jungle book hero's journey

Film Review: ‘The Jungle Book’

Jon Favreau brings a welcome lightness of touch to this visually immersive adventure story.

By Andrew Barker

Andrew Barker

Senior Features Writer

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Of all of the impressive details to appear on screen in Disney’s live-action adaptation of “ The Jungle Book ,” none is more startling than a title card at the close of the end credits reading: “Filmed in Downtown Los Angeles.” So immersively does the film’s visual-effects team craft every tree, waterfall and flower of Rudyard Kipling’s fantastical subcontinental setting, and so carefully are the talking CGI animals rendered, it almost beggars belief that the whole thing was shot in a 12-story building overlooking the 110 freeway. But aside from investing in top-drawer digital craftsmanship, perhaps the canniest move Disney made on this film was hiring Jon Favreau to helm it. Maintaining the buoyant heartbeat beneath all the digital flash, Favreau never loses sight of the fact that he’s making an adventure story for children — no small matter in a kid-pic landscape flooded with inappropriately gritty reboots and frenetic distraction devices — and when positive word of mouth arrives to buttress Disney’s all-out marketing efforts, the studio should have a substantial hit on its hands.

Favreau already has one four-star family pic to his credit with “Elf,” but the most important touchstone from his filmography here is probably “Iron Man,” in which the director hit all the marks of an effects-heavy tentpole while still allowing the film to breathe where it needed to. His lightness of touch proves an enormous asset, as he builds this jungle into the type of dangerous, sometimes pitiless setting that an average 10-year-old would nonetheless never want to leave. It can’t rival the woolly looseness of Disney’s 1967 animated classic, of course, but it succeeds on its own so well that such comparisons are barely necessary.

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Pulling freely from Kipling’s stories, Disney’s own animated treatment, and the inventions of screenwriter Justin Marks, this “Jungle Book” certainly imposes a bit more of a strict hero’s-journey framework onto the source materials, yet rarely does it lapse into the sort of po-faced seriousness that tends to sour so many aggressively modernized fairy stories. Kipling’s story “Mowgli’s Brothers” serves as the film’s jumping-off point, and we open on the 10-year-old man-cub (first-timer Neel Sethi) as he’s deep into his wolf training. Discovered abandoned in the jungle by the sage black panther Bagheera (voiced by Ben Kingsley, all exasperated officiousness), Mowgli has been raised by wolf couple Raksha (Lupita Nyong’o) and Akela (Giancarlo Esposito), but his development is lagging behind that of his lupine siblings, and Bagheera admonishes him for using human “tricks” like tool building, instead of learning the ways of the pack.

When a dry season forces predators and prey into a brief “water truce,” the rest of the jungle gets a look at the wolf pack’s unusual new charge. The despotic Bengal tiger Shere Khan (Idris Elba) takes exception, having lost his left eye to an encounter with mankind’s “red flower,” fire, and demands the boy be surrendered to him. Akela stares down the tiger, but the conflict is enough to convince Mowgli to travel with Bagheera to rejoin human civilization; on their way, Shere Khan springs a surprise attack, and Mowgli flees off into the deep jungle alone.

It’s here that the familiar plot beats from Disney’s first “Jungle Book” outing kick in, and Mowgli joins forces with an ingratiatingly lazy bear, Baloo ( Bill Murray ). As much as modern blockbuster style might demand some sort of theme-park-ready setpiece for every reel, Favreau clearly understands that the Mowgli-Baloo relationship is the real key to the story, and he slows the film’s pace long enough to build up an effective hangout vibe, with Murray voicing the role as the world’s most charming ursine used-car salesman.

Whether the sloped-shouldered, heavy-lidded Baloo is designed to look a bit like Murray or Murray simply looks like a half-napping bear is open to debate, but it’s only with him that the film ever risks setting foot into the uncanny valley: Otherwise, the animal effects are overwhelmingly successful, taking the standard set by Rhythm and Hues’ CG tiger in “Life of Pi” and applying it throughout. It isn’t just that the animal movements scan as real — Shere Khan in particular is carefully rendered to be intimidatingly weighty when looming in the foreground while lighter than air when in flight — but they’ve figured out just how much to anthropomorphize the animal mouth movements to make their speaking seem natural, without turning them into cartoons.

Not all of it works. The all-but-contractually-obliged reprisals of Mouse House musical staples (“The Bare Necessities,” “I Wan’na Be Like You”) are inorganically threaded in, and the decision to cast King Louie (Christopher Walken) as a a grotesque, Col. Kurtz-esque gigantopithecus only makes the absence of Louis Prima sting even stronger. But when the film gets it right, it sings. The appearance of Kaa the snake (voiced by Scarlett Johansson, in the closest we’re likely to get to an “Under the Skin” sequel) is magnificently done, exploiting the surround-sound capabilities of Dolby Atmos and a sense of slowly shifting scale for an unnervingly trippy sequence that stops just short of something that would trouble children’s sleep.

Tackling his first feature-film role not only as the lead, but also as the only flesh-and-blood character on screen, young Sethi acquits himself well under what must have been challenging circumstances. His line readings don’t always fully pop, but he possesses a loose-limbed naturalness on camera, and perhaps most importantly for a film like this, he genuinely seems to be having fun. Voice work is excellent all around, from Nyong’o’s maternal warmth to Elba’s arrogant malevolence, and the late Garry Shandling has his moments as Ikki, the skittish porcupine. Composer John Debney offers a lush symphonic score, and the 3D work is impressive enough to justify the ticket price.

​Reviewed at El Capitan Theater, Hollywood, April 1, 2016. MPAA Rating: PG. Running time: 105 MIN.

• Production: A Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures release of a Disney presentation of a Fairview Entertainment production. Produced by Jon Favreau, Brigham Taylor. Executive producers, Peter Tobyansen, Molly Allen, Karen Gilchrist. Co-producers, Joyce Cox, John Bartnicki.
• Crew: Directed by Jon Favreau. Screenplay, Justin Marks, based on the books by Rudyard Kipling. Camera (color), Bill Pope; editor, Mark Livolski; music, John Debney; production designer, Christopher Glass; supervising art director, Andrew L. Jones; art director, John Lord Booth III; costume designer, Laura Jean Shannon; sound (Dolby Atmos), Ronald Judkins; supervising sound editors, Christopher Boyes, Frank Eulner; re-recording mixers, Boyes, Lora Hirschberg; special effects supervisor, J.D. Schwalm; special effects coordinator, Gintar Repecka; visual effects supervisors, Robert Legato, Adam Valdez; visual effects producer, Joyce Cox; Weta visual effects supervisors, Dan Lemmon, Keith Miller, Joe Letteri; MPC visual effects supervisor, Charley Henley; visual effects, MPC, Weta Digital; stunt coordinators, Thomas Robinson Harper, Casey O'Neill; assistant director, David H. Venghaus Jr.; second unit director/camera, Legato; casting, Sarah Halley Finn.
• With: Neel Sethi, Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley, Idris Elba, Lupita Nyong'o, Scarlett Johansson, Giancarlo Esposito, Christopher Walken, Garry Shandling, Brighton Rose​

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The Jungle Book

After a threat from the tiger Shere Khan forces him to flee the jungle, a man-cub named Mowgli embarks on a journey of self discovery with the help of panther Bagheera and free-spirited bear... Read all After a threat from the tiger Shere Khan forces him to flee the jungle, a man-cub named Mowgli embarks on a journey of self discovery with the help of panther Bagheera and free-spirited bear Baloo. After a threat from the tiger Shere Khan forces him to flee the jungle, a man-cub named Mowgli embarks on a journey of self discovery with the help of panther Bagheera and free-spirited bear Baloo.

• Jon Favreau
• Justin Marks
• Rudyard Kipling
• Bill Murray
• Ben Kingsley
• 657 User reviews
• 417 Critic reviews
• 77 Metascore
• 33 wins & 56 nominations total

• (as Brighton Rose)

• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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Did you know

• Trivia One of the treasures in King Louie's temple is the Genie's lamp from Aladdin (1992) .
• Goofs After Mowgli is stung by bees, his stings completely disappear when walking through the woods in the next shot.

Raksha : [to Mowgli] Never forget this: You're mine. Mine to me. No matter where you go, or what they may call you, you will always be my son.

• Crazy credits The film ends with the Jungle Book storybook closing shut, in a parallel to The Jungle Book (1967) starting with this book opening. Part of the closing credits are seen within this book, with King Louie singing "I Wanna Be Like You" during the sequence.
• Connections Featured in Annoying Orange: Trailer Trashed: The Jungle Book (2015)
• Soundtracks The Bare Necessities Written by Terry Gilkyson Produced by Tracey Freeman Performed by Bill Murray and Neel Sethi

User reviews 657

• claudio_carvalho
• Apr 19, 2017
• What is 'The Jungle Book' about?
• Is 'The Jungle Book' based on a book?
• Should I see the original Disney version first?
• April 15, 2016 (United States)
• United Kingdom
• United States
• New Zealand
• Official Facebook
• Official Site
• Cậu Bé Rừng Xanh
• Los Angeles, California, USA
• Walt Disney Pictures
• Fairview Entertainment
• Moving Picture Company (MPC)
• See more company credits at IMDbPro
• $175,000,000 (estimated)
• $364,001,123
• $103,261,464
• Apr 17, 2016
• $967,724,775

Technical specs

• Runtime 1 hour 46 minutes
• Dolby Digital
• Dolby Atmos
• 12-Track Digital Sound
• Dolby Surround 7.1
• D-Cinema 96kHz Dolby Surround 7.1

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Last updated on Aug 10, 2023

The Hero's Journey: 12 Steps to a Classic Story Structure

The Hero's Journey is a timeless story structure which follows a protagonist on an unforeseen quest, where they face challenges, gain insights, and return home transformed. From Theseus and the Minotaur to The Lion King , so many narratives follow this pattern that it’s become ingrained into our cultural DNA. 

In this post, we'll show you how to make this classic plot structure work for you — and if you’re pressed for time, download our cheat sheet below for everything you need to know.

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Hero's Journey Template

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What is the Hero’s Journey?

The Hero's Journey, also known as the monomyth, is a story structure where a hero goes on a quest or adventure to achieve a goal, and has to overcome obstacles and fears, before ultimately returning home transformed.

This narrative arc has been present in various forms across cultures for centuries, if not longer, but gained popularity through Joseph Campbell's mythology book, The Hero with a Thousand Faces . While Campbell identified 17 story beats in his monomyth definition, this post will concentrate on a 12-step framework popularized in 2007 by screenwriter Christopher Vogler in his book The Writer’s Journey .

The 12 Steps of the Hero’s Journey

The Hero's Journey is a model for both plot points and character development : as the Hero traverses the world, they'll undergo inner and outer transformation at each stage of the journey. The 12 steps of the hero's journey are: 

• The Ordinary World. We meet our hero.
• Call to Adventure. Will they meet the challenge?
• Refusal of the Call. They resist the adventure.
• Meeting the Mentor. A teacher arrives.
• Crossing the First Threshold. The hero leaves their comfort zone.
• Tests, Allies, Enemies. Making friends and facing roadblocks.
• Approach to the Inmost Cave. Getting closer to our goal.
• Ordeal. The hero’s biggest test yet!
• Reward (Seizing the Sword). Light at the end of the tunnel
• The Road Back. We aren’t safe yet.
• Resurrection. The final hurdle is reached.
• Return with the Elixir. The hero heads home, triumphant.

Believe it or not, this story structure also applies across mediums and genres (and also works when your protagonist is an anti-hero! ). Let's dive into it.

1. Ordinary World

In which we meet our Hero.

The journey has yet to start. Before our Hero discovers a strange new world, we must first understand the status quo: their ordinary, mundane reality.

It’s up to this opening leg to set the stage, introducing the Hero to readers. Importantly, it lets readers identify with the Hero as a “normal” person in a “normal” setting, before the journey begins.

2. Call to Adventure

In which an adventure starts.

The call to adventure is all about booting the Hero out of their comfort zone. In this stage, they are generally confronted with a problem or challenge they can't ignore. This catalyst can take many forms, as Campbell points out in Hero with a Thousand Faces . The Hero can, for instance:

• Decide to go forth of their own volition;
• Theseus upon arriving in Athens.
• Be sent abroad by a benign or malignant agent;
• Odysseus setting off on his ship in The Odyssey .
• Stumble upon the adventure as a result of a mere blunder;
• Dorothy when she’s swept up in a tornado in The Wizard of Oz .
• Be casually strolling when some passing phenomenon catches the wandering eye and lures one away from the frequented paths of man.
• Elliot in E.T. upon discovering a lost alien in the tool shed.

