Heroic Journey

The heroic journey is actually something that really fascinates me. Not because I always agree with it, but because I love studying theories about story structure. I am a screenwriter so I enjoy breaking down stories to see how the plot structures the narrative. The heroic journey is a solid theory that many famous epic stories can be fit into, but not all stories like it claims to. Not all stories have a magical mentor, not all protagonists resist the call to adventure, etc. If anything the theory is just an overly detailed glorification of the classic exposition, rising action, climax, resolution format. However, that does not mean it cannot be fun to take classic stories and see how many fit into the heroic journey.

A great example of this would be The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien because it fits the heroic journey quite literally. The character Bilbo’s home is the “Ordinary World” and is heavily described as being an ordinary place where he lives a simple life. He is literally called to adventure when Gandalf arrives and tells him they are going on an adventure. Bilbo initially resists the call but his magical mentor, Gandalf, convinces him to. He crosses the threshold and leaves his ordinary world to a fantastic world with dangers and adventures at every turn. He faces many trials, most famously Gollum, before they reach the destination. In the cliché of all clichés, Bilbo goes to the cave and beats the dragon. There’s a grand war with elves and dwarves and whatnot, and the good guys win. Bilbo’s Reward is a cut of the dragon’s treasure. Then they safely travel home and Bilbo lives happily ever after. The novel is almost a literal adaptation of the hero’s journey.