Analysis Of Joseph Campbell's Heroes Journey

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A hero has always been a staple in Greek and modern myths. Whether he or she has special superpowers or uses their own cleverness, they’re someone the ordinary man can look up to and admire. According to Joseph Campbell’s “Heroes Journey” model, Indiana Jones is a hero. The “Heroes Journey” model is an outline that can be used for all major hero stories and adventures that allows the reader to track the hero’s journey and growth through the story. Campbell divides the Heroes Journey into three different phases; Departure, Initiation, and Return. Each phase has certain stages where the hero is faced with unique challenges that test him or her. The 1989 movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, written by George Lucas and directed by Steven Spielberg, meets all the criteria outline by Campbell in the “Hero’s Journey” model; …show more content…

The Ultimate Boon can be perceived as one of two things. The ultimate boon could be the Holy Grail, because it was the material thing that Indy had been going on the journey to find. It can also be seen as the newfound relationship between Indiana and his father, which is the conceptual thing that Indy had been looking for. When Indy’s father says, “Indiana, let it go” Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Indiana finally feels loved, because his father had finally chosen him over the Grail.
The Return is the point in journey where the hero begins his journey home. The Return begins with the refusal of the return. Indy’s Refusal of the Return was when he didn’t want to leave without the Grail, so much so that he almost lost his life. After Elsa grabbed the Grail and tried to take it with them, the room started to shake and the floor collapsed because the Grail couldn’t pass a certain point in the room. Indy caught Elsa before she fell, but she tried to reach for the Grail causing Indy to lose his grasp on her and she then fell into the abyss. Indy then tried to reach for the