The stakes of the adventure and the Hero's goals become clear. The only question: will he rise to the challenge?

3. Refusal of the Call

In which the Hero digs in their feet.

Great, so the Hero’s received their summons. Now they’re all set to be whisked off to defeat evil, right?

Not so fast. The Hero might first refuse the call to action. It’s risky and there are perils — like spiders, trolls, or perhaps a creepy uncle waiting back at Pride Rock . It’s enough to give anyone pause.

In Star Wars , for instance, Luke Skywalker initially refuses to join Obi-Wan on his mission to rescue the princess. It’s only when he discovers that his aunt and uncle have been killed by stormtroopers that he changes his mind.

4. Meeting the Mentor

In which the Hero acquires a personal trainer.

The Hero's decided to go on the adventure — but they’re not ready to spread their wings yet. They're much too inexperienced at this point and we don't want them to do a fabulous belly-flop off the cliff.

Enter the mentor: someone who helps the Hero, so that they don't make a total fool of themselves (or get themselves killed). The mentor provides practical training, profound wisdom, a kick up the posterior, or something abstract like grit and self-confidence.

Wise old wizards seem to like being mentors. But mentors take many forms, from witches to hermits and suburban karate instructors. They might literally give weapons to prepare for the trials ahead, like Q in the James Bond series. Or perhaps the mentor is an object, such as a map. In all cases, they prepare the Hero for the next step.

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5. Crossing the First Threshold

In which the Hero enters the other world in earnest.

Now the Hero is ready — and committed — to the journey. This marks the end of the Departure stage and is when the adventure really kicks into the next gear. As Vogler writes: “This is the moment that the balloon goes up, the ship sails, the romance begins, the wagon gets rolling.”

From this point on, there’s no turning back.

Like our Hero, you should think of this stage as a checkpoint for your story. Pause and re-assess your bearings before you continue into unfamiliar territory. Have you:

• Launched the central conflict? If not, here’s a post on types of conflict to help you out.
• Established the theme of your book? If not, check out this post that’s all about creating theme and motifs .
• Made headway into your character development? If not, this character profile template may be useful:

Reedsy’s Character Profile Template

A story is only as strong as its characters. Fill this out to develop yours.

6. Tests, Allies, Enemies

In which the Hero faces new challenges and gets a squad.

When we step into the Special World, we notice a definite shift. The Hero might be discombobulated by this unfamiliar reality and its new rules. This is generally one of the longest stages in the story , as our protagonist gets to grips with this new world.

This makes a prime hunting ground for the series of tests to pass! Luckily, there are many ways for the Hero to get into trouble:

• In Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle , Spencer, Bethany, “Fridge,” and Martha get off to a bad start when they bump into a herd of bloodthirsty hippos.
• In his first few months at Hogwarts, Harry Potter manages to fight a troll, almost fall from a broomstick and die, and get horribly lost in the Forbidden Forest.
• Marlin and Dory encounter three “reformed” sharks, get shocked by jellyfish, and are swallowed by a blue whale en route to finding Nemo.

This stage often expands the cast of characters. Once the protagonist is in the Special World, he will meet allies and enemies — or foes that turn out to be friends and vice versa. He will learn a new set of rules from them. Saloons and seedy bars are popular places for these transactions, as Vogler points out (so long as the Hero survives them).

7. Approach to the Inmost Cave

In which the Hero gets closer to his goal.

This isn’t a physical cave. Instead, the “inmost cave” refers to the most dangerous spot in the other realm — whether that’s the villain’s chambers, the lair of the fearsome dragon, or the Death Star. Almost always, it is where the ultimate goal of the quest is located.

Note that the protagonist hasn’t entered the Inmost Cave just yet. This stage is all about the approach to it. It covers all the prep work that's needed in order to defeat the villain.

In which the Hero faces his biggest test of all thus far.

Of all the tests the Hero has faced, none have made them hit rock bottom — until now. Vogler describes this phase as a “black moment.” Campbell refers to it as the “belly of the whale.” Both indicate some grim news for the Hero.

The protagonist must now confront their greatest fear. If they survive it, they will emerge transformed. This is a critical moment in the story, as Vogler explains that it will “inform every decision that the Hero makes from this point forward.”

The Ordeal is sometimes not the climax of the story. There’s more to come. But you can think of it as the main event of the second act — the one in which the Hero actually earns the title of “Hero.”

9. Reward (Seizing the Sword)

In which the Hero sees light at the end of the tunnel.

Our Hero’s been through a lot. However, the fruits of their labor are now at hand — if they can just reach out and grab them! The “reward” is the object or knowledge the Hero has fought throughout the entire journey to hold.

Once the protagonist has it in their possession, it generally has greater ramifications for the story. Vogler offers a few examples of it in action:

• Luke rescues Princess Leia and captures the plans of the Death Star — keys to defeating Darth Vader.
• Dorothy escapes from the Wicked Witch’s castle with the broomstick and the ruby slippers — keys to getting back home.

10. The Road Back

In which the light at the end of the tunnel might be a little further than the Hero thought.

The story's not over just yet, as this phase marks the beginning of Act Three. Now that he's seized the reward, the Hero tries to return to the Ordinary World, but more dangers (inconveniently) arise on the road back from the Inmost Cave.

More precisely, the Hero must deal with the consequences and aftermath of the previous act: the dragon, enraged by the Hero who’s just stolen a treasure from under his nose, starts the hunt. Or perhaps the opposing army gathers to pursue the Hero across a crowded battlefield. All further obstacles for the Hero, who must face them down before they can return home.

11. Resurrection

In which the last test is met.

Here is the true climax of the story. Everything that happened prior to this stage culminates in a crowning test for the Hero, as the Dark Side gets one last chance to triumph over the Hero.

Vogler refers to this as a “final exam” for the Hero — they must be “tested once more to see if they have really learned the lessons of the Ordeal.” It’s in this Final Battle that the protagonist goes through one more “resurrection.” As a result, this is where you’ll get most of your miraculous near-death escapes, à la James Bond's dashing deliverances. If the Hero survives, they can start looking forward to a sweet ending.

12. Return with the Elixir

In which our Hero has a triumphant homecoming.

Finally, the Hero gets to return home. However, they go back a different person than when they started out: they’ve grown and matured as a result of the journey they’ve taken.

But we’ve got to see them bring home the bacon, right? That’s why the protagonist must return with the “Elixir,” or the prize won during the journey, whether that’s an object or knowledge and insight gained.

Of course, it’s possible for a story to end on an Elixir-less note — but then the Hero would be doomed to repeat the entire adventure.

Examples of The Hero’s Journey in Action

To better understand this story template beyond the typical sword-and-sorcery genre, let's analyze three examples, from both screenplay and literature, and examine how they implement each of the twelve steps. 

The 1976 film Rocky is acclaimed as one of the most iconic sports films because of Stallone’s performance and the heroic journey his character embarks on.

• Ordinary World. Rocky Balboa is a mediocre boxer and loan collector — just doing his best to live day-to-day in a poor part of Philadelphia.
• Call to Adventure. Heavyweight champ Apollo Creed decides to make a big fight interesting by giving a no-name loser a chance to challenge him. That loser: Rocky Balboa.
• Refusal of the Call. Rocky says, “Thanks, but no thanks,” given that he has no trainer and is incredibly out of shape.
• Meeting the Mentor. In steps former boxer Mickey “Mighty Mick” Goldmill, who sees potential in Rocky and starts training him physically and mentally for the fight.
• Crossing the First Threshold. Rocky crosses the threshold of no return when he accepts the fight on live TV, and 一 in parallel 一 when he crosses the threshold into his love interest Adrian’s house and asks her out on a date.
• Tests, Allies, Enemies. Rocky continues to try and win Adrian over and maintains a dubious friendship with her brother, Paulie, who provides him with raw meat to train with.
• Approach to the Inmost Cave. The Inmost Cave in Rocky is Rocky’s own mind. He fears that he’ll never amount to anything — something that he reveals when he butts heads with his trainer, Mickey, in his apartment.
• Ordeal. The start of the training montage marks the beginning of Rocky’s Ordeal. He pushes through it until he glimpses hope ahead while running up the museum steps.
• Reward (Seizing the Sword). Rocky's reward is the restoration of his self-belief, as he recognizes he can try to “go the distance” with Apollo Creed and prove he's more than "just another bum from the neighborhood."
• The Road Back. On New Year's Day, the fight takes place. Rocky capitalizes on Creed's overconfidence to start strong, yet Apollo makes a comeback, resulting in a balanced match.
• Resurrection. The fight inflicts multiple injuries and pushes both men to the brink of exhaustion, with Rocky being knocked down numerous times. But he consistently rises to his feet, enduring through 15 grueling rounds.
• Return with the Elixir. Rocky loses the fight — but it doesn’t matter. He’s won back his confidence and he’s got Adrian, who tells him that she loves him.

Moving outside of the ring, let’s see how this story structure holds on a completely different planet and with a character in complete isolation. 

The Martian 

In Andy Weir’s self-published bestseller (better known for its big screen adaptation) we follow astronaut Mark Watney as he endures the challenges of surviving on Mars and working out a way to get back home.

• The Ordinary World. Botanist Mark and other astronauts are on a mission on Mars to study the planet and gather samples. They live harmoniously in a structure known as "the Hab.”
• Call to Adventure. The mission is scrapped due to a violent dust storm. As they rush to launch, Mark is flung out of sight and the team believes him to be dead. He is, however, very much alive — stranded on Mars with no way of communicating with anyone back home.
• Refusal of the Call. With limited supplies and grim odds of survival, Mark concludes that he will likely perish on the desolate planet.
• Meeting the Mentor. Thanks to his resourcefulness and scientific knowledge he starts to figure out how to survive until the next Mars mission arrives.
• Crossing the First Threshold. Mark crosses the mental threshold of even trying to survive 一 he successfully creates a greenhouse to cultivate a potato crop, creating a food supply that will last long enough.
• Tests, Allies, Enemies. Loneliness and other difficulties test his spirit, pushing him to establish contact with Earth and the people at NASA, who devise a plan to help.  
• Approach to the Inmost Cave. Mark faces starvation once again after an explosion destroys his potato crop.
• Ordeal. A NASA rocket destined to deliver supplies to Mark disintegrates after liftoff and all hope seems lost.
• Reward (Seizing the Sword). Mark’s efforts to survive are rewarded with a new possibility to leave the planet. His team 一 now aware that he’s alive 一 defies orders from NASA and heads back to Mars to rescue their comrade.
• The Road Back. Executing the new plan is immensely difficult 一 Mark has to travel far to locate the spaceship for his escape, and almost dies along the way.
• Resurrection. Mark is unable to get close enough to his teammates' ship but finds a way to propel himself in empty space towards them, and gets aboard safely.
• Return with the Elixir. Now a survival instructor for aspiring astronauts, Mark teaches students that space is indifferent and that survival hinges on solving one problem after another, as well as the importance of other people’s help.

Coming back to Earth, let’s now examine a heroine’s journey through the wilderness of the Pacific Crest Trail and her… humanity. 

The memoir Wild narrates the three-month-long hiking adventure of Cheryl Strayed across the Pacific coast, as she grapples with her turbulent past and rediscovers her inner strength.

