Joseph Campbell's 17 Stages: A Literary Analysis
From the minute Jon Krakauer’s audience cracks open his biography, Into the Wild, his admiration for adventurer Christopher McCandless, the main focus of the story, becomes instantly apparent. Though the former is obvious, oftentimes throughout the book, the organization of Krakauer’s ideas can prove to be confusing for the reader. But every decision the author makes during the creation of this masterpiece was completely intentional, and all contribute to the development of Krakauer’s overall purpose in writing this story. By analyzing Krakauer’s organization of ideas, changes in point-of-view, and the way he uses comparisons to enforce his points, readers will better understand Krakauer’s purpose behind the heart-wrenching and empowering Into
Although each literature is unique in its own way, they all share certain key points. The first stage, the call to adventure, can be found in all three novels since each of the protagonist face similar challenges. Winston Smith begins his journey the moment he decides that he will no longer blindly follow the rule of an oppressive government; he begins his crusade against Big Brother. Christopher McCandless, Into the Wild’s protagonist, realizes his goal to discover himself when he notices how misplaced he is in society. Meursault receives his call when he becomes informed of his mother's
The monomyth, a story arc template introduced by Joseph Campbell in 1949, describes the “hero’s journey” as seventeen stages, but it can be simplified into three parts: a main character goes on an adventure, faces a crisis, and returns, notably changed. Though used in fictitious outlines, this narrative can occur in real life too. John Krakauer, the author of the memoir Into Thin Air, underwent a horrific experience on Mount Everest, when he was present for the May 10, 1996 disaster. Even though Krakauer’s account is nonfiction, it parallels the monomyth structure. Campbell’s first section is departure: a stage where the hero, Krakauer, lives in the normal world and receives an opportunity to take an extraordinary adventure.
Joseph Campbell’s monomyth steps are the departure, the initiation and the return. The departure step is when the hero is forced to leave his/her everyday life and there is a boundary between the hero's life and the unknown challenges that await him/her. The initiation is when the hero faces challenges and also has a mentor that teaches the hero what they need to know and may also give them a weapon. Lastly, the hero goes through a transformation which is when the hero achieves their goal and the hero is also changed by his experiences and becomes a true hero. The Return is when the hero returns home for good, temporarily, or as a changed person.
There comes a time in everyone's life when they ask themselves the question, “Is there something bigger out there for me?” One won’t know the answer to this question until they venture out into the great beyond and discover it for themselves. It means having to step out of your comfort zone into a whole new world you’ve never experienced before and going on an adventure of self-discovery to find what’s really out there for you. Joseph Campbell’s mono-myth consists of six stages, call to adventure, threshold, challenges and temptation, revelation, atonement, and return. Every story created follows this pattern and one’s life is their own story.
The Stranger, written by Albert Camus, It follows the story of our tragic hero, Meursault, shortly after his mother dies through the events that lead to him being sentenced to death. Camus uses the motif of weather to express Meursault’s emotions. The Stranger shows how even when a person does not explicitly express emotion they are shown in some way. How emotions are expressed is a window to a person's personality. I will first discuss how Meursault appears emotionless, than how Camus uses the motif of weather to express Meursault’s emotions for him and lastly what impact this makes.
During life, many people are persuaded to do extraordinary things. In the unprecedented case of Chris Mccandless, he is driven to the edge of society by a childhood discovery which traumatizes him, as well as the ideas of nonconformity and self-reliance. In Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, Chris Mccandless is motivated by a family discovery as well as the ideas and tenets of Transcendentalism, to make his trek into the wilderness of Alaska.
Joseph Campbell’s The Hero With a Thousand Faces discusses the idea that every story and person experience a hero/heroin quest and follow the 17-stages of the Monomyth. In addition, Carl Jung’s Archetypes support Campbell’s idea because every person’s fate or journey encompass the human mind and every situation people expose themselves to. Following a path with no guarantee encompasses risk and curiosity but knowing that when the end comes and destiny prevails, an apotheosis arises and the ultimate spiritual, emotional and physical rebirth takes place. George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty Four and T.S. Eliot’s The Lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock serve as a contradiction to Campbell’s Monomyth, though rough trials present to Winston Smith and Prufrock,
In his novel, “Into the wild “ by Jon Krakauer explains about a young man going outside of the society. I'm going to explain about McCandless attitude against civilization versus nature. I’m also going to be discussing his feelings about the government and law,Family, and friends. Chris McCandless wanted to see how it would feel to live outside the society.
Lyliana Arellano Mr. Whyte ERWC, P.6 10 April 2017 Research Paper I am to apply Joseph Campbell’s 17 Stages of the Hero’s Journey to Albert Camus’s The Stranger, George Orwell’s 1989,and Jon Krakauer’s Into the Wild. Albert Camus’s The stranger contains a strong fullness of Camus’s philosophical notion of absurdity. George Orwell’s 1984 is a political novel written with the purpose of warning readers in the West of the dangers of totalitarian government.
Everybody dreams of their own forms of success that defines a person is what they do with those ambitions. In the novel, "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer, Christopher McCandless from suburban Virginia embarks on a philosophical quest throughout the United States, but prior to that he donates a large sum of money to charity and shortly after graduating from Emory University, leaves home for his journey. Over the course of his pilgrimage, McCandless makes it to South Dakota, California, Arizona, and Mexico, discarding his possessions while meeting several types of people whom he connects with. Among the many scenarios McCandless faces, they include a flash flood where he loses his car, powerful rapids while canoeing, and working at McDonalds. McCandless became close with people who had significantly affected him, such as the hospitality of a grain elevator manager and the comfort of an
What if life contributed to no meaning and the only point which matters is the existence happening during the present? To make things worse, as humans live, they breath, but as they die a salvation is received to their soul, and their existence is over. The Stranger by Albert Camus illustrates that the human soul exists in the world physically, therefore the presence or absence does not contribute to any particular event in life. Through, this thought the novel introduces Meursault, who alienates himself from society. He lacks concern for social conventions and is deprived of the physical bounding from people around him.
Joseph Campbell, the author of The Hero With A Thousand Faces, writes, “The crossing first of the open sewer, then of the perfectly clear river flowing over grass, the appearance of the willing helper at the critical moment, and the high, firm ground beyond the final stream. These are the everlastingly recurrent themes of the wonderful song of the soul 's high adventure.” (Campbell 20). These themes presented by Joseph Campbell illustrate what has become known as the “The Hero’s Journey” or “Monomyth”. The Monomyth structure has grown to become the most widespread form of storytelling and writing throughout all forms of media.
From the past to the present, whether the culture of the society differs from other societies, a common pattern always seems to take place: individualism. Individualism slowly disintegrates from the idea of one entire group, rather the individual encounters challenges that act against the idea of collectivism. Joseph Campbell introduces the concept of individualism vs. collectivism, man vs. wild, and even man vs. man in The Hero With a Thousand Faces, or better known as the monomyth. This idea of the hero’s journey includes 17-stages that a hero must encounter in order for them to reach his or her goal or make an attempt. The monomyth revolves around numerous levels that a character experiences on their special quest.
Recognized and documented by Joseph Campbell, the monomyth archetype, or the hero’s journey is an essential paradigm of human experience that serves as the foundation to many stories. It often involves a hero partaking in an adventure, becoming victorious in a conquest and returning home forever changed. “The Step Not Taken” written by Paul D’Angelo follows the story of a man on a moral quest to determine the ethical reaction to the suffering of others. The man within the story is seen going through three consecutive stages. These stages represent the hero’s journey of separation, struggle or initiation and return or reintegration.
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