How to Analyze the Hero's Journey

Here is a comprehensive explanation for how to analyze the Hero's Journey:

What is the Hero's Journey?

The Hero's Journey is a narrative pattern identified by mythologist Joseph Campbell that appears in stories and myths across cultures and time periods. It describes the typical adventure of an archetypal hero who goes on an adventure, faces a crisis, wins a victory, and returns transformed.

The basic structure involves three main stages:

1. Departure 2. Initiation 3. Return

Within these stages, Campbell outlined 17 steps, though not all stories include every step. Later, screenwriter Christopher Vogler condensed it to 12 steps for modern storytelling.

The 12 Stages of the Hero's Journey

1. Ordinary World 2. Call to Adventure 3. Refusal of the Call 4. Meeting the Mentor 5. Crossing the First Threshold 6. Tests, Allies, Enemies 7. Approach to the Inmost Cave 8. Ordeal 9. Reward (Seizing the Sword) 10. The Road Back 11. Resurrection 12. Return with the Elixir

How to Analyze the Hero's Journey

To analyze a story using the Hero's Journey framework, follow these steps:

1. Identify the Hero

Determine who the main protagonist or "hero" of the story is. This is the character who undergoes the most significant transformation and growth.

2. Map Out the Stages

Go through the story and identify which events correspond to each stage of the Hero's Journey. Not every story will include all stages, and some may be in a different order.

3. Analyze the Ordinary World

Examine how the hero's normal life is portrayed at the beginning. What is lacking or unfulfilling? This establishes the baseline for the hero's transformation.

4. Examine the Call to Adventure

Identify the event or message that disrupts the hero's ordinary life and beckons them to adventure. How does this challenge the hero's status quo?

5. Look for Refusal and Acceptance

Note if and how the hero initially refuses the call. What makes them eventually accept it? This often reveals the hero's fears and motivations.

6. Identify Mentors and Helpers

Analyze the characters who aid the hero. How do they provide guidance, tools, or motivation? What do they represent symbolically?

7. Analyze Trials and Challenges

Examine the tests the hero faces. How do these challenges help the hero grow and develop new skills or insights?

8. Identify the Central Ordeal

Pinpoint the major crisis or challenge that represents the hero's greatest fear or obstacle. How does overcoming this ordeal transform the hero?

9. Examine the Reward

Analyze what the hero gains from their ordeal. This could be physical (an object, elixir) or metaphorical (knowledge, self-realization).

10. Analyze the Return Journey

Look at how the hero begins to return to their ordinary world. What new conflicts arise? How does the hero apply what they've learned?

11. Identify the Resurrection

Examine the final test that proves the hero has truly changed. How does this challenge differ from the initial ordeal?

12. Analyze the Return with the Elixir

Examine how the hero's journey has changed them and their world. What wisdom or power do they bring back to share?

13. Consider Character Arcs

Analyze how the hero changes from beginning to end. What lessons do they learn? How do their motivations or beliefs shift?

14. Look for Symbolic Elements

Identify symbols, metaphors, or archetypes used throughout the journey. How do these deepen the story's meaning?

15. Examine Themes

Consider what larger themes or messages are conveyed through the hero's journey. How does the story structure reinforce these themes?

16. Compare to Other Stories

Consider how this hero's journey compares to other stories in the same genre or cultural tradition. What elements are similar or different?

17. Analyze Adaptations

If analyzing an adaptation, compare how the hero's journey is portrayed across different versions. What changes are made and why?

Tips for Effective Analysis

- Be flexible: Not all stories follow the Hero's Journey exactly. Look for the spirit of each stage rather than forcing a rigid interpretation.

- Consider context: Think about how the story's cultural or historical context influences its use of the Hero's Journey structure.

- Look beyond plot: The Hero's Journey is as much about inner transformation as external events. Analyze the hero's psychological and emotional journey.

- Examine subversions: Some modern stories intentionally subvert elements of the Hero's Journey. Analyze how and why they do this.

- Consider multiple interpretations: The Hero's Journey is a framework, not a rigid formula. Be open to different ways of interpreting how a story fits the pattern.

By systematically examining these elements, you can gain deep insights into how a story uses the Hero's Journey structure to create meaning and resonance. This analysis can reveal layers of symbolism, character development, and thematic depth that might otherwise be overlooked.