• The Ordinary World. Cheryl shares her strong bond with her mother who was her strength during a tough childhood with an abusive father.
• Call to Adventure. As her mother succumbs to lung cancer, Cheryl faces the heart-wrenching reality to confront life's challenges on her own.
• Refusal of the Call. Cheryl spirals down into a destructive path of substance abuse and infidelity, which leads to hit rock bottom with a divorce and unwanted pregnancy. 
• Meeting the Mentor. Her best friend Lisa supports her during her darkest time. One day she notices the Pacific Trail guidebook, which gives her hope to find her way back to her inner strength.
• Crossing the First Threshold. She quits her job, sells her belongings, and visits her mother’s grave before traveling to Mojave, where the trek begins.
• Tests, Allies, Enemies. Cheryl is tested by her heavy bag, blisters, rattlesnakes, and exhaustion, but many strangers help her along the trail with a warm meal or hiking tips. 
• Approach to the Inmost Cave. As Cheryl goes through particularly tough and snowy parts of the trail her emotional baggage starts to catch up with her.  
• Ordeal. She inadvertently drops one of her shoes off a cliff, and the incident unearths the helplessness she's been evading since her mother's passing.
• Reward (Seizing the Sword). Cheryl soldiers on, trekking an impressive 50 miles in duct-taped sandals before finally securing a new pair of shoes. This small victory amplifies her self-confidence.
• The Road Back. On the last stretch, she battles thirst, sketchy hunters, and a storm, but more importantly, she revisits her most poignant and painful memories.
• Resurrection. Cheryl forgives herself for damaging her marriage and her sense of worth, owning up to her mistakes. A pivotal moment happens at Crater Lake, where she lets go of her frustration at her mother for passing away.
• Return with the Elixir. Cheryl reaches the Bridge of the Gods and completes the trail. She has found her inner strength and determination for life's next steps.

There are countless other stories that could align with this template, but it's not always the perfect fit. So, let's look into when authors should consider it or not.

When should writers use The Hero’s Journey?

The Hero’s Journey is just one way to outline a novel and dissect a plot. For more longstanding theories on the topic, you can go this way to read about the ever-popular Three-Act Structure or here to discover Dan Harmon's Story Circle and three more prevalent structures .

So when is it best to use the Hero’s Journey? There are a couple of circumstances which might make this a good choice.

When you need more specific story guidance than simple structures can offer

Simply put, the Hero’s Journey structure is far more detailed and closely defined than other story structure theories. If you want a fairly specific framework for your work than a thee-act structure, the Hero’s Journey can be a great place to start.

Of course, rules are made to be broken . There’s plenty of room to play within the confines of the Hero’s Journey, despite it appearing fairly prescriptive at first glance. Do you want to experiment with an abbreviated “Resurrection” stage, as J.K. Rowling did in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone? Are you more interested in exploring the journey of an anti-hero? It’s all possible.

Once you understand the basics of this universal story structure, you can use and bend it in ways that disrupt reader expectations.

Need more help developing your book? Try this template on for size:

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Use this template to go from a vague idea to a solid plan for a first draft.

When your focus is on a single protagonist

No matter how sprawling or epic the world you’re writing is, if your story is, at its core, focused on a single character’s journey, then this is a good story structure for you. It’s kind of in the name! If you’re dealing with an entire ensemble, the Hero’s Journey may not give you the scope to explore all of your characters’ plots and subplot — a broader three-act structure may give you more freedom to weave a greater number story threads. ​​

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Whether you're a reader or writer, we hope our guide has helped you understand this universal story arc. Want to know more about story structure? We explain 6 more in our guide — read on!

6 responses

PJ Reece says:

25/07/2018 – 19:41

Nice vid, good intro to story structure. Typically, though, the 'hero's journey' misses the all-important point of the Act II crisis. There, where the hero faces his/her/its existential crisis, they must DIE. The old character is largely destroyed -- which is the absolute pre-condition to 'waking up' to what must be done. It's not more clever thinking; it's not thinking at all. Its SEEING. So many writing texts miss this point. It's tantamount to a religions experience, and nobody grows up without it. STORY STRUCTURE TO DIE FOR examines this dramatic necessity.

↪️ C.T. Cheek replied:

13/11/2019 – 21:01

Okay, but wouldn't the Act II crisis find itself in the Ordeal? The Hero is tested and arguably looses his/her/its past-self for the new one. Typically, the Hero is not fully "reborn" until the Resurrection, in which they defeat the hypothetical dragon and overcome the conflict of the story. It's kind of this process of rebirth beginning in the earlier sections of the Hero's Journey and ending in the Resurrection and affirmed in the Return with the Elixir.

Lexi Mize says:

25/07/2018 – 22:33

Great article. Odd how one can take nearly every story and somewhat plug it into such a pattern.

Bailey Koch says:

11/06/2019 – 02:16

This was totally lit fam!!!!

↪️ Bailey Koch replied:

11/09/2019 – 03:46

where is my dad?

Frank says:

12/04/2020 – 12:40

Great article, thanks! :) But Vogler didn't expand Campbell's theory. Campbell had seventeen stages, not twelve.

Comments are currently closed.

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The hero's journey: a story structure as old as time, the hero's journey offers a powerful framework for creating quest-based stories emphasizing self-transformation..

Table of Contents

Holding out for a hero to take your story to the next level? 

The Hero’s Journey might be just what you’ve been looking for. Created by Joseph Campbell, this narrative framework packs mythic storytelling into a series of steps across three acts, each representing a crucial phase in a character's transformative journey.

Challenge . Growth . Triumph .

Whether you're penning a novel, screenplay, or video game, The Hero’s Journey is a tried-and-tested blueprint for crafting epic stories that transcend time and culture. Let’s explore the steps together and kickstart your next masterpiece.

What is the Hero’s Journey?

The Hero’s Journey is a famous template for storytelling, mapping a hero's adventurous quest through trials and tribulations to ultimate transformation. 

What are the Origins of the Hero’s Journey?

The Hero’s Journey was invented by Campbell in his seminal 1949 work, The Hero with a Thousand Faces , where he introduces the concept of the "monomyth."

A comparative mythologist by trade, Campbell studied myths from cultures around the world and identified a common pattern in their narratives. He proposed that all mythic narratives are variations of a single, universal story, structured around a hero's adventure, trials, and eventual triumph.

His work unveiled the archetypal hero’s path as a mirror to humanity’s commonly shared experiences and aspirations. It was subsequently named one of the All-Time 100 Nonfiction Books by TIME in 2011.

How are the Hero’s and Heroine’s Journeys Different? 

While both the Hero's and Heroine's Journeys share the theme of transformation, they diverge in their focus and execution.

The Hero’s Journey, as outlined by Campbell, emphasizes external challenges and a quest for physical or metaphorical treasures. In contrast, Murdock's Heroine’s Journey, explores internal landscapes, focusing on personal reconciliation, emotional growth, and the path to self-actualization.

In short, heroes seek to conquer the world, while heroines seek to transform their own lives; but…

Twelve Steps of the Hero’s Journey

So influential was Campbell’s monomyth theory that it's been used as the basis for some of the largest franchises of our generation: The Lord of the Rings , Harry Potter ...and George Lucas even cited it as a direct influence on Star Wars .

There are, in fact, several variations of the Hero's Journey, which we discuss further below. But for this breakdown, we'll use the twelve-step version outlined by Christopher Vogler in his book, The Writer's Journey (seemingly now out of print, unfortunately).

You probably already know the above stories pretty well so we’ll unpack the twelve steps of the Hero's Journey using Ben Gates’ journey in National Treasure as a case study—because what is more heroic than saving the Declaration of Independence from a bunch of goons?

Ye be warned: Spoilers ahead!

Act One: Departure

Step 1. the ordinary world.

The journey begins with the status quo—business as usual. We meet the hero and are introduced to the Known World they live in. In other words, this is your exposition, the starting stuff that establishes the story to come.

National Treasure begins in media res (preceded only by a short prologue), where we are given key information that introduces us to Ben Gates' world, who he is (a historian from a notorious family), what he does (treasure hunts), and why he's doing it (restoring his family's name).

With the help of his main ally, Riley, and a crew of other treasure hunters backed by a wealthy patron, he finds an 18th-century American ship in the Canadian Arctic, the Charlotte . Here, they find a ship-shaped pipe that presents a new riddle and later doubles as a key—for now, it's just another clue in the search for the lost treasure of the Templars, one that leads them to the Declaration of Independence.

Step 2. The Call to Adventure

The inciting incident takes place and the hero is called to act upon it. While they're still firmly in the Known World, the story kicks off and leaves the hero feeling out of balance. In other words, they are placed at a crossroads.

Ian (the wealthy patron of the Charlotte operation) steals the pipe from Ben and Riley and leaves them stranded. This is a key moment: Ian becomes the villain, Ben has now sufficiently lost his funding for this expedition, and if he decides to pursue the chase, he'll be up against extreme odds.

Step 3. Refusal of the Call

The hero hesitates and instead refuses their call to action. Following the call would mean making a conscious decision to break away from the status quo. Ahead lies danger, risk, and the unknown; but here and now, the hero is still in the safety and comfort of what they know.

Ben debates continuing the hunt for the Templar treasure. Before taking any action, he decides to try and warn the authorities: the FBI, Homeland Security, and the staff of the National Archives, where the Declaration of Independence is housed and monitored. Nobody will listen to him, and his family's notoriety doesn't help matters.

Step 4. Meeting the Mentor

The protagonist receives knowledge or motivation from a powerful or influential figure. This is a tactical move on the hero's part—remember that it was only the previous step in which they debated whether or not to jump headfirst into the unknown. By Meeting the Mentor, they can gain new information or insight, and better equip themselves for the journey they might to embark on.

Abigail, an archivist at the National Archives, brushes Ben and Riley off as being crazy, but Ben uses the interaction to his advantage in other ways—to seek out information about how the Declaration of Independence is stored and cared for, as well as what (and more importantly, who) else he might be up against in his own attempt to steal it.

In a key scene, we see him contemplate the entire operation while standing over the glass-encased Declaration of Independence. Finally, he firmly decides to pursue the treasure and stop Ian, uttering the famous line, "I'm gonna steal the Declaration of Independence."

Act Two: Initiation

Step 5. crossing the threshold.

The hero leaves the Known World to face the Unknown World. They are fully committed to the journey, with no way to turn back now. There may be a confrontation of some sort, and the stakes will be raised.

Ben and Riley infiltrate the National Archives during a gala and successfully steal the Declaration of Independence. But wait—it's not so easy. While stealing the Declaration of Independence, Abigail suspects something is up and Ben faces off against Ian.

Then, when trying to escape the building, Ben exits through the gift shop, where an attendant spots the document peeking out of his jacket. He is forced to pay for it, feigning that it's a replica—and because he doesn't have enough cash, he has to use his credit card, so there goes keeping his identity anonymous.

The game is afoot.

Step 6. Tests, Allies, Enemies

The hero explores the Unknown World. Now that they have firmly crossed the threshold from the Known World, the hero will face new challenges and possibly meet new enemies. They'll have to call upon their allies, new and old, in order to keep moving forward.

Abigail reluctantly joins the team under the agreement that she'll help handle the Declaration of Independence, given her background in document archiving and restoration. Ben and co. seek the aid of Ben's father, Patrick Gates, whom Ben has a strained relationship with thanks to years of failed treasure hunting that has created a rift between grandfather, father, and son. Finally, they travel around Philadelphia deciphering clues while avoiding both Ian and the FBI.

Step 7. Approach the Innermost Cave

The hero nears the goal of their quest, the reason they crossed the threshold in the first place. Here, they could be making plans, having new revelations, or gaining new skills. To put it in other familiar terms, this step would mark the moment just before the story's climax.

Ben uncovers a pivotal clue—or rather, he finds an essential item—a pair of bifocals with interchangeable lenses made by Benjamin Franklin. It is revealed that by switching through the various lenses, different messages will be revealed on the back of the Declaration of Independence. He's forced to split from Abigail and Riley, but Ben has never been closer to the treasure.

Step 8. The Ordeal

The hero faces a dire situation that changes how they view the world. All threads of the story come together at this pinnacle, the central crisis from which the hero will emerge unscathed or otherwise. The stakes will be at their absolute highest here.

Vogler details that in this stage, the hero will experience a "death," though it need not be literal. In your story, this could signify the end of something and the beginning of another, which could itself be figurative or literal. For example, a certain relationship could come to an end, or it could mean someone "stuck in their ways" opens up to a new perspective.

In National Treasure , The FBI captures Ben and Ian makes off with the Declaration of Independence—all hope feels lost. To add to it, Ian reveals that he's kidnapped Ben's father and threatens to take further action if Ben doesn't help solve the final clues and lead Ian to the treasure.

Ben escapes the FBI with Ian's help, reunites with Abigail and Riley, and leads everyone to an underground structure built below Trinity Church in New York City. Here, they manage to split from Ian once more, sending him on a goose chase to Boston with a false clue, and proceed further into the underground structure.

Though they haven't found the treasure just yet, being this far into the hunt proves to Ben's father, Patrick, that it's real enough. The two men share an emotional moment that validates what their family has been trying to do for generations.

