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Blog Task 1: Story Arcs and Character Archetypes in Coraline- An Analysis

The ‘Classic Narrative Arc’ consist’s of the start or ‘exposition’, the rising action, the climax, the falling action to the final resolution (figure 1). This basic structure can be used as a guideline for every story. Joseph Campbell’s ‘Monomyth’ takes this concept into a more specific context, breaking down the ‘Adventure of the Hero’ into notifiable story points applicable, in theory, to every story (Campbell 1993). This progression of the story is explained by Campbell as ‘openings of energy from the cosmos’ into ‘human cultural manifestation’, which poses interesting reflective thoughts on the importance storytelling has on society, and its relations to our dreams and myths (Campbell, 1993:3). Developing forward from the theories of Campbell, Writer/ Director Dan Harmon takes this into simplification by incorporating the heroes journey into an 8-step storey circle (Figure 3). An interesting point to take from Harmon’s circle is the threshold line representative of the conscious/ subconscious developments of the plot, replicant of the importance of dreams in support of the narrative Joseph Campbell illustrates.

In reference to Cambell’s “Hero with A Thousand Faces” (1993), the initial establishing shot in Coraline (Selick, 2009) outlines clearly the ‘departure’ stage of the hero’s journey and the ‘You’ stage of Dan Harmon’s story circle. The family arrive at the pink palace, the new yet ordinary world, cascaded in grey, dulled tones reflective of the characters emotional states. Coraline, the main protagonist, fits the ‘Everyman Hero’ (Masterclass, 2021), equipped with nothing but a strong moral compass and courage. In this first sequence, viewers are introduced to the main issues surrounding Coraline’s life, such as familial neglect, loneliness and her self-centred and judgemental character flaws. She is rude to her new neighbours and gives an air of superiority she does not actually attain and has not yet earned. Every action she partakes in is clearly just for self-advantage, without considering the people around her. This is especially apparent in how she speaks to her mother about her lack of fault in a car accident rather than express sympathy.

Her absence of self-awareness and sympathy ties strongly to the concept of the everyman hero, as displaying her faults and blunders draws out her childish temperament and simultaneously makes her more relatable to the viewer. This section of the movie subtly underscores the “relationship with forces that are not rightly understood” by building tension that foreshadows the film’s later events (Campbell 1993: 51). This includes Coraline’s first interaction with ‘Wybie’ when he rushes towards her in a ‘Legend of Sleepy Hollow-esc’ way, the black cat that stalks and frightens her, and the appearance of a doll that looks just like her. Wybie, the ally/sidekick archetype, embodies the virtues Coraline lacks at the beginning of the story, showing friendliness and a modest temperament. In Dan Harmon’s story circle, the ‘Need’ exemplified in this section is shown in the loneliness and desperation of Coraline’s actions. It is clearly illustrated that she wants the attention and appreciation of her parents, the friendship that she left behind, and the need to escape her new dull, grey world.

The call to adventure stage of the heroes departure occurs when Coraline receives a doll, replicating her appearance, that eventually draws her attention to a small door hidden in the new house (Figure 5). The entrance leads into the mystical, unknown world, which sets Coraline into the primary action of her heroes journey. At this point, the ‘supernatural’ mentor, the cat, has previously been introduced and subtly led Coraline to the setting of the final ‘battle’, the well, foreshadowing dark events to come. The cat is a fascinating figure who seems to embody multiple archetypal roles, including the ‘shapeshifter’, as he retains an ambiguity of bias to audiences initially and can easily trapeses between universes, metaphorically highlighting a moral middle ground in the apparent ‘good’ and ‘bad’ worlds. Coraline is now lured into the new world from her sleep which is more vibrant in tonality, interesting in visuals and striking in contrast to the former (Figure 6). This creates a clear sense of other-worldliness and visually accentuates Coraline’s journey’s unknown semicircle. This section represents the ‘Go’ section of the story circle, as she enters the world’s new and unexplored realms and her own mind.

The polarity of these worlds, the dream-like aesthetic essence of the universe through the door, can be linked to mentions of Campbell’s work about dreamscapes and the subconscious desire. Campbell states the danger of dreams “threaten the fabric of security into which we have built ourselves and our family” and that the destruction of our conscious world and the “wonderful reconstruction, of the bolder, cleaner, more spacious” subconscious world through dreams, inevitably brings a promise of trepidation from ‘disturbing night visitants from mythological realms’ (1993: 8). ‘Coraline’ (2009) indulges this idea in quite a literal sense, with the deconstruction of the family and Coraline’s real-world desires manifesting in the other world (or the subconscious realm in this context), which inevitably leads to night visits from otherworldly monsters.

