Star Wars A Hero's Journey Analysis

Unit 3 was a fun unit that introduced us to heroes. We learned who a hero is, his significance, and what makes up a “Hero’s Journey”. We became acquainted with Joseph Campbell, learned his interpretations of the hero myth, and were given an overview of his work The Hero with a Thousand Faces. In addition, we read excerpts from The Story of the Grail, Quest of the Holy Grail, and the short story “Chivalry”. In chapter 15, Campbell makes the claim that every hero myth follows the same pattern. According to our textbook, “Campbell refers to this concept as the monomyth: no matter where you look, you’ll see the pattern emerge” (Thury and Devinney 219). He feels this pattern is significant and helps us to understand why it has remained the same

I believe Campbell’s claim is very true. I found myself identifying the pattern in most of the movies my family and I watched over Father’s Day weekend. Most significantly was in Star Wars: A New Hope. To start Campbell breaks down the “Hero’s Journey” into three parts. The first being the Departure, second the Initiation, and third the Return. And within each section there contains between five to six different elements. In Star Wars: A New Hope we experience the first section, Departure, when Luke leaves his home planet of Tatooine. This first part includes some of the additional elements; Luke is bored at home, he receives a mysterious message from Princess Leia, he meets his mentor Obi-Wan, and his aunt and uncle are killed by stormtroopers thus propelling him to leave and start his journey. The second part, Initiation, shows his adventures. These include additional elements like his trials with friends, meeting and saving Princess Leia, and penance of his father. Which then leads to the last part of the return. Luke and his friends escape the clutches of Darth Vader and company, they return home, prepare the Rebellion to destroy the Death Star, they abolish the

I see this with my son as he sets off to school each day. I feel each day he faces a “Hero’s Journey” with the special issues he deals with on a daily basis. He starts off his day in the morning ready for his Departure from the safety of home, going toward his call for adventure. He has to cross the threshold of school and enter the journey each new school day presents. During the Initiation he encounters a road of trials throughout the day with his peers and teachers. He may encounter the Goddess (one of his many resource teachers or main teachers), gain a higher knowledge from his experiences, and understand “The Ultimate Boon” by which he uses his higher learning in order to achieve an award or an A on a test. Thus, leading to the return to home with “Crossing the Return Threshold” or is “Master of the Two