Step 9. Reward

This is it, the moment the hero has been waiting for. They've survived "death," weathered the crisis of The Ordeal, and earned the Reward for which they went on this journey.

Now, free of Ian's clutches and with some light clue-solving, Ben, Abigail, Riley, and Patrick keep progressing through the underground structure and eventually find the Templar's treasure—it's real and more massive than they could have imagined. Everyone revels in their discovery while simultaneously looking for a way back out.

Act Three: Return

Step 10. the road back.

It's time for the journey to head towards its conclusion. The hero begins their return to the Known World and may face unexpected challenges. Whatever happens, the "why" remains paramount here (i.e. why the hero ultimately chose to embark on their journey).

This step marks a final turning point where they'll have to take action or make a decision to keep moving forward and be "reborn" back into the Known World.

Act Three of National Treasure is admittedly quite short. After finding the treasure, Ben and co. emerge from underground to face the FBI once more. Not much of a road to travel back here so much as a tunnel to scale in a crypt.

Step 11. Resurrection

The hero faces their ultimate challenge and emerges victorious, but forever changed. This step often requires a sacrifice of some sort, and having stepped into the role of The Hero™, they must answer to this.

Ben is given an ultimatum— somebody has to go to jail (on account of the whole stealing-the-Declaration-of-Independence thing). But, Ben also found a treasure worth millions of dollars and that has great value to several nations around the world, so that counts for something.

Ultimately, Ben sells Ian out, makes a deal to exonerate his friends and family, and willingly hands the treasure over to the authorities. Remember: he wanted to find the treasure, but his "why" was to restore the Gates family name, so he won regardless.

Step 12. Return With the Elixir

Finally, the hero returns home as a new version of themself, the elixir is shared amongst the people, and the journey is completed full circle.

The elixir, like many other elements of the hero's journey, can be literal or figurative. It can be a tangible thing, such as an actual elixir meant for some specific purpose, or it could be represented by an abstract concept such as hope, wisdom, or love.

Vogler notes that if the Hero's Journey results in a tragedy, the elixir can instead have an effect external to the story—meaning that it could be something meant to affect the audience and/or increase their awareness of the world.

In the final scene of National Treasure , we see Ben and Abigail walking the grounds of a massive estate. Riley pulls up in a fancy sports car and comments on how they could have gotten more money. They all chat about attending a museum exhibit in Cairo (Egypt).

In one scene, we're given a lot of closure: Ben and co. received a hefty payout for finding the treasure, Ben and Abigail are a couple now, and the treasure was rightfully spread to those it benefitted most—in this case, countries who were able to reunite with significant pieces of their history. Everyone's happy, none of them went to jail despite the serious crimes committed, and they're all a whole lot wealthier. Oh, Hollywood.

Variations of the Hero's Journey

Plot structure is important, but you don't need to follow it exactly; and, in fact, your story probably won't. Your version of the Hero's Journey might require more or fewer steps, or you might simply go off the beaten path for a few steps—and that's okay!

What follows are three additional versions of the Hero's Journey, which you may be more familiar with than Vogler's version presented above.

Dan Harmon's Story Circle (or, The Eight-Step Hero's Journey)

Screenwriter Dan Harmon has riffed on the Hero's Journey by creating a more compact version, the Story Circle —and it works especially well for shorter-format stories such as television episodes, which happens to be what Harmon writes.

The Story Circle comprises eight simple steps with a heavy emphasis on the hero's character arc:

• The hero is in a zone of comfort...
• But they want something.
• They enter an unfamiliar situation...
• And adapt to it by facing trials.
• They get what they want...
• But they pay a heavy price for it.
• They return to their familiar situation...
• Having changed.

You may have noticed, but there is a sort of rhythm here. The eight steps work well in four pairs, simplifying the core of the Hero's Journey even further:

• The hero is in a zone of comfort, but they want something.
• They enter an unfamiliar situation and have to adapt via new trials.
• They get what they want, but they pay a price for it.
• They return to their zone of comfort, forever changed.

If you're writing shorter fiction, such as a short story or novella, definitely check out the Story Circle. It's the Hero's Journey minus all the extraneous bells & whistles.

Ten-Step Hero's Journey

The ten-step Hero's Journey is similar to the twelve-step version we presented above. It includes most of the same steps except for Refusal of the Call and Meeting the Mentor, arguing that these steps aren't as essential to include; and, it moves Crossing the Threshold to the end of Act One and Reward to the end of Act Two.

• The Ordinary World
• The Call to Adventure
• Crossing the Threshold
• Tests, Allies, Enemies
• Approach the Innermost Cave
• The Road Back
• Resurrection
• Return with Elixir

We've previously written about the ten-step hero's journey in a series of essays separated by act: Act One (with a prologue), Act Two , and Act Three .

Twelve-Step Hero's Journey: Version Two

Again, the second version of the twelve-step hero's journey is very similar to the one above, save for a few changes, including in which story act certain steps appear.

This version skips The Ordinary World exposition and starts right at The Call to Adventure; then, the story ends with two new steps in place of Return With Elixir: The Return and The Freedom to Live.

• The Refusal of the Call
• Meeting the Mentor
• Test, Allies, Enemies
• Approaching the Innermost Cave
• The Resurrection
• The Return*
• The Freedom to Live*

In the final act of this version, there is more of a focus on an internal transformation for the hero. They experience a metamorphosis on their journey back to the Known World, return home changed, and go on to live a new life, uninhibited.

Seventeen-Step Hero's Journey

Finally, the granddaddy of heroic journeys: the seventeen-step Hero's Journey. This version includes a slew of extra steps your hero might face out in the expanse.

• Refusal of the Call
• Supernatural Aid (aka Meeting the Mentor)
• Belly of the Whale*: This added stage marks the hero's immediate descent into danger once they've crossed the threshold.
• Road of Trials (...with Allies, Tests, and Enemies)
• Meeting with the Goddess/God*: In this stage, the hero meets with a new advisor or powerful figure, who equips them with the knowledge or insight needed to keep progressing forward.
• Woman as Temptress (or simply, Temptation)*: Here, the hero is tempted, against their better judgment, to question themselves and their reason for being on the journey. They may feel insecure about something specific or have an exposed weakness that momentarily holds them back.
• Atonement with the Father (or, Catharthis)*: The hero faces their Temptation and moves beyond it, shedding free from all that holds them back.
• Apotheosis (aka The Ordeal)
• The Ultimate Boon (aka the Reward)
• Refusal of the Return*: The hero wonders if they even want to go back to their old life now that they've been forever changed.
• The Magic Flight*: Having decided to return to the Known World, the hero needs to actually find a way back.
• Rescue From Without*: Allies may come to the hero's rescue, helping them escape this bold, new world and return home.
• Crossing of the Return Threshold (aka The Return)
• Master of Two Worlds*: Very closely resembling The Resurrection stage in other variations, this stage signifies that the hero is quite literally a master of two worlds—The Known World and the Unknown World—having conquered each.
• Freedom to Live

Again, we skip the Ordinary World opening here. Additionally, Acts Two and Three look pretty different from what we've seen so far, although, the bones of the Hero's Journey structure remain.

The Eight Hero’s Journey Archetypes

The Hero is, understandably, the cornerstone of the Hero’s Journey, but they’re just one of eight key archetypes that make up this narrative framework.

In The Writer's Journey , Vogler outlined seven of these archetypes, only excluding the Ally, which we've included below. Here’s a breakdown of all eight with examples: 

1. The Hero

As outlined, the Hero is the protagonist who embarks on a transformative quest or journey. The challenges they overcome represent universal human struggles and triumphs. 

Vogler assigned a "primary function" to each archetype—helpful for establishing their role in a story. The Hero's primary function is "to service and sacrifice."

Example: Neo from The Matrix , who evolves from a regular individual into the prophesied savior of humanity.

2. The Mentor

A wise guide offering knowledge, tools, and advice, Mentors help the Hero navigate the journey and discover their potential. Their primary function is "to guide."

Example: Mr. Miyagi from The Karate Kid imparts not only martial arts skills but invaluable life lessons to Daniel.

3. The Ally

Companions who support the Hero, Allies provide assistance, friendship, and moral support throughout the journey. They may also become a friends-to-lovers romantic partner. 

Not included in Vogler's list is the Ally, though we'd argue they are essential nonetheless. Let's say their primary function is "to aid and support."

Example: Samwise Gamgee from Lord of the Rings , a loyal friend and steadfast supporter of Frodo.

4. The Herald

The Herald acts as a catalyst to initiate the Hero's Journey, often presenting a challenge or calling the hero to adventure. Their primary function is "to warn or challenge."

Example: Effie Trinket from The Hunger Games , whose selection at the Reaping sets Katniss’s journey into motion.

5. The Trickster

A character who brings humor and unpredictability, challenges conventions, and offers alternative perspectives or solutions. Their primary function is "to disrupt."

Example: Loki from Norse mythology exemplifies the trickster, with his cunning and chaotic influence.

6. The Shapeshifter

Ambiguous figures whose allegiance and intentions are uncertain. They may be a friend one moment and a foe the next. Their primary function is "to question and deceive."

Example: Catwoman from the Batman universe often blurs the line between ally and adversary, slinking between both roles with glee.

7. The Guardian

Protectors of important thresholds, Guardians challenge or test the Hero, serving as obstacles to overcome or lessons to be learned. Their primary function is "to test."

Example: The Black Knight in Monty Python and the Holy Grail literally bellows “None shall pass!”—a quintessential ( but not very effective ) Guardian.

8. The Shadow

Represents the Hero's inner conflict or an antagonist, often embodying the darker aspects of the hero or their opposition. Their primary function is "to destroy."

Example: Zuko from Avatar: The Last Airbender; initially an adversary, his journey parallels the Hero’s path of transformation.

While your story does not have to use all of the archetypes, they can help you develop your characters and visualize how they interact with one another—especially the Hero.

For example, take your hero and place them in the center of a blank worksheet, then write down your other major characters in a circle around them and determine who best fits into which archetype. Who challenges your hero? Who tricks them? Who guides them? And so on...

Stories that Use the Hero’s Journey

Not a fan of saving the Declaration of Independence? Check out these alternative examples of the Hero’s Journey to get inspired: 

• Epic of Gilgamesh : An ancient Mesopotamian epic poem thought to be one of the earliest examples of the Hero’s Journey (and one of the oldest recorded stories).
• The Lion King (1994): Simba's exile and return depict a tale of growth, responsibility, and reclaiming his rightful place as king.
• The Alchemist by Paolo Coehlo: Santiago's quest for treasure transforms into a journey of self-discovery and personal enlightenment.
• Coraline by Neil Gaiman: A young girl's adventure in a parallel world teaches her about courage, family, and appreciating her own reality.
• Kung Fu Panda (2008): Po's transformation from a clumsy panda to a skilled warrior perfectly exemplifies the Hero's Journey. Skadoosh!

The Hero's Journey is so generalized that it's ubiquitous. You can plop the plot of just about any quest-style narrative into its framework and say that the story follows the Hero's Journey. Try it out for yourself as an exercise in getting familiar with the method.

Will the Hero's Journey Work For You?

As renowned as it is, the Hero's Journey works best for the kinds of tales that inspired it: mythic stories.

Writers of speculative fiction may gravitate towards this method over others, especially those writing epic fantasy and science fiction (big, bold fantasy quests and grand space operas come to mind).

The stories we tell today are vast and varied, and they stretch far beyond the dealings of deities, saving kingdoms, or acquiring some fabled "elixir." While that may have worked for Gilgamesh a few thousand years ago, it's not always representative of our lived experiences here and now.

If you decide to give the Hero's Journey a go, we encourage you to make it your own! The pieces of your plot don't have to neatly fit into the structure, but you can certainly make a strong start on mapping out your story.

Hero's Journey Campfire Template

The Timeline Module in Campfire offers a versatile canvas to plot out each basic component of your story while featuring nested "notebooks."

Simply double-click on each event card in your timeline to open up a canvas specific to that card. This allows you to look at your plot at the highest level, while also adding as much detail for each plot element as needed!

If you're just hearing about Campfire for the first time, it's free to sign up—forever! Let's plot the most epic of hero's journeys 👇

Lessons From the Hero’s Journey

The Hero's Journey offers a powerful framework for creating stories centered around growth, adventure, and transformation.

