The Hero's Journey Analysis

Just Keep Swimming With Campbell Every story needs a hero, right? For centuries authors and poets have included this essential character into their work. Without knowing literature has been seldom following the same archetype, The Hero’s Journey. Joseph Campbell discovered that most stories follow this pattern which is why he dubbed it the monomyth. Through years of studying he found that this popular motif is made up of ten basic steps that a hero follows through a story. Well known film writer and director George Lucas molded the film Star Wars around Campbell’s monomyth not only with intent but quite distinctively. Lucas is not the only one doing this in Hollywood either, many screenwriters and directors have caught on to this including Andrew Stanton as he depicted his version of the monomyth in Finding Nemo. This animated film follows the archetype laid out in Joseph Campbell’s, The Hero With a Thousand Faces. In order for the hero to begin their journey they must first face The Call to Adventure. This is the first step in Campbell’s pattern of which the hero faces an outside force that separates him from something that is significant to him. This call is brought to the hero by the herald of the story. One author said that, “The hero’s journey actually begins with The Call to
The next stage represents a long and perilous set of tests and ordeals that will also bring important moments of illumination and understanding” (Henderson 60). These trials are exemplified in Finding Nemo through challenge of Marlin going back into the field of jellyfish and enduring their stings to save Dory. Further on the hero is also tested when the pelican attempts to swallow him and Dory but prevails by lodging himself in the bird’s throat causing him to spit them