Essay On The Hero's Journey By Roald Dahl
Dahl uses the pilot’s thoughts and feelings as well as his actions to convey that heroism and courage can sometimes be expressed by facing rather than avoiding an internal struggle. At this point in the story, the main character (later revealed to be named Peter Williamson) suspects that he has been lied to by his caretakers, and that he is in a different place than he has been told. This suspicion is the underlying base to his internal struggle, which he strives to resolve throughout this passage. Acting upon these suspicions, he decides to rise from his bed, even with only one leg, in “Brighton”, and go to the window to see where he truly is, presenting incredible heroism and courage on his part. His bravery paid off boundlessly - because
…show more content…
Before he had crashed the plane, he had lost a leg. Obviously an excruciating and painful experience, he still managed to convince himself that his leg was fine, and that it would not hurt. This is clearly displayed when he told himself, “It [his leg] seemed all right. It didn’t hurt” (6). He had thought this when the fear and anxiety he had about where he was finally became too much to bear. Due to this overwhelming desire resolve this internal conflict by either confirming or denying his instincts, he climbed onto the floor, intent on reaching the window so that he could see where he truly was. Now satisfied that he would not have to worry about his leg, he flipped himself over his bed and began to crawl towards the window. He, of course, was wrong; as soon as he reached the floor, his leg began to pain him. He could have just given up and climbed back onto the bed, since the only reason he allowed himself to even attempt the journey to the window was because his leg was not in pain. However, instead of running away from his internal struggle, he decided to not only face it, but to directly challenge it. The pilot decided to carry through with his plan, despite the pain and despite wanting to stop, which clearly shows his heroism and courage. These pilots were clearly expressed by the pilot when he made the hard choice; he was determined to face his internal struggle,
Before he had crashed the plane, he had lost a leg. Obviously an excruciating and painful experience, he still managed to convince himself that his leg was fine, and that it would not hurt. This is clearly displayed when he told himself, “It [his leg] seemed all right. It didn’t hurt” (6). He had thought this when the fear and anxiety he had about where he was finally became too much to bear. Due to this overwhelming desire resolve this internal conflict by either confirming or denying his instincts, he climbed onto the floor, intent on reaching the window so that he could see where he truly was. Now satisfied that he would not have to worry about his leg, he flipped himself over his bed and began to crawl towards the window. He, of course, was wrong; as soon as he reached the floor, his leg began to pain him. He could have just given up and climbed back onto the bed, since the only reason he allowed himself to even attempt the journey to the window was because his leg was not in pain. However, instead of running away from his internal struggle, he decided to not only face it, but to directly challenge it. The pilot decided to carry through with his plan, despite the pain and despite wanting to stop, which clearly shows his heroism and courage. These pilots were clearly expressed by the pilot when he made the hard choice; he was determined to face his internal struggle,