If you want to develop compelling characters, spin out engaging plots, and write books that express themes of valor and courage, consider The Hero’s Journey your blueprint. So stop holding out for a hero, and start writing!

Does your story mirror the Hero's Journey? Let us know in the comments below.

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The Chosen Few: Analysis as the Hero’s Journey

“The Chosen Few:”

Analysis as the Hero’s Journey

“To develop one’s own personality is indeed an unpopular undertaking, a deviation that is highly uncongenial to the herd, an eccentricity smelling of the cenobite, as it seems to the outsider. Small wonder, then, that from earliest times only the chosen few have embarked upon this strange adventure.” [1]

            In the previous blog essay [2] I described some of the many benefits that accrue to those who undergo a Jungian analysis, and I noted that the process is not without its costs. This essay will describe some of those costs–the challenges and demands of the work that make it truly a process that calls up the hero within us.

Challenges in the Analytical Process

            Mental Challenges. There are many challenges. Let’s start with the mental challenges, since Western culture lives so much in the head. First, while analysis has some intellectual components, it is not primarily something accomplished via the left-brain linear logic so beloved in our modern world. In other words, it’s not something one can “figure out.” It is more experiential—a series of lived experiences, “for which reason is no substitute.” [3] For Thinking types or those (like me) who start analysis with a well-developed intellect, this challenge gives rise to no end of frustration.

            So we can’t think our way through analysis. Indeed, in many cases, attitudes and thoughts will pose problems. Analysis asks us to get rid of the prejudices, beliefs, habits of thinking and ways of interpreting reality that block our growth, and to “attain an attitude which offers the least resistance to the decisive experience.” [4] This is not easy, in part because so many of our attitudes are unconscious, and it is impossible to give up what you don’t know you have. So, to clear out mental “stuff” we have first to work on becoming conscious of the unconscious. The “how” of doing this is not obvious and we have to look to the analyst for support.

            Another mental challenge involves re-perception. Jung asks us, for example, to rethink our attitude around difficulties. Most of us, when given the choice, would take a pass. Let’s go for what’s easy. Why bother with hardships? But Jung reminds us that “Man needs difficulties; they are necessary for health.” [5] We have to stop playing the “blame game,” buck up and regard hurdles as goads to our growth.

            A third mental challenge comes from the nature of the material dealt with in analysis: fairy tales, legends, myths, folklore, the psychology of the primitive mind, alchemy, cabala, Gnosticism, astrology, numerology [6] —Jung drew on all these and more in developing his psychology, recognizing that these ancient wisdom systems are reflected in the dreams of modern men and women. But who studies this sort of thing these days? [7] So the analysand starting off in analysis quickly finds him/herself floundering in very strange waters. Dependence on the knowledge and skill of the analyst is essential, but trust is not developed over night and so it can be a hard slog in the beginning, especially for those who are used to being in intellectually familiar terrain.

            Dream work also poses many mental challenges. Aside from drawing on all the strange stuff mentioned above, handling dreams requires a “special knack, an intuitive understanding … and a considerable knowledge of the history of symbols…” [8] Again, the analysand can assume the analyst has these mental attributes but, from my own experience, I know how frustrating it can be to be told this or that, yet not be able to understand it for myself. So much to learn! So many skills to acquire!

            Moral Challenges. Then there are the moral challenges. Analysis asks us to “give up a large slice of [our] infantilism,” [9] something that Jung acknowledges we are never normally asked to do. We also must be willing to sacrifice our privacy, to lay ourselves open to another person, [10] and to do this voluntarily (no torture, water-boarding or duress here!). We must summon up the moral courage to overcome our “considerable resistances” [11] and allow the psyche to have its way with us, all while we are pretty much clueless about what that means exactly (or even vaguely). The process involves our stripping away “all human pretences,” with the result that, as Jung says, both analyst and analysand get under each other’s skin. [12]

            Then there are the moral challenges that relate to the virtues required for the work. Every day we will face the banal and it will make banal demands on our patience from which we must not flinch. [13] We must fulfill these demands with a humility that is hard to summon. [14] We have to find within ourselves the adaptability to stay open to change not just once or twice but repeatedly, [15] as we move through various stages of transformation. We need empathy, [16] for ourselves, for those our lives impact, for the world as a whole. We need to summon the courage to stand against the mainstream and its materialistic denigration of intangibles like the psyche. [17] We have to be willing to risk being regarded as crazy or odd for our interest in the inner life. We have to have sound morals, a good measure of intelligence, knowledge of the world [18] and a “canniness” [19] about humanity as we confront the “most questionable and painful aspects of [our own] character.” [20] No wonder Jung warns that someone contemplating analysis better be strongly motivated!

            Spiritual Challenges. Going one’s own way—standing up to the mainstream culture and, in spite of it, doing your own thing—gives rise to guilt. [21] Society expects us to adapt to others. Jungian analysis calls on us instead to individuate—to develop an “exclusive adaptation to our inner reality…” [22] and align our lives with what the Self asks of us, rather than with what society might expect. The guilt that arises from doing this must be expiated. How? By “bringing forth new values” [23] that serve our society.

            Jung felt that people who went into analysis had this task of service to the whole as part of their life’s destiny. They were “chosen” for this work, challenged to “conquer themselves completely” [24] —something that is seldom or never demanded of the average person. But analysis is not for the “average” person. It is the work of heroes. [25]

Jung’s Concept of the Hero

            Mention the word “hero” to a typical 21 st century American and he or she will think of Indiana Jones or the brave local fireman who rescues the baby from the burning building or the men who dig people out of the rubble of an earthquake—all of these heroics on the physical level. Jung defined “hero” differently, referring more to the inner qualities and psychic courage required to “develop one’s own personality” [26] rather than the external forms involved in braving snake pits, fires or earthquakes.

            The Jungian hero is one “delivered from convention.” [27] He goes his own way and rises out of the unconscious identity with the mass that is the reality for most people. [28] The hero suffers, because his/her path is “trod only from inner necessity and it is sharp as a razor’s edge.” [29] In other words, Jung felt nobody would blithely undertake an analysis for the fun of it. There isn’t all that much fun in it.

            In fact, it is at times extraordinarily painful. It is lonely work, demanding our very life’s blood to stick with it. Few people in mainstream society understand what it is about or the demands it makes, so most analysands find themselves reorienting their social life to link up with like-minded people in and around Jung Institutes, Jung Centers and other such gathering places for fellow travelers on the path of the soul. [30]

            Heroes have a “vocation,” [31] a calling for the work of analysis. The Latin root of “vocation” [32] means “calling.” The hero has been “called” to “emancipate himself from the herd and from its well-worn paths.” [33] Jung felt a vocation acted like a “law of God from which there is no escape,” [34] and the person with a vocation had to obey the “voice of the inner man.” [35] He could do nothing else.

            Jung himself was called. He knew whereof he wrote. From personal experience he knew how hard it is to have a vocation, to be an enigma to most and an affront to many. Few others know what is really going on in the life of the hero, [36] called to his/her task. Our society is especially dense about this, given its materialism and scientism.

            Hero that he was, Jung knew just how much the hero’s life is “oriented by fateful decisions,” [37] and how clearly such a person can sense his/her direction. Hero that he was, Jung was able to put his soul in place of conscience [38] and act on the dictates of the Self. Such a life is only for the “chosen few.” [39]

The Chosen Few

            “Many are called; few are chosen.” [40] We all have a vocation—some calling or inner claim our soul has on our life. Part of “following your bliss” [41] entails discovering this vocation. It is noble work and analysis may be a part of it. But maybe not. As the above indicates, analysis is not for everyone. I am very enthusiastic about it, in part because it saved my sanity, while also giving me both the content and direction for the rest of my life. But I also recognize I was destined for it.

            Given the pain, the myriad challenges, the extraordinary demands of the process, I cannot imagine how anyone would venture into analysis unless they had to do so. It is not for the faint of heart, nor for the dabbler interested in finding out more about Jung and his thought. If you are such a dabbler, the various Jung Societies and Centers can provide you with a multitude of lectures, workshops and courses that will satisfy your intellectual interest. To undertake analysis requires more than a cursory interest in Jung and his ideas. If your life isn’t a mess, if you don’t live daily at the edge of desperation, if the banality and emptiness of our materialistic society is not eating up your innards, you might not have the necessary motivation for the work. Usually we need some major motivator (like extreme psychic agony) to get up the gumption to go for it.

            At this point you might be asking yourself if individuation is possible without an analysis? It depends—on you and your circumstances. Jung felt an individual undertaking such an ambitious task would have to be “… an earnest and conscientious person with a trained mind and a scientific education…” able to “acquire sufficient knowledge through a careful study of the existing literature to apply the method to himself to a certain extent.” [42] But because individuation cannot happen in isolation (being a dialectical process), the person would “… not be able to progress beyond a certain point without the help of an experienced teacher.” [43]

            The old adage assures us “When the student is ready, the teacher appears.” If you are committed to your individuation, the knowledge, the literature, the insights, and the teacher will appear. Each of us can find the hero that lives within. Trust your inner guidance and the way will be revealed to you.

Bibliography

Campbell, Joseph with Bill Moyers (1988), The Power of Myth. New York: Doubleday.

Jung, Carl (1961), “Freud and Psychoanalysis,” Collected Works , 4. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

________ (1966), “Two Essays on Analytical Psychology,” CW 7. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

________ (1960), ”The Structure and Dynamics of the Psyche,” CW 8. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

________ (1969), “Psychology and Religion: West and East,” CW 11. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

________ (1953), “Psychology and Alchemy,” CW 12. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

________ (1954), “The Development of Personality,” CW 17. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

________ (1976), ”The Symbolic Life,” CW 18. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

Loy, R., “Foreword to Some Crucial Points in Psychoanalysis,” CW 4, pp. 252-3.

[1] Collected Works , 17, ¶298. As has been the convention in these blog essays, Collected Works hereafter will be abbreviated CW.

[2] “Why Go Into Analysis?,” posted to this blog site last month.

[3] CW 4, ¶446.

[4] CW 11, ¶904.

[5] CW 8, ¶143.

[6] CW 8, ¶553.

[7] I was fortunate that I began analysis having spent years as a scholar of medievalia , familiar with Latin, Greek, paleography, mythology, legends etc.  

[8] CW 17, ¶198.

[9] CW 4, ¶445.

[10] “Foreword” by Dr. R. Loy; CW 4, p. 253.

[11] CW 7, ¶224.

[12] CW 12, ¶5.

[13] CW   7, ¶72.

[15] CW 8, ¶143.

[17] CW 17, ¶300. For more on our culture’s denigration of intangibles, see the essay “The Psyche is Real: Materialism, Scientism and Jung’s Empiricism,” on this blog site.

[18] CW 18, ¶1392.

[19] CW 8, ¶543.

[20] CW 18, ¶1392.

[21] CW 18, ¶1094.

[22] CW 18, ¶1095.

[23] Ibid. For what some of these values might be, see the essay “The Apocatastasis of Our Global Civilization,” posted on this blog site.

[24] CW 4, ¶443.

[25] CW 17, ¶298.

[28] CW 17, ¶299.

[29] CW 7, ¶401.

[30] This theme of linking up with others on the path of individuation was considered in the essay “The Social Implications of Individuation,” previously posted on this blog site.

[31] CW 17, ¶300.

[32] Voco-are = “to call.”

[33] CW 17, ¶300.

[36] CW 17, ¶302.

[37] CW 7, ¶72.

[38] This ability was one mark of the hero, according to Jung; CW 7, ¶401.

[39] CW 17, ¶298. If my description makes analysis sound hard, that’s because it is hard, but if it is what you really want to do, you will find the strength in yourself. You can rise to the challenge if you are destined for it.

[40] Matthew 22:14.

[41] This phrase will be forever associated with the work of Joseph Campbell; see Campbell (1988), 147.

[42] CW 18, ¶1391.

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Jungle Book (1967)

Jungle book (1967) story structure.

IMPORTANT: This is a very rough and general deconstruction, which is meant to simply illustrate that this story follows the pattern described on the main page .

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by Kal Bashir

CinemaBlend

The Real Hero From 31 Disney Animated Movies

Posted: May 17, 2024 | Last updated: May 17, 2024

So many heroes...

