Jon Linsao

Professor M. Warner

English 112B

04 December 2012

The Journey to Heroism

With the release of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Rowling had accomplished a feat that seemed impossible at the time: she made people genuinely excited about reading again. I would know; I was one of her victims. And I say people because adults and children were both gushing over Rowling's work. What is Rowling's secret? What is it that makes the series so loved? If I knew that, I might have a best-selling novel of my own. I can, however, make an educated guess. Rowling is formulaic, or rather, Rowling's work adheres to a formula commonly known as the monomyth or hero's journey. First expressed in Joseph Smith's The Hero with a Thousand Faces, Smith summarizes the recurring formula that collected myths and legends from all over the world tend to follow: �A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man� (23). Sound familiar? Harry Potter, an average boy from Surrey, England, finds out he's a wizard and is introduced to a world where magic is real. Harry learns that his parents were killed by the most powerful dark wizard that has ever lived: Lord Voldemort. In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Harry encounters an agent of Voldemort (Professor Quirrell) who attempts to revive Voldemort with the sorcerer's stone, only to be defeated by Harry. Harry returns safely, and the boon is the knowledge that Voldemort has returned and is trying to regain his power. Rowling's novel follows the formula.

Examining Harry Potter under the lens of the monomyth, it becomes clear that there is power in the formula itself. This is not to say that simply following the monomyth produces great literature – an author still needs a gifted mind and story-telling prowess. But it should be acknowledged that a number of the most popular works fall in line with the monomyth (Homer's The Odyssey or George Lucas' Star Wars, for example). The following annotations were done on popular young adult novels that follow the formula of the hero's journey under the genre of fantasy, science fiction, utopias, and dystopias.

Babbitt, Natalie. Tuck Everlasting. Harrisburg, VA: Square Fish, 1975. Print.

Ten-year-old Winnie yearns for a more exciting life but gets more than she bargains for when she is kidnapped from her home. Strangely enough, however, the kidnappers have a legitimate reason to kidnap Winnie. Mae Tuck has a strange secret: she and her family are cursed with immortality. Mae kidnaps Winnie so that she may explain to Winnie why she must protect the secret at all costs. This novel is significant because it breaks the �damsel in distress� stereotype. In a typical classic fairy-tale, women are weak and helpless and need to be rescued (Tuck Everlasting begins this way). Winnie is kidnapped and brought to the Tucks' home against her will, and then �rescued� by a man in a yellow suit (who turns out to have motives of his own). Mae kills the man in the yellow suit to protect Winnie and is arrested and sentenced to death by the constable who witnesses the murder. Winnie, knowing the Tucks' secret is in danger, makes the decision to free Mae from prison. In doing so, Winnie empowers herself, completing her transition from damsel in distress to full-fledged hero.

Card, Orson Scott. Ender's Game. New York, NY: Tom Doherty Associates, 1991. Print.

�In order to develop a secure defense against a hostile alien race's next attack, government agencies breed child geniuses and train them as soldiers. A brilliant young boy, Andrew 'Ender' Wiggin lives with his kind but distant parents, his sadistic brother Peter, and the person he loves more than anyone else, his sister Valentine. Peter and Valentine were candidates for the soldier-training program but didn't make the cut – young Ender is the Wiggin drafted to the orbiting Battle School for rigorous military training...� (Amazon.com synopsis). This source is important because the issues young adults face don't change when the era changes. Even in the distant future, isolation, adults' expectations, and peer pressure are still a part of adolescence. The difference here, however, is that Ender carries the survival of the human race on his shoulders. No pressure.

Collins, Suzanne. The Hunger Games. New York, NY: Scholastic, 2009. Print.

�In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the Games� (Amazon.com synopsis). This source is significant because it is told from a female's perspective (which may help males empathize better). The novel sends the message that females are fully capable of handling themselves (in fact, Katniss rescues Peeta, a male participant from Katniss' district, and nurses him back to health).Furthermore, Katniss is forced into volunteering, sparing her younger sister from competing in the games. This selfless act already makes Katniss a hero.

de la Pe�a, Matt. We Were Here. New York: Delacorte Press, 2009. Print.

Miguel is a troubled teenager who is transferred from Juvenile Hall to a group home. One night, Miguel decides to escape the group home with two of his housemates. The trio make their way toward Mexico to start new lives but encounter mishap after mishap on the way. Miguel finally reaches the US-Mexican border, but decides to return to the group home and complete his sentence rather than try to escape his problems. This novel is significant because it is the only example on this list of a hero's journey that is not set in a magic world. Even though there are no heroics in the way one typically associates with heroes (slaying dragons, rescuing princesses, etc.), this novel conveys that people don't have to slay dragons to be heroes. Miguel does two things to prove his worth as a hero: First, Miguel slays his own personal dragon (his guilt over killing his older brother). Second, Miguel resolves to earn money to repay the amount that he steals from the Lighthouse. If a hero is someone typically admired for his or her noble actions or qualities, Miguel's attempt to make amends makes him a hero.

Paolini, Christopher. Eragon. New York, NY: Random House, 2003. Print.