Upon entering the new world, Coraline is confronted with the main antagonist or shadow of the story, the ‘Beldam’ or ‘Other Mother’. She seems to precisely fit into the ‘mastermind’ villain role, concocting well thought out schemes to achieve her goal of soul consumption (Masterclass, 2021). This part of the story development presents Coraline with the life she desires. Her parents no longer neglect her; all her flawed desires are brought to fruition- Wybie’s ‘annoying’ mouth is stitched up, she is served the perfect dinner her parents couldn’t provide, she becomes the centre of this universe that indulges the depths of her ego. However, the striking black button eyes (which can subconsciously associate ideas of uncanny animate dolls to the viewer) on the otherworldy characters visually differentiate them and bring attention to the danger they possess.

Due to this, Coraline’s intuition tells her something is amiss and causes her to reject the call to adventure, and she wakes up back into her reality (Figure 7). Campbell states how the refusal is, in essence, “a refusal to give up what one takes to be one’s own interest”, in this case, Coraline seeks the security of the known (1993: 60). From this point, the issues of her real-world from before are further exemplified. The introduction of ‘Bobinsky’ indicates the ‘trickster’ archetype, as he is considered a ridiculous character who also points out the absurdity of Coraline’s actions through the ‘word’ of his mice. Ms Spinks and Forcible seem to embody the role of the herald, warning Coraline of future dangers ahead, quite literally, by reading her tea leaves. In this instance, Mr Bobinsky could also be considered a herald, as he warns Coraline not to attempt to go through the door again.

The third time Coraline visits the other world is intentional and brings the subconscious world into the conscious. Coraline enters the world in the middle of the day; under no implication, it is a dream setting, which psychically and metaphorically represents the approach of her crossing a mental threshold. Due to Coraline’s acceptance of the call, the supernatural aid/ mentor presence starts to take hold of the plot. The cat, both “protective and dangerous”, providing direction and protection “unites itself in all the ambiguity of the unconscious” (Campbell, 1993; 73). This supernatural mentor supports Coraline’s “conscious personality” because he brings reality to the situation, making the ever-present threats more apparent to the heroine (Campbell, 1993: 73). Despite this, the cat maintains his ambiguous inscrutability; disappearing and reappearing to the disorientation and subconscious manifestation that represents Coraline’s fears; further blurring the lines between reality and unreality in the realm.

At the crossing on the threshold , Coraline is forcibly trapped into a mirror after rejecting the ‘button eyes’, more concisely, the ability to stay in the dream world forever. This section is when the reality of this true nature of the alternate world starts to come to fruition. While trapped, Coraline converses with the spirits of the last victimised children.

The road of trials is represented literally by the ‘game’ she proposes with the ‘other mother’. In this particular section, Coraline navigates through the once wonders of the world to find they have been twisted and distorted in horrifying ways. She is tested through trial and error and builds critical character development. Campbell notions that a hero will move in a “dream landscape of curiously fluid, ambiguous forms” in this survival of the trials ahead (1993: 97). Coraline naturally follows this statement, as everything is previously known and ‘safe’ generates an air of ambiguity as the characters reveal themselves to be rats, pumpkins and other darker and more twisted versions of their former selves. Coraline, aided by the ‘supernatural mentor’ (cat) at the ‘entrance of this region’ as, despite our previous knowledge of the world, this is where the true and symbolic ‘entrance’ of this world is revealed (a stripped-back vacant world) (Campbell, 1993: 97). Characteristics such as the villain archetype ‘the henchman’ show themselves in the other father at this point in the film. This is made clear in the way he begins to attack her, but seemingly out of this control, stating how ‘mother is making him do it. The parallelism between the character of the father in the real world and the unknown replicate elements of Coraline’s conscious perception of her parent’s relationship, providing further indications of projections of subconscious fears in the ‘dreamscape’. This scene could also be representative of Campbell’s ‘atonement with the Father’ aspect of the hero’s journey as despite the other father’s evil indentures, he assists her in escaping the life-threatening situation he puts Coraline in (Campbell, 1993: 126).

The Death and Rebirt h stage occurs when Coraline fails to collect the eyes in time; she requires assistance from her supernatural mentor to remain unscathed from the consequences of such loss. In Dan Harmon’s story circle, this is the heavy price the hero pays for getting or attempting to get what they most desire. This follows onto the character progressive state that eventually leads to Coraline’s Revelation, in which she outsmarts the Beldam and manages to free her parents and the ghosts of the former children. This starts the narrative incline back from the subconscious to the conscious or the chaos back into its order as Coraline re-enters the real world.

The atonement section shows a lot of character development in Coraline as she begins to understand her flaws, appreciates her ‘older’ world with a newfound appreciation, and respects her parents and neighbours without the prejudices of her past self. However, despite getting everything she wanted out of this arrangement, she still must suffer for the selfishness of her former actions. The Beldam’s hand survives the incident, and she attempts to steal the key back from Coraline to free herself from the dream-like realm. She is chased by the hand and the other mother until, with the help of Wybie, she is able to smash the hand and drop the key into the well. This could be symbolic of her dumping the old part of herself into an unreachable place, never to be reaccessed.

