The Role Of The Hero's Journey In Literature

The Hero's Journey is a physical progression through a literary tale. In some cases the hero’s journey follows not only a physical progression but a rebirth or coming of age. The stories “Parker’s Back”,”By the Waters of Babylon”, and “Initiation” all follow this progression. The Hero’s Journey help the reader understand the story more deeply. This progression is useful to understanding culture and traditions in our own life. The stories mentioned above follow a main character as they progress through the story. The progression that they follow is one of coming of age. This is also coming of knowledge or rebirth. These stories can also be woven together. Parker's back can represent status quo or normal life. This is because he stays as a flat character. He didn’t change in a significant way. He ends the story the same way it started. Parker is trying to find what makes him, himself. He feels he finds it in tattoos but it’s not enough. At the end of the story he ends still broken and without himself. “Parker’s knees went hollow under him. He wheeled around and cried, “Look at it! Don’t just say that! Look at

It!” This is the pleading to himself to have the eternal search, for
The next step is departure. This happens in “By The Waters Of Babylon”. John travels to the forest as the kind of gate into the unnatural. He then travels to the city of the dead. This is the departure. The climax of a The Hero’s Journey is the trials or tests. A good example is the trials in “Initiation”. In the story Millicent has to prove herself through her a series of tests. Only after, can she claim their reward. “How she had proved something to herself by going through everything, ...”. This is Millicent talking to herself. She has completed her trials and she receives knowledge as her reward. This could be finding love or getting a job promotion. This part of the story shows a prize for your