For over a century now, Walt Disney Animation Studios has given audiences some of the most beloved, groundbreaking, and majestic cinematic experiences. During that time, those timeless films have introduced us to unforgettable movie villains, sidekicks, and heroes that have withstood the test of time and found a permanent place in the hearts of billions of fans. But sometimes, those iconic princesses and knights in shining armor aren’t the real heroes of their respective stories.

That being said, here are the REAL heroes and unsung champions from these Disney animated movies…

Anna (Frozen)

There are countless reasons why Princess Anna is the true hero of Frozen , and a lot of those have to do with the younger sister of Queen Elsa actually being a great inspiration for younger viewers. She opens up about her feelings, accepts the call to adventure, and is willing to do anything and everything to help out those she cares about, even if it means sacrificing herself.

Abu (Aladdin)

In addition to being one of the best Disney sidekicks of all time, Abu is actually a pretty righteous hero in Aladdin , one who always stays true to himself and his friends. Sure, his greed nearly kills him and Aladdin, but he comes through moments later when he tricks Jafar and steals the magic lamp, which leads to Genie coming out of his lamp.

Baloo (The Jungle Book)

Baloo is not only one of the best Disney characters of all time, but he’s also a great hero throughout The Jungle Book . The iconic sloth bear goes above and beyond to help Mowgli on his journey to find the “Man-Village,” teaches him some great lessons and a legendary song along the way, and comes through for everyone time and time again.

Widow Tweed (The Fox And The Hound)

There’s a lot to love about the classic Disney animated film, The Fox and the Hound , but the character who continues to rise to the occasion is Widow Tweed. From finding and caring for a young Tod to saving multiple characters from certain death to being the voice of reason in some tense situations, this lovable elderly character is simply the best.

Rafiki (The Lion King)

Who never gives up hope for Simba in The Lion King ? Rafiki, that’s who. The shaman and advisor for the late Mufasa is one of Simba’s biggest supporters and was there for him as a young cub and as an adult when he returned from his self-imposed exile away from the Pride Lands. And he puts a whooping on some hyenas, which never gets old.

Scuttle (The Little Mermaid)

Sure Scuttle doesn’t know what he’s talking about half the time in The Little Mermaid , but the seagull and friend of Ariel helps the young princess learn more about the human world before helping in a big way when he discovers that Vanessa is actually Ursula in disguise.

Pacha (The Emperor's New Groove)

Pacha in The Emperor’s New Groove is an underappreciated hero if we’ve ever seen one, so it’s about time he receives some praise. Putting up with Kuzco is enough to earn Pacha a place in the halls of great Disney heroes, but he does so much more than that throughout the movie. Constantly putting himself before others, taking care of himself in a fight, and being a supportive friend are also admirable qualities.

Thumper (Bambi)

Besides the titular deer in Bambi , no character is more impactful or important than Thumper. More than 80 years after the film’s release, fans still celebrate the iconic rabbit for his go-getter personality, leadership skills, and seemingly limitless energy. If it weren’t for him, who knows what would have happened to Bambi.

Charlotte 'Lottie' La Bouff (The Princess And The Frog)

When it comes to best friends in Disney movies, few come close to Charlotte “Lottie” La Bouff in The Princess and the Frog . Instead of using her family’s wealth, power, and influence in menacing or vindictive ways, this southern belle uses her blessings to offer support and love for Tiana and her dreams. We could all use a friend like that.

The Mice (Cinderella)

When it comes to mico-heroes, no names carry as much weight as Jaq and Gus from Disney’s Cinderella . Throughout this 1950 animated classic, these two trusty mice help lead the show when it comes to fixing up Cinderella’s dress, supporting her, and helping make her dreams of attending the ball come true. And who helps save Cinderella from her stepmother’s captivity? Yep, these fearless mice.

Nani Pelekai (Lilo & Stitch)

Go back and watch Lilo & Stitch as an adult and see if your opinions on Nani, Lilo’s older sister and guardian, have changed. Throughout this 2002 animated film, Nani does everything she can to make life better for her younger sister, even if that means pushing herself to the limit (and then some) or trying to pull off the impossible. She’s a hero, that’s for sure.

Colonel, Sergeant Tibbs, And Other Animals (One Hundred And One Dalmatians)

Heroes come in all shapes and sizes in One Hundred and One Dalmatians , and some of the best examples of this can be found in Colonel, Sergeant Tibbs, and the other animals who help save the pups and defeat Curella Cruella de Vil by thwarting her masterplan. The way these four-legged (and sometimes winged) characters get everyone involved is nothing short of magical.

Nana (Peter Pan)

One of the movie dogs we want to adopt, Nana in Peter Pan is a character that’s always down to offer some support. Though she doesn’t journey off to Never Land with Pan and the Darling children, she holds the fort down in their absence. Speaking of Wendy, John, and Michael Darling, who is it that takes care of the children every night and gives them much-needed medicine? Yep, it’s Nana, the trusty nursemaid St. Bernard.

The Dwarfs (Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs)

Doc, Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy, Bashful, Sneezy, and Dopey are some of the earliest examples of Disney heroes, and nearly 90 years later, they’re still some of the best. Sure, the Prince gets a lot of credit in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs , but it’s these classic characters who take care of the young princess the rest of the time.

Pascal (Tangled)

Rapunzel is empowering and Flynn Rider is dashing, but let’s not forget the real hero of Tangled … Pascal. Despite his small size and stature (he is a chameleon, for crying out loud), this feisty and fearless lizard will do anything and everything to serve and protect the princess. Whether it means putting on a pink dress or tripping Gothel and sending her falling out of Rapunzel’s tower, he’s going to get it done.

The Fairies (Sleeping Beauty)

The Three Good Fairies (Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather) are crucial to Princess Aurora’s survival in Sleeping Beauty , and they don’t always receive enough credit. From altering Maleficent’s curse upon Aurora at her birth to planning her birthday dress later on, these three fairies get a lot done… once they stop fighting one another.

Archdeacon (The Hunchback Of Notre Dame)

If it wasn’t for Archdeacon in The Hunchback of Notre Dame , who knows what that loathsome and depraved Claude Frollo would have planned for everyone around him. The voice of reason with a heart and soul of pure gold, this clergyman saves multiple lives and thwarts diabolical plans like it’s nothing.

Archimedes (The Sword In The Stone)

When it comes to heroes in The Sword in the Stone , the first names to come up are probably Arthur or Merlin. And while both of those characters are great, let’s not forget Archimedes, the talking and trustworthy owl who helps both legendary figures along the way. Seriously, this wise owl is constantly coming through for his king.

Fix-It Felix (Ralph Breaks The Internet)

Though he’s not in the movie all that much, Fix-It Felix is still heroic as can be in Ralph Breaks the Internet . But when he and Calhoun are on screen, they’re stealing the show and offering both hilarious and tender moments. Come on, who else would adopt all those orphaned Sugar Rush racers when they have no place to go?

Little Noi (Raya And The Last Dragon)

You could argue that every character in Raya and the Last Dragon is a hero in their own right, but Lille Noi, the toddler con artist who joins Raya on her journey, has to be at the top of the list. Though other characters do go through changes along the way, the adorable Noi has one of the most transformative and emotional arcs of them all.

The Enchantress (Beauty And The Beast)

The Enchantress could be seen as a villain in Beauty and the Beast , but the young and vain prince wouldn’t have learned his lesson if not for her lesson about true beauty in the opening chapter of the movie. A lot of people got turned into clocks, cups, and candelabras in the process, but sometimes tough love is all that’s needed.

Li Shang (Mulan)

Nothing against the titular heroine of Mulan , but let’s not act like Li Shang is some chump put in charge of a regiment of outcasts and misfits. He never gives up, he kicks a lot of butts, and gave us one of the best Disney songs of the late 20th century with “I’ll Make a Man out of You.”

Kala (Tarzan)

If we could give this honor to Phil Collins for his Tarzan soundtrack, he’d be at the top of this list. But since he’s not in the movie, we can’t go without celebrating Kala, Tarzan’s adoptive gorilla mom. When everyone sees the young human as a freak or threat, this grieving mother rises to the occasion and takes him in as one of her own.

Olaf (Frozen 2)

There’s a case to be made for Olaf being the biggest hero of both Frozen movies as he’s constantly accepting the call of adventure, protecting his friends, and putting himself on the line to make sure the job is done. Sure, he’s mostly around for comedic relief during tense moments, but this snowman is the man!

Toby (The Great Mouse Detective)

The Great Mouse Detective is a Disney movie that doesn’t come up all that often these days, which is a shame because it features one of the best pooches of all time: Toby, Sherlock Holmes’ Basset Hound. This incredibly smart and crafty dog is key to Basil, Dawson and Olivia’s quest and provides for some impactful discoveries. But would you expect any less from the world’s greatest detective’s best friend?

Piglet (The Many Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh)

Piglet is pretty much the underdog of the Hundred Acre Wood in The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and is often caught in the middle of some issue or misadventure. However, this doesn’t mean he’s any less heroic. In fact, there’s an argument to be made for him being an unsung hero of the group as he is often an inspiration for them all, as well as for us watching at home.

Princess Kida (Atlantis: The Lost Empire)

Atlantis: The Lost Empire isn’t one of the top Disney movies, but it is one that features a rather underappreciated hero, or heroine, as is the case with Kida. The princess of the lost city deep under the ocean, Kida proves time and time again she’s not a damsel in distress, but instead a fearless warrior with a heart of gold and nerves of steel.

Philoctetes (Hercules)

We’d all love to see Danny DeVito return for a live-action Hercules movie because we just can’t get enough of his satyr character, Philoctetes. Though he doesn’t have the strength or height of the movie’s titular hero, “Phil,” as he likes to be called, is a great teacher and trainer who helps the demigod prepare for his hero’s journey. And what good is a hero who doesn’t know how to make the most of his abilities?

Baymax (Big Hero 6)

One of the most fun and exciting Disney animated movies in recent memory, Big Hero 6 is a treat from top to bottom. A lot of that is because of Baymax, the childlike inflatable healthcare robot who helps Hiro Hamada find his place in the world and then go and save it. He doesn’t have great communication skills but this robot has a lot of tricks up his sleeve.

Flit (Pocahontas)

Flit, Pocahontas’ pet hummingbird, isn’t the biggest, strongest, or most intimidating hero in the Disney universe, but he’s definitely one of the most protective and courageous. Throughout Pocahontas , the colorful bird doesn’t let his size, or lack thereof, stop him from serving his best friend. Is he a little too overprotective? Yeah, but he’s got heart.

Jiminy Cricket (Pinocchio)

What would have happened to Pinocchio if Jiminy Cricket wasn’t around to keep him in line? Well, you could say that the classic character from Disney’s Pinocchio doesn’t always get the job done, but he tries, and that’s what really counts. And, he’s not big on lying.

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31 Best Hero’s Journey Books to Add to Your Reading List

Interested in learning more about the hero’s journey stories? Discover the best hero’s journey books to begin your reading adventure!

Writers and readers love hero’s journey stories . From the origin stories of cultures to the twelfth-century poems that make up The Mabinogion (themselves derived from earlier oral traditions) to today’s blockbuster SF-laden movies, the monomyth is a part of our collective, subconscious experience.

These stories feature certain archetypes and follow a set pattern. The hero sets off on a quest from his/her ordinary world (The Departure), subsequently learns a lesson or obtains new knowledge, and uses this to triumph over something, someone, or a set of circumstances (The Initiation).

The hero then returns to his/her own world, transformed or with the tools needed to enact positive change (The Return). Below, we take a look at the 31 best books to add to your reading list if you’re a fan of the genre. This list pairs nicely with our roundup of movies that follow the hero’s journey .

Here Are The Best Hero’s Journey Books

1. the hobbit by jrr tolkien, 2. the odyssey by homer, 3. harry potter and the sorcerer’s stone by jk rowling, 4. the alchemist by paulo coelho, 5. the inferno by dante alighieri, 6. the goose girl by shannon hale, 7. the wizard of oz by l frank baum, 8. the hunger games by suzanne collins, 9. to kill a mockingbird by harper lee, 10. where the mountain meets the moon by grace lin, 11. don quixote by miguel de cervantes, 12. the 5th wave by rick yancey, 13. beowulf, 14. siddhartha: an indian novel by hermann hesse, 15. a separate reality by carlos castaneda, 16. across the universe by beth revis, 17. american gods by neil gaiman, 18. little briar rose (sleeping beauty) by the brothers grimm, 19. jane eyre by charlotte bronte, 20. the pilgrim’s progress by john bunyan, 21. the hound of the baskervilles by arthur conan doyle, 22. treasure island by robert louis stevenson, 23. argonautica by apollonius, 24. the fault in our stars by john green, 25. holes by louis sachar, 26. interstellar by greg keyes, 27. divergent by veronica roth, 28. the buried giant by kazuo ishiguro, 29. alice in wonderland by lewis carroll, 30. the lion, the witch and the wardrobe by c.s. lewis, 31. fight club by chuck palahniuk.

