't trust Trinity and allows himself to be captured.
Around this time, the hero Meets a Mentor. In mythology, fantasy or fairy tale type stories, the mentor might be a character with some supernatural powers. Even if the mentor doesn't have magic powers, the mentor helps the hero by giving advice or imparting a skill or gift that will help the hero succeed. Sometimes the mentor is the one that gives the hero the kick in the butt they need to answer the call, and sometimes the hero doesn't meet the mentor until they're on the way. Examples: Mr Miyagi agrees to train Daniel in karate (The Karate Kid), and Aladdin meets the Genie and is granted three wishes.
Crossing the Threshold is the transition from the ordinary world into the unfamiliar world. The hero has a mentor and a newfound skill, weapon, or gift that makes him as ready as he'll ever be to enter the unfamiliar world and start the next stage of the journey and conflict. It's about a quarter of the way into the novel or movie, and this is a decision point for the hero; there's no turning back! He will be doing something new and he'll probably be scared. There may be a task or confrontation at this point, where the hero has to do something to gain entrance to the new world. If there's an opposition character here that the hero has to get past, we call them the Threshold Guardian. Sometimes the Guardian can be turned into an ally of the hero. Examples: Neo chooses the red pill and is shown the Matrix, and Frodo and Sam leave the Shire with the ring.
The Initiation
This stage includes Learning the Rules; Tests, Allies, and Enemies; Approaching the Cave; the Ordeal; Rebirth/Resurrection and Taking the Prize.
Once in the new world, the hero has to Learn the Rules. He may have gone from a realistic world to a magical world, and has to learn how the magic works. Or he may have entered an arena of some type and needs to learn the rules of engagement in the game. Like Katniss training in the Capitol before entering the arena. During this stage there will be Tests; and the hero will meet or make Allies and Enemies. There is a series of conflicts that will lead to the climactic showdown, and the hero will usually fail in one of these early battles against the antagonist. These smaller tests or battles will also serve to hone the hero's skills and he will learn valuable lessons from them. The hero meets other characters that will either accompany and help him, or oppose him. Examples: Marlin and Dory encounter sharks, jellyfish, sea turtles, and a blue whale on their journey - Some of these characters are helpful and some are not; some are both! And Dorothy already has her dog Toto, but she meets Glinda, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion on her way to Oz.
There's usually a calm before the storm portion of the story somewhere in this world. It serves as a place for the hero to reflect on the journey so far and is a relax in the building tension before the conflict ratchets up for one final battle. This calm is sometimes called Approaching the Cave. Wherever it happens in the story, it is a preparation for the Ordeal. This is the climactic conflict, the fight to the death, the battle where everything is on the line for the hero and despite all the preparation the odds are against him. But of course, the hero wins the day. Examples: Princess Leia is rescued and Luke Skywalker uses the Force to destroy the Death Star, Carl Frederickson chooses his house over Russell, but then when he realizes the danger Russell is in and how evil Muntz really is, he and Dug go to rescue Russell and have to engage Muntz in a huge battle.
The Rebirth/Resurrection or Death-to-Life Experience can happen as part of the epic battle Ordeal, or may happen later in order for the hero to return home. Some heroes die or are near death physically in their great battle, but are revived supernaturally. Sometimes the death is not physical but the death of a dream or ideal, or giving up of something the hero thought was important only to find a new purpose or object of affection that is better. What's important is that in order to fully triumph over the antagonist and get the prize or boon, the hero must essentially give up something of himself for a greater good, or without knowing that he will survive. Examples: When Mother Goethel stabs Flynn, Rapunzel sacrifices her freedom in order to use her hair to save Flynn. That is her ordeal and her "death". But Flynn also has a death-to-life ordeal here, as he cuts off Rapunzel's hair, knowing he will die but giving her the chance to be free of Goethel. By the way, his line at this point is an example that the death-to-life is not always physical. His last words are, "You are my new dream." Although Flynn opens the movie by saying that it's Rapunzel's story, they each complete their own hero's journey in the movie Tangled.
Having won the battle, the hero can now claim the prize or boon! Taking the Prize might mean a tangible reward or the reward might be the satisfaction of achievement or the knowledge that something or someone the hero cares about is safe. Often the prize, once received, is revealed to be of greater value to the hero than he had even realized. Examples: Dorothy escapes from the Wicked Witch's castle with the broomstick and with the ruby slippers, both of which help her to return home to Kansas. Carl's rewards in Up! are the dogs he brings back with him and his friendship with Russell which gives his life purpose. Aladdin's prizes are the friendship of Genie, the respect of the sultan, and the love of Princess Jasmine―which you might remember the Genie said he couldn't get with his three wishes.
The Return
The hero has triumphed and now is ready to return home, so in this stage you'll see him Crossing the Threshold Back and Mastering Two Worlds.
At some point after the decisive battle the hero will need to return to his Ordinary World. He might be reluctant to return, just as he was initially reluctant to begin the adventure. He might want to stay in the Adventure World, or he might be afraid of what awaits him back home, or what the boon might mean. The return is not an easy journey, because he'll have to Cross the Threshold to Get Back. The trials of returning tend to reinforce why the hero had to go on the journey in the first place.
As a result of his epic journey, the battles won, the death and rebirth experience, and the prize gained, the hero is forever changed somehow. This is where the character arc resolves, with the hero becoming better in some way. In a sense, the hero is now learning how to Master Two Worlds. This may involve figuring out how to bestow the boon on his ordinary world, making some sort of atonement for the mistakes he made before the journey, or simply being reconciled to this new status. Examples: After returning Princess Leia to the Rebel Base, Luke joins the rebellion after all, and Sam and Frodo have different experiences when they return home after destroying the One Ring. Sam returns braver, marries Rosie, and builds a new life in his original world, while Frodo is traumatized by all he's been through and leaves the Shire to build a new life elsewhere. After defeating Voldemort (in the first book), Harry Potter returns to his aunt and uncle's and enjoys the summer because he knows he has a place at Hogwarts.
There are only so many plots in the world. It's how they unfold that makes them interesting. ~Lauren Beukes
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Once you're familiar with the Hero's Journey, it's amazing how many novels and movies follow this basic plot! Think of your favorite superhero movies and chances are they are a variation of the Hero's Journey.
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