�Fifteen-year-old Eragon believes that he is merely a poor farm boy—until his destiny as a Dragon Rider is revealed. Gifted with only an ancient sword, a loyal dragon, and sage advice from an old storyteller, Eragon is soon swept into a dangerous tapestry of magic, glory, and power. Now his choices could save—or destroy—the Empire� (Amazon.com synopsis). This novel is significant in that it is often compared to J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. Eragon is a sort of progress report to the evolution of fantasy. Paolini never strays far from the formula: Eragon establishes a hero-villain dichotomy and includes plenty of magic and sword fights (Eragon is even given a magic sword called Zar'roc. Bilbo's sword Sting comes to mind). Also, like many of the novels on this list, Eragon has a film adaptation that can be shown to students to compare and contrast with.

Pullman, Philip. His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass. New York: Random House, 1995. Print.

Pullman's �heroine, Lyra, is an orphan living in a parallel universe in which science, theology, and magic are entwined... The epic story that takes us through the three novels is not only a spellbinding adventure featuring armored polar bears, magical devices, witches, and daemons, it is also an audacious and profound reimagining of Milton's Paradise Lost... Like J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis before him, Pullman has invented a richly detailed and marvelously imagined world, complex and thought-provoking enough to enthrall adults as well as younger readers� (Amazon.com synopsis). The Golden Compass is significant in many ways. Author Peter Hitchens believes the novel is a direct rebuttal of C. S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia which Hitchens believes is a Christian allegory. The Golden Compass, then, becomes a work that caters to those who are of no particular faith or a faith different from that of Christianity. In this way, The Golden Compass creates a secular world, a world without religious imagery. This novel is significant because it offers a different view on religion and could possibly be used in a comparative religions course.

Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. New York: Scholastic Press, 1999. Print.

In Harry Potter's third year at Hogwarts, Harry finds himself the target of a serial killer by the name of Sirius Black who has escaped from the wizard prison Azkaban. Harry must get through the school year while worrying about Black at the same time. Will Black succeed? This significance of the novel is that

Harry is officially a teenager, and his concerns are markedly different than in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. For one thing, Harry is beginning to notice the opposite sex. For another, there is someone actively stalking and trying to murder him. This novel is important because Harry is a completely different person than he was in the earlier novels. He's shown obvious growth towards becoming a hero. Harry shows more confidence, more initiative, and all the other qualities that Gryffindors exemplify.

Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. New York: Scholastic Press, 1997. Print.

On his eleventh birthday, Harry Potter finds out that he is a wizard. He is whisked away to the wizarding world where he is not only acknowledged, he is famous. Harry begins to attend the prestigious Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and unknowingly begins the first step in his journey to defeat the greatest dark wizard of all time. This novel is significant because Harry's journey to heroism is truly a journey. Unlike Ron who grew up as a wizard, Harry knows nothing about the wizarding world. Harry has a steeper learning curve than his peers. Without Ron and Hermione, Harry would be lost, and this is where Rowling excels: Rowling conveys the importance of friendship, loyalty, bravery, and all the other qualities that constitute heroism.

Tolkien, J.R.R. The Hobbit. New York, NY: The Random House Publishing Group, 1982. Print.

Bilbo Baggins lives a quiet life, unnoticed and unburdened – until Gandalf appears. Gandalf the Grey, a powerful wizard, insists that Bilbo come along on an adventure. Bilbo and Gandalf accompany a group of dwarves who are traveling back to their ancestral homeland to take it back from a dragon. The Hobbit is significant because Bilbo Baggins is the quintessential unlikely hero. Bilbo is no warrior; he's not tall, handsome, nor does he have any of the qualities typically ascribed to a hero, but that's the point! Against all odds, Bilbo returns home in one piece a different (and richer) hobbit. Though Bilbo lacks physical aptitude, Bilbo is clever (as evidenced by his win over Gollum in the riddle game). This novel sends the message that heroism is not about weapons, physical strength, or skills. Heroism is a mindset. Heroes are not born, they are made.

Tolkien, J.R.R. The Lord of the Rings. Great Britain: HarpersCollinsPublishers, 2004. Print.

The sequel to The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings centers around Frodo Baggins, Bilbo Baggins' nephew. Frodo is tasked by Gandalf with destroying an ancient magic ring. If the One Ring finds its way back to its creator, Sauron, the destruction of Middle Earth is soon to follow. Frodo sets out with a loyal fellowship to drop the ring into the fires of Mount Doom, thus destroying the ring forever. This work is significant because of its legacy. The work is well-known, well-loved, and is an essential in the category of fiction, fantasy, and the hero's journey. Like Bilbo, there is nothing exceptional about Frodo. He is not renowned for his skills or achievements. If anything, Frodo is best known for being related to Bilbo (who also went off on an adventure). It is Frodo's average life that makes it easy to empathize with him. What makes Frodo a great character is that he sacrifices his life to ensure that the world is protected from Sauron. Frodo understands the dangers inherent to the quest, but as he's the person best suited to carry the ring, he volunteers. Frodo is a hero in every sense of the word.

Works Cited

Campbell, Joseph. The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Novato, California: New World Library, 2008. Print.