This classic book by J.R.R. Tolkien has featured regularly on best-seller lists since its first publication in 1937 and is widely cited as one of the twentieth century’s most beloved and influential novels. It’s a classic hero’s journey genre tale, too – featuring an unlikely hero in the form of Bilbo Baggins.

This unassuming hobbit is swept off on an adventure when Gandalf the wizard and a company of dwarves appear on his doorstep. He finds himself part of a mission to reclaim a fabulous horde of treasure from under the very nose of the fearsome dragon Smaug the Magnificent. For more, check out our guide to the best fantasy authors. You can also check out our guide on hero’s journey archetypes .

“This is a story of how a Baggins had an adventure, and found himself doing and saying things altogether unexpected.” JRR Tolkien

• Tolkien, J.R.R. (Author)
• English (Publication Language)
• 320 Pages - 08/15/2002 (Publication Date) - Clarion Books (Publisher)

Homer’s story of Odysseus is one of the oldest surviving works of literature that’s still being read by audiences today. This epic story tells the tale of the wandering king, trying to get home to his wife Penelope following the end of the Trojan War . The tale features all the tropes of a hero’s journey story, from its opening.

Odysseus is portrayed in his ordinary life, through to the Crossing the Threshold section, where the Gods become enraged with the hero and his company, summoning a storm to throw their boat off course, to The Return, whereby after completing a final challenge, Odysseus is returned to his royal life with Penelope.

“A man who has been through bitter experiences and traveled far enjoys even his sufferings after a time.” Homer

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JK Rowling’s worldwide best-seller Harry Potter is a prime example of the hero’s journey tale. The book starts with Harry in the ordinary world before moving through all of the typical hero’s journey stages, as detailed by Joseph Campbell in his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Harry receives the invitation letter to Hogwarts (The Call to Adventure), struggles to accept this sudden turn of events (Refusal of the Call), and Meets the Mentor – in the first book, this is Hagrid.

The Crossing the Threshold stage is his literal passing through the wall to access Platform 9 3/4 at the station. The Ordeal is represented by the various challenges the young wizard encounters at his new school, culminating in his temporary triumph over Voldemort. At the end of the book, he returns to the world of the muggles for the summer vacation, happy that he’ll be returning to Hogwarts soon (The Return).

“A breeze ruffled the neat hedges of Privet Drive, which lay silent and tidy under an inky sky, the very last place you would expect astonishing things to happen.” JK Rowling

The hero’s journey takes many different forms: it’s not always about defeating villains or finding lost treasure. The genre can also be powerfully deployed in the service of a spiritual quest tale, as in this novel. While the young protagonist, who is a perfect example of the Innocent/Orphan hero archetype, might start his journey looking for real-world riches, what unfolds is a beautiful story of self-discovery. Ultimately, the book is about the importance of heeding our hearts and the transformative power of dreams.

“Remember that wherever your heart is, there you will find your treasure.” Paulo Coelho

• Note: Item has rough Cut edges(Edges are cut improperly intentionally by the manufacturer)
• A special 25th anniversary edition of the extraordinary international bestseller, including a new Foreword by Paulo Coelho.
• Combining magic, mysticism, wisdom and wonder into an inspiring tale of self-discovery,
• Coelho, Paulo (Author)

The first volume of The Divine Comedy is considered a literary masterpiece, following the hero’s journey on a quest through the various Circles of Hell. After meeting Virgil (the Mentor), our narrator progresses, facing numerous trials and tests, always seeking his beloved Beatrice. Although he sometimes has ‘weapons’ with which to face his adversaries, his most potent weapon is his faith in his journey, which is a blend of both a spiritual and a physical mission.

“Soon you will be where your own eyes will see the source and cause and give you their own answer to the mystery.” Dante Alighieri

• Alighieri, Dante (Author)
• 108 Pages - 05/30/2013 (Publication Date) - CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (Publisher)

New York Times bestselling author Shannon Hale has written a book that, although aimed at middle-schoolers, has become much loved by kids and adults alike. Drawing on the tradition of folktales, it’s a heroine’s journey story, recounting the tale of Ani, who’s uncomfortable around people but able to communicate easily with animals. She leaves her world behind. However, when she’s sent away to marry. Despite disaster striking, she finds herself in a job where she can use her unique talents and give voice to her inner self.

If we don’t tell strange stories, when something strange happens we won’t believe it.” Shannon Hale

• Hardcover Book
• Shannon Hale (Author)
• 400 Pages - 05/14/2024 (Publication Date) - Bloomsbury Childrens Books (Publisher)

A key element of the heroine’s journey is, while it maintains recognizable archetype qualities, there is an overcoming or subversion of society’s expectations regarding women. Rather than staying at home in Kanas, Dorothy has the adventure she longs for.

While the hero’s journey stories tend to move from the inner world to the outer (from the darkness to the light), the heroine’s journey is usually the inverse of this, with characters moving from the outer world to a deeper communion with their inner selves and desires.

“The true courage is in facing danger when you are afraid, and that kind of courage you have in plenty.’“ L Frank Baum

• Baum, L. Frank (Author)
• 160 Pages - 12/01/2016 (Publication Date) - Sweet Cherry Publishing (Publisher)

Envisioning a dystopian new world in which each District is compelled to send two children between the ages of twelve and sixteen to compete in the annual Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins’ novels are widely cited as examples of the hero’s journey genre. Now a Hollywood blockbuster series of movies, the story demonstrates how the tropes inherent in Homer’s tale of Odysseus, written nearly 3,000 years ago, are still alive and kicking today. For more, check out our guide to the best books for teenagers .

“I’m more than just a piece in their Games.” Suzanne Collins

Set in 1930s Alabama, Atticus Finch is a lawyer attempting to defend and prove the innocence of Tom Robinson, a black man wrongly accused of raping a white woman. Atticus’s hero’s journey is largely a psychological one, in which he faces his own innermost beliefs, and is forced to confront morality and prejudice in the south of the US, how this manifests, and its impact on the individual and society – as well as the delivery of justice.

“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view. Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.” Harper Lee

Another bestselling novel adored by adults and children alike, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon chronicles Minli’s quest as she journies to find the Old Man on the Moon. Drawing on Chinese folktales, this rich fantasy, accompanied by the author’s beautiful illustrations, follows Minli as she encounters a range of otherworldly characters in her quest to find the answers to some of life’s biggest questions.

“If you make happy those that are near, those that are far will come.” Grace Lin

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• Lin, Grace (Author)

The Spanish masterpiece, first published in 1605, begins in the ordinary world of Alonso Quijano, a middle-aged man who loves nothing more than reading stories about knights and their adventures. Deciding to leave behind his own life to become a knight errant himself, Alonso changes his name to Don Quixote and sets off on a series of heroic deeds – some more successful than others!

“It is by rugged paths like these they go that scale the heights of immortality, unreached by those that falter here below.” Miguel de Cervantes

• Miguel De Cervantes Saavedra (Author)
• English (Subtitle)
• 800 Pages - 09/04/1997 (Publication Date) - Wordsworth Editions Ltd (Publisher)

This Amazon bestseller by Rick Yancey received the Goodreads Choice award. The Fifth Wave focuses on Cassie and Evan, two of the last human survivors on Earth following an alien invasion, dreading the imminent fourth wave. As a hero’s journey tale, Cassie must tackle both a physical, dangerous quest and attempt to understand the truth of the terrifying new world she’s inhabiting.

“Some things you don’t have to promise, you just do.” Rick Yancey

The hero in this Old English epic poem from an unknown author follows precisely the steps outlined by Joseph Campbell in The Hero with a Thousand Faces. From the Call to Adventure and the Refusal of the Call and all the way through to The Return – otherwise known as The Elixir- in which the hero brings something back from his adventure to benefit society. In the case of Beowulf, it’s the insight he has gained, which will keep his people safe going forward, and his blessing of peace,

“In the time I was given I lived in my own land, ruling my people well, never turning to treachery, or swearing to oaths contrary to right.” Beowulf

• Unknown (Author)
• 142 Pages - 11/20/2020 (Publication Date) - East India Publishing Company (Publisher)

A much-loved novel published in 1951 that follows the classic hero’s journey template, Siddhartha concerns the titular character on his quest for self-discovery. Deciding to leave his home in the ancient Nepalese kingdom of Kapilavastu, Siddhartha sets out as a wandering beggar seeking spiritual enlightenment. Through his journeying, the hero learns the importance of loving the world in its entirety and that a single, fixed belief does not constitute truth.

“Knowledge can be communicated, but not wisdom. One can find it, live it, do wonders through it, but one cannot communicate and teach it.” Hermann Hesse

• Hesse, Hermann (Author)
• 224 Pages - 09/19/2023 (Publication Date) - Wellfleet Press (Publisher)

With its mind-bending perspectives and mythic structure, it’s unclear how much of this book is fictional and how much is based on reality. With its clear mentor character (the Yaqui Indian shaman, Don Juan) and the dangerous journey at its heart that the protagonist is compelled to undertake, it’s a clear example of the hero’s journey story – though possibly one that pushes the boundaries of the genre more than any you’ve come across!

“We are men and our lot in life is to learn and be hurled into inconceivable new worlds.” Carols Castaneda

• Carlos Castaneda (Author)
• 263 Pages - 10/01/1972 (Publication Date) - Pocket Books (Publisher)

Awakening fifty years too soon from cryosleep, Amy finds herself aboard the spaceship Godspeed and in a terrifying situation. Realizing that her awakening didn’t happen by accident (The Call to Action), Amy has to accept the truth that someone else on board wants her dead – and that her parents, still in cryosleep, could be the next victims if she doesn’t figure out what’s going on. But meeting Eldest, the future leader of the ship, changes everything.

“Even when you are silent, even when you block out all noise, your body is still a cacophony of life.” Beth Revis

• Beth Revis (Author)
• 416 Pages - 02/02/2011 (Publication Date) - New York: Razor Bill (Publisher)

Blending fantasy and world mythology (both old and new), this novel widely divides its audience: it falls into the love it or loathe it category. But whatever your views on the plot and the writing, it’s an innovative take on the hero’s journey trope that reimagines the genre. Even its archetype, Shadow, is a vivid and disturbing (yet recognizable) hero figure – although, in typical Neil Gaiman style, the name ‘Shadow’ is also one of the character archetypes set out by Christopher Vogler’s author of the influential book, The Writer’s Journey.

“Even nothing cannot last forever.” Nail Gaiman

Fairy tales are great places to look for the hero’s journey stories being themselves, born from ancient folktales, legends, and myths. There are many versions of this tale, many of which feature very dark and disturbing themes, but the Grimms’ version is relatively tame. While reading, consider the extent to which the story is a hero’s or a heroine’s journey tale – thinking about the journey from outer to inner (and vice versa) and how this relates to the narrative of both the prince and Briar Rose herself.

“The pigeons upon the roof pulled out their heads from under their wings, looked round, and flew into the open country; the flies on the wall crept again; the fire in the kitchen burned up and flickered and cooked the meat; the joint began to turn and fizzle again.” Brothers Grimm

• Brothers Grimm (Author)
• 05/14/2024 (Publication Date) - HarperCollins Publishers (Publisher)

In his writings, the renowned psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Carl Jung outlined his ideas about archetypes, including archetypal journies, contending that humans’ unconscious minds are remarkably similar. This is why the hero’s journey stories have always permeated literature and art and continue to do so.

At its heart, the journey of Jane Eyre is the same as that taken by Luke Skywalker in Star Wars, despite the time and genre divide between the two. Just as Luke’s quest is about discovering truth and recognizing potential, so Jane’s journey is concerned with growth and independence – and there’s a disturbing truth in the attic to confront along the way, too.

Just as with Skywalker, Jane emerges at the end of the tale as a strong, loyal, passionate character who has faced a devastating reality and emerged from the ordeal with even greater reserves of tenacity than before. For more, check out our guide to the best British authors .

