Assignment #5 The Hero's Journey

I. DEPARTURE

Call to Adventure: How does the character

receive the call to adventure?

Refusal of the Call: Does the character

accept the call immediately?

Answering the Call: What motivates the

character to accept the call?

Supernatural Aid: Who or what helps the

hero on his journey? Why?

Guide/Mentor: Is there a specific character

that helps the hero understand the life

situation or provides the hero with special

training?

Talisman: Is there a particular item that has

special significance to the hero?

Companions: Who is with the hero on his

journey? How do these companions help

the hero face the challenges?

Crossing the Threshold: At what point in

the story does the hero leave the familiar

world and move into a new, unfamiliar

world?

Threshold Guardians: Are there characters

that try to prevent the hero from crossing

over into the unfamiliar territory or

circumstance?

II: INITIATION

Road of Trials: What specific challenges

does the hero face?

Brother Battle: Does the hero battle

physically or mentally with someone who is

a relative or a close friend?

Meeting the Goddess: Does the hero meet

with a character with special beauty and

power?

Abduction: Is the character kidnapped, or

is someone close to the hero kidnapped?

Zachary Hamby © 2018 www.creativeenglishteacher.com

Night or Sea Journey: Where do the hero’s

travels take him?

Dragon Battle: Does the hero battle some

kind of monster? Does the hero face an

inner-demon?

Ritual Death or Dismemberment: Is the

hero injured and thought to be dead? Does

the hero mistakenly believe someone close

to him is dead? Does the hero suffer an

injury in which he loses a limb or use of

some other body part?

Sacred Marriage: Does the hero have a

special emotional bond? (It could literally

be a marriage with another character.)

Atonement (“at one with”) with or

Recognition by the Father: Is the hero

reunited with his father in some way?

Entering the Belly of the Whale: Is there

some point in the story where the hero must

face his deepest fear or the darkest evil in

the story?

Apotheosis (Deification): Is there a point in

the story where the hero is held up as an

ideal or where the hero is worshipped as a

god?

Ultimate Boon/Magic Elixir: Does the hero

find some special solution to the problem he

is attempting to resolve? This might be a

magic potion or a key to something.

III. THE RETURN

Refusal of the Return: Does the hero

initially refuse to return to the homeland or

the place that he began the journey?

Magic Flight/Pursuit: Is there some point

(generally toward the end) where the hero is

being chased or is otherwise trying to

escape something?

Zachary Hamby © 2018 www.creativeenglishteacher.com

Rescue from Without: Is there some point

in the story when all seems hopeless, when

it looks like the hero is going to die then

suddenly he is rescued unexpectedly?

Crossing the Return Threshold: Is there

some point where the hero clearly returns

“home”?

Master of Two Worlds: Does it appear that

the hero has conquered life in both the

familiar and unfamiliar worlds?

Freedom to Live: Since the hero typically

beings the journey to resolve a problem,

does it appear the problem is at last

resolved so that all can live freely?

Zachary Hamby © 2018 www.creativeenglishteacher.com