Most stories follow the life of a particular person or people as they transform into new individuals. These individuals are referred to as the heroes of their stories, and they experience a certain transformation to become better individuals. The challenges and experiences they encounter along the way and how they overcome them make the stories interesting. This process is referred to as the hero’s journey. This process is further identified as “a common narrative archetype, or story template, that involves a hero who goes on an adventure, learns a lesson, wins a victory with that newfound knowledge, and then returns home transformed” (MasterClass, paragraph 3). This template is essential not only because it has been used for a long time in story writing but also because it has proven effective, as most outstanding stories have followed this template. Miyamoto (2) explains that this template has also been adopted by screenwriters, with one of Hollywood’s executives and screenwriters identifying it as a “skeleton framework that should be fleshed out with details of and surprises of the individual story.” Therefore, while some argue that the hero’s journey template may not be relevant to contemporary narrative writing, the fact that it has been included in contemporary screenwriting through adhering to the three basic steps of transformation still makes the template relevant and doesn’t sound too bad.
The hero’s journey has led many writers to many extraordinary stories. The concept was first developed by Joseph Campbell in 1949 when he highlighted that the hero must undergo three stages; departure, initiation, and return. In the departure stages, the hero leaves their ordinary life, followed by the initiation stage, where they navigate a new world hence the challenges and new experiences that the return where the hero finally returns to a familiar world. These three stages have, over the years, been broken down into other stages. For example, Miyamoto explores the twelve stages of the hero’s journey. Regardless of the number of stages, the basic three must be applied and are significant, especially for beginners, as they provide the needed structure. This paper will use the simple classical story of Hansel and Gretel to follow the hero’s journey.
The first stage is the departure stage. There are different reasons for the departure; in some cases, circumstances force the departure, like in Hansel and Gretel, or they are forced out of their ordinary lives, for example, falling into a rabbit hole like Alice, among other reasons. MasterClass (para,14) explains the different reasons for the departure, including a refusal of the call where the hero is unwilling to follow their journey. Miyamoto (35) divides this stage further into three parts. The first entails the writer creating an ordinary world for the hero. Hazel and Gretel’s story begins by explaining their ordinary life of living with their father in the woods after their mother’s death and having a stepmother. The second stage involves the writer foreshadowing the dispute by creating a situation that will make the hero leave their ordinary life, and lastly, the situation should create empathy among the readers or viewers to make the departure sensible to them. Volger (10) explains that the departure stage significantly guides the writer to start their story.
The second stage is the initiation stage. In this stage, Volger (20) explains that this is the main part of the story as it consists of the challenges, trials, and experiences the hero must undergo to mark their transformation. In the story of Hansel and Gretel, this stage is marked by them being lost, the birds eating the breadcrumbs that were supposed to lead them home and having to live with the witch. Zahari (99) explains that the transformation during this produces great literature on how the writer formulates the challenges and conflicts, including how the protagonist overcomes them. In some cases, they have to fight their way out; in some, they are guided by a mystical being, while in most modern cases, the protagonist appears wittier and more capable of solving such conflicts through a particular ability they have. The hero’s journey is connected to character development in movies because at this stage, especially the first few challenges, the hero may fail, and when they finally overcome them, the challenges have built their character and self-confidence and even made them stronger. To add more information, Miyamoto explains the different stages in this second part, including befriending an ally who becomes the hero’s guide depending on the writer.
The final stage explains the hero’s return to normalcy and transforms into becoming a better person. In this stage, the journey has transformed them in a manner that they wish to stay. In Hazel and Gretel, this stage is reflected in their transformation of returning home rich and transforming their lives from poverty. This is the last part where after gaining new experience, the protagonist can apply it to their lives, facilitating a better life than the beginning. In romantic stories, this part constitutes the protagonists having the love they were chasing, and in fairytales abolishing the evil, thus living happily ever after. The ending of the story is uniquely made by the writer.
Though the hero’s journey can be associated with great stories, its criticism is linked with providing an archetype that only considers other aspects as writers intend to follow the archetype. Yusof (423) explains that the hero’s journey focuses on the events and little on the person because various personal aspects may deter the journey’s completion. For example, in Shakespeare’s story, Macbeth’s power controls the story, and in the end, Macbeth dies though he should have been the hero.
Conclusively, the hero’s journey as a template in story writing and screenwriting is not too bad because it has been the basis for good stories regardless of the writer’s background. The hero’s journey provides an opportunity to create stories by directing the writer to fill in what is needed in the various stages. The hero’s journey consists of the departure stage, where the protagonist exits his ordinary life. The initiation stage is the prime of the story as the reader follows the transformation of the hero. Lastly, the hero returns to their normal lives but with different qualities. Therefore, there is criticism against the hero’s journey as a template, especially though it is not a bad template due to its effectiveness, as evidenced by great stories written over the years, regardless of the writer’s experience or background.
Works Cited
MasterClass. “Writing 101: What Is the Hero’s Journey? 2 Hero’s Journey Examples in Film” (2021). https://www.masterclass.com/articles/writing-101-what-is-the-heros-journey#7K6Rw9mQ18oq9bNyikUygd
Miyamoto Ken. “Exploring the 12 stages of the Hero’s journey” (2022). p1-50. https://screencraft.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Exploring-the-12-Stages-of-the-Heros-Journey-with-Cover.pdf?__s=eb5pmnerclc9ved48t3l&utm_source=drip&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Introduction+to+Screenwriting&utm_content=Download+your+(free)+screenwriting+e-books
Vogler, Christopher. “Joseph Campbell goes to the movies: The influence of the hero’s journey in film narrative.” Journal of Genius and Eminence 2.2 (2017): 9-23. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Michael-Viega/publication/332748631_From_Orphan_to_Sage_The_Hero’s_Journey_as_an_Assessment_Tool_for_Hip_Hop_Songs_Created_in_Music_Therapy/links/5d8baf23299bf10cff0e714f/From-Orphan-to-Sage-The-Heros-Journey-as-an-Assessment-Tool-for-Hip-Hop-Songs-Created-in-Music-Therapy.pdf#page=15
Yusof, Ahmad Muhyiddin B., et al. “Archetypal Criticism: The Notion Of Monomania Overturns The Hero’s Journey.” Jurnal Melayu (2021). P 422-431. https://oarep.usim.edu.my/jspui/bitstream/123456789/14266/1/228.%20Archetypal%20Criticism-The%20Notion%20Of%20Monomania%20Overturns%20The%20Hero%27s%20Journey.pdf
Zahari, Nor Ainun Barieah Binti. “The heroes’journey: an archetypal analysis of Hansel and Gretel.” Elite: English and Literature Journal 9.2 (2022): 98-111. https://journal3.uin-alauddin.ac.id/index.php/elite/article/download/31463/16124
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