“I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will.” Charlotte Bronte

• Bronte, Charlotte (Author)
• 400 Pages - 06/01/2015 (Publication Date) - Digireads.com (Publisher)

A classic hero’s journey tale and the, at times, the most widely read book in the world, second only to The Bible, Bunyan’s book is concerned with the importance of learning and reading and the innate value of community. The hero, Christian, leaves his home and must face a series of trials – key to the genre. However, each tribulation or challenge must be thoroughly understood if a pilgrim is to progress. There’s even a final trial – a test of faith – which Christians must pass to access the Celestial City.

“The road of denial leads to the precipice of destruction.” John Bunyan

• Bunyan, John (Author)
• 400 Pages - 12/18/2003 (Publication Date) - Oxford University Press (Publisher)

The greatest literary detective of all time, Sherlock Holmes, is a hero archetype: The Researcher (the character of Indiana Jones also falls within this hero category). The Hound of the Baskervilles is one of the most well-known stories featuring Holmes and his trusty sidekick Dr. Watson. This is a great book for those interested in the hero’s journey genre, as the stages are so clearly delineated, from the Call to Action (Holmes’ enlistment to the case) through to The Return, whereby Watson files the case closed.

“The world is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance ever observes.” Arthur Conan Doyle

• Arthur Conan Doyle (Author)
• 174 Pages - 07/02/2007 (Publication Date) - Penguin Books (Publisher)

In this classic by a 19th century author , we meet Jim going about his daily life in the inn that his family owns. Following the Call to Action, where the boy becomes fascinated with the ‘black spot’ presented to the old captain, Billy Bones, who’s staying at the inn, Jim becomes embroiled in an epic adventure on the high seas in search of buried treasure.

“We are all travelers in the wilderness of this world, and the best we can find in our travels is an honest friend.” Robert Louis Stevenson

• Robert Louis Stevenson (author) (Author)
• 336 Pages - 09/14/2018 (Publication Date) - Wordsworth Editions Ltd (Publisher)

Testament to the power of myth is the enduring popularity of this story, which recounts the adventures of Jason and the Argonauts as they quest for the golden fleece. The epic, written – incredibly – in the third century BC, remains so widely read that there are not only multiple versions available on amazon, but you can listen to it as an audiobook, too! It features all the archetypal stages of the genre, including the Refusal of the Call, whereby Jason initially urges the heroes to elect another leader for the voyage. Once chosen, though, Heracles insists that Jason can take up the mantle, confident he can lead the band to victory.

“But friendly Juno shrouds/Her favorite heroes in a veil of clouds.” Apollonius

• Rhodius, Apollonius (Author)
• 129 Pages - 11/11/2022 (Publication Date) - Independently published (Publisher)

A bestseller that was also received extremely well by critics, this novel is a hero’s journey tale with a difference. Hazel, our protagonist, is sixteen years old and suffering from thyroid cancer that has spread to her lungs. Her parents insist she attends a support group (Crossing the Threshold) where she meets Augustus Walters, a seventeen-year-old osteosarcoma survivor. It’s now a Hollywood blockbuster movie that captures Amy’s journey into love.

“My name is Hazel. Augustus Waters was the great star-crossed love of my life.” John Green

When fourteen-year-old Stanley is wrongly convicted of stealing, he’s sent to a correctional camp where the inmates are forced by the warden to dig holes, seemingly at random. The story is comprised of three individual but interconnected tales. It makes for a fascinating take on the hero’s journey genre, the pattern of which can be seen both in the three stand-alone stories and in the overarching triptych.

“You’re responsible for yourself. You messed up your life, and it’s up to you to fix it.” Louis Sachar

• Sachar, Louis (Author)
• 240 Pages - 05/14/2024 (Publication Date) - Bloomsbury (Publisher)

This novelization of the Hollywood movie is an exciting account of a team of interstellar explorers sent through a newly-discovered wormhole – and what the ramifications of this mean for humanity. Despite being written thousands of years after Argonautica, the story shares a remarkably similar bone structure, as our hero literally navigates new worlds in a quest to return with the solution that will save the human race from extinction.

“We’ve always defined ourself by our ability to overcome the impossible.” Jonathan Nolan

• Keyes, Greg (Author)
• 288 Pages - 11/11/2014 (Publication Date) - Titan Books (Publisher)

Divergent by Veronica Roth offers a dystopian version of a future in which society is divided into five factions, each representing a certain virtue. Beatrice has been assigned the Abnegation faction but feels a Call to Action: in her heart, she knows she belongs to Dauntless. While set in a distant future, the tale follows the traditional archetypal hero’s journey; after the Call, Beatrice (now Tris) must resist several temptations, cross a threshold, and must survive a final ordeal to emerge at the novel’s finale, transformed and triumphant.

“I feel like someone breathed new air into my lungs. I am not Abnegation. I am not Dauntless. I am Divergent.” Veronica Roth

Beautiful and strange, this novel uses the mythic structure as both framework and plot. We follow a couple across a mystical, fiction, post-Arthurian landscape that is as shrouded in mist as their fast-disappearing memories. Both are convinced that they once had a son and so set out on a quest to find him. The author wrote the book as a meditation on collective memory, making it both an example and an interrogation of the hero’s journey tale.

“I’m wondering if without our memories, there’s nothing for it but for our love to fade and die.” Kazuo Ishiguro

• Ishiguro, Kazuo (Author)
• 384 Pages - 01/28/2016 (Publication Date) - Faber & Faber (Publisher)

Literally Crossing the Threshold via a fall down a rabbit hole, Alice arrives in Wonderland, where nothing is as it seems, and both adventure and danger lurk around every corner. But is the Caterpillar, The White Rabbit, or The Mad Hatter the Mentor? Just as with everything else in the story, it’s a riddle. But what’s for sure is that the story follows the classic monomyth template as set out by Joseph Campbell.

“‘I could tell you my adventures – beginning from this morning,’ said Alice a little timidly: ‘but it’s no use going back to yesterday because I was a different person then.’” Lewis Carroll

• Carroll, Lewis (Author)
• 101 Pages - 05/06/2021 (Publication Date) - Independently published (Publisher)

In some hero’s journey books, the stages are subtle – you can find them, but you may need to look closely. As in Alice in Wonderland, the phases are made obvious in this novel: the kids literally step over the threshold of the magical wardrobe and into the enchanted world of Narnia. The Refusal of the Call comes when the children initially turn back, fearful of their ability to navigate their way home. They return and take on the challenges set for them by one of literature’s ultimate Mentor figures, Aslan.

“All shall be done, but it may be harder than you think.” C.S. Lewis

• C.S. Lewis (Author)
• 171 Pages - 01/01/2009 (Publication Date) - HarperCollins Children's Books (Publisher)

Just because the hero’s journey genre is as old as time doesn’t mean it’s not subject to continual innovation – as in this novel, where the hero’s Mentor and biggest challenge to overcome is…literally himself. Fight Club is a cult phenomenon that’s made the leap to mainstream hit, helped along by the success of the great screenwriting featured in the Hollywood movie version of the book. Visionary, satirical, and a personal enlightenment journey like no other, Fight Club gleefully reimagines the hero’s journey genre to spectacular effect.

“If I could wake up in a different place, at a different time, could I wake up as a different person?” Chuck Palahniuk

• Palahniuk, Chuck (Author)
• 208 Pages - 10/02/1997 (Publication Date) - Vintage (Publisher)

Melanie Smith is a freelance content and creative writer from Gloucestershire, UK, where she lives with her daughter, long-suffering partner, and cat, The Magical Mr. Bobo. Her blog posts and articles feature regularly in magazines and websites around the world.

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Peter S. Beagle on his new novel, the hero's journey, and why villains talk so much

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

Something big threatens the kingdom of Bellemontagne - many somethings, which prefer their humans roasted. The new novel "I'm Afraid You've Got Dragons" is about that threat and also about reluctant heroes and an evildoer who just can't keep his yap shut. It's by Peter S. Beagle, who celebrated for his 1968 novel "The Last Unicorn," which, of course, charmed generations of young and not-so-young readers. Peter S. Beagle joins us from Berkeley, Calif. Thanks so much for being with us.

PETER BEAGLE: It's a pleasure, truly, to be here.

SIMON: Tell us about the dragons in the kingdom and the surrounding kingdoms. Come in all shapes and sizes, don't they?

BEAGLE: Well, in the world of the heroes, dragons mostly have shrunk down. Only the forest folk vaguely remember the really big ones. Mostly, the hero himself is an eliminator of dragons. Dragons are like cockroaches, are like small animals you can't get rid of. And it's his job to clear them out. He hates doing it. He's always hated it.

SIMON: Yeah. We should explain your hero is - forgive me any mispronunciation - Gaius Aurelius Constantine Heliogabalus...

BEAGLE: Gabalus. Heliogabalus.

SIMON: ...Thrax. But we can call him Robert, right?

BEAGLE: He'd really prefer it.

SIMON: Does he feel a kinship with dragons?

BEAGLE: Yes, and he doesn't know why. Much of the time, he doesn't want to think about it. It's nothing that he wants to know. That's true for most of the characters in this book. The princess doesn't want to be a princess.

SIMON: Princess Cerise. Yeah.

BEAGLE: Prince Reginald doesn't particularly want to be a prince. What he mostly wants to do is go off somewhere where his father can't bother him and just lie in the grass and think about things and get drunk. That would be nice.

SIMON: (Laughter) What makes a hero? This is a subject you've returned to in your novels.

BEAGLE: Well, in my own experience, there are very few heroic deeds I've gotten through in my life. And each time, I didn't want to do it. I knew exactly what I had to do, and I did not want to do it. And so I understand Robert. I understand his position altogether too well.

SIMON: Let me ask you about the wizard in the book 'cause he can't keep his yap shut about what he's hellbent on doing. Why is that?

BEAGLE: Well, you can't possibly blame him. After all, he has been destroyed and come back. He has ridden with dragons. He knows so much about dragons, just not the important stuff. But because of his experience, he thinks he knows more than he does. And that's fatal. I know that myself.

SIMON: That's happened to you?

BEAGLE: It has. It has. Not with dragons, particularly.

SIMON: Yeah.

BEAGLE: But with everything from the English language to automobile engines. Yeah, it's happened.

SIMON: It's been 56 years since "The Last Unicorn."

BEAGLE: Boy, that was quick.

SIMON: How does that feel?

BEAGLE: Very strange some nights when I lie in bed and think about it. And at my age, I do think about those things. The main thing is, I don't know if I've done my best work yet. You always hope there's something beyond what you've done. What worries me about this book is that I like it. I never like books when I'm through with them. I always know what I've screwed up. And by the time I've figured that out, the book is already published. There's nothing to do, but go back and do the next one. With this one, "I'm Afraid You've Got Dragons," I actually like it. I've asked friends, will somebody please tell me how I've screwed this one up? So far, nobody has.

SIMON: I liked it. I don't think you screwed up anything.

BEAGLE: Maybe. Well, I'm old enough. Maybe I finally got away with it.

SIMON: (Laughter) Can fantasies help us get hold of the real world all around us?

BEAGLE: In a strange way, it's the only way I've ever gotten hold of the real world. In honesty, much of the time, I'm faking it. Maybe other people are. But mostly, that's what I do. I only know how to tell stories. Everything else I've just done the best I could. I raised children. I've held one or two jobs, but I've always known I'm supposed to tell stories. That's it. And the best I can do is tell them the best I can. Beyond that, at my age, I've gotten very good at pretending I know what I'm doing. Sometimes I even believe it myself.

SIMON: You're in your 80s, right?

BEAGLE: Eight-five as a week or so ago.

SIMON: Happy birthday.

BEAGLE: Thank you.

SIMON: You know, there are millions of readers all over the world who want to say thank you to you.

BEAGLE: I hope so. They write to me letters, and I'm very grateful. I always answer the letters.

SIMON: I must say this book has totally changed the way I think of dragons.

BEAGLE: Good, because it changed mine. Rather, I've always thought about dragons. Somebody did write to me wishing I had told more about dragons. Maybe I will another day. But right now, I'm glad I was able to say as much as I did.

SIMON: Peter S. Beagle, his new novel "I'm Afraid You've Got Dragons." Thank you so very much for being with us.

BEAGLE: It's been a great pleasure, more than I can tell you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

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