After these events, Coraline returns changed and has a much more overtly positive attitude towards her new life. She and all the neighbours gather together, in which she interacts with each and every one of them. After going through the stages of the heroes journey and progressing through the conscious and subconscious territory, she begins to understand the world around her once again.

Bibliography

Campbell, J., 1993. The Hero with a Thousand Faces . Hammersmith, London: Fontana Press.

MasterClass. 2021. [online] Available at: <https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-write-different-types-of-villains> [Accessed 10 November 2021].

MasterClass. 2021. [online] Available at: <https://www.masterclass.com/articles/common-hero-archetypes-in-literature#:~:text=Here%20are%20the%20six%20most%20common%20types%20of,while%20possessing%20a%20rich%20inner%20life%20under%20> [Accessed 10 November 2021].

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Coraline Plot Analysis: It’s Basically Just the Hero’s Journey

Coraline has this weirdness halo in the minds of its biggest fans, and I’m one of them. It’s remembered fondly for being so uniquely creepy and disturbing. And it  is  genuinely weird, especially for a kids’ movie, but when we start looking at the structure underneath Coraline, we find a pretty standard story, one that communicates a simple lesson that is common in children’s entertainment.

If we try to summarize the messaging of Coraline, it basically comes down to: be careful what you wish for and be grateful for what you have.

So the messaging is common, and the story structure, as we’re about to see, is standard fare.

But this article isn’t trying to convince anyone that Coraline is bad. It’s not, it’s an extremely memorable movie with some fantastic visuals and scare-moments.

The real mission here is to prove that even standard storytelling techniques, in the hands of talented artists, can still be used to create something unique and compelling.

Yet Another Explanation of The Hero’s Journey

The Hero’s Journey refers to a specific storytelling structure/arc that has been commonly used for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. The specific term was coined and elaborated on by Joseph Campbell, especially in his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces.

In the simplest possible form, the Hero’s Journey involves a hero being called to adventure, at which point they leave their comfort zone, overcome some challenges, often with the help of external characters and forces, and eventually overcome the biggest obstacle, then returning home, having changed.

There are certain stories that were written with the Hero’s Journey specifically in mind (the first Star Wars movie is the common example), but at this point, the Hero’s Journey structure is just part of our collective cultural consciousness.

Therefore, even if specific writers aren’t consciously aware of the Hero’s Journey, most narratives conform to this structure.

And if we sit down to do some Coraline plot analysis, we can see pretty quickly that the story fits the Hero’s Journey very well.

Example Time (Spoilers)

Just for fun, let’s run through the ways in which Coraline fits into the Hero’s Journey story structure.

We start with Coraline, moving into the Pink Palace with her parents. This is the world of the known, the familiar. Some people might argue that she already starts in the unknown, but this isn’t true, and the proof is that Coraline is bored, painfully bored.

There’s nothing about her surroundings that interest her, and she quickly annoys her parents until the mom gives her a McGuffin-y task to keep her occupied.

The call to adventure comes from the little door she finds in the apartment. This is the beginning of her transformation, and it’s also the story catalyst.

The Cat, whose name is just The Cat, serves multiple functions in the story. He’s kind of the threshold guardian, but he’s also a mentor/helper during the early moments of her journey into the unknown.

Then come the challenges and temptations, and my goodness, it’s mostly just temptations for a while. Other Mother offers this menagerie of activities and material goods designed specifically to tempt Coraline to stay in this alternate world, where she will eventually be devoured by Other Mother, who is actually a horrible monster, the Beldam.

The point of revelation is when Coraline meets the Beldam’s previous victims in the closet. This is also the low-point at the tail-end of Act II and the rest of the challenges all lead to the final confrontation with the Beldam, right before she returns to the world of the known, now more appreciative of her family and the normal world.

Why Do We Love it?

Analysis of Coraline has become an SEO darling, and I think that’s mostly because, after watching Coraline, it feels like you’ve just experienced something new and exciting. And you have, but none of that feeling comes from the plot structure itself.

The things that make Coraline special are everything else: the characters, the visuals, the monsters, and, most importantly, the creeping sense of dread and claustrophobia.

I’m even of the opinion that our lead, Dakota Fanning, did a pretty job with the voice acting here. Not trying to knock Dakota, but I also don’t think she’s the reason so many people have connected with this movie.

So what can we learn from Coraline? How can we make our own art that feels special and unique while still using pretty basic storytelling structure?

The tone is the real star of the movie, and that’s what I’d like to focus on here.

An Oily Piglet

Tone, in movies, books, and just about any other media, can be hard to pin down. Or rather, it’s easy enough to identify the tone of a piece of art, but figuring out how that tone is achieved can be a lot more difficult.

Why? Because tone is itself gestalt: it’s an easily definable thing that is the result of many different elements. Quick example: the individual pixels on your screen are assigned different colors based on what is being displayed. When you watch a YouTube video, you’re not watching the original video but a really impressive recreation of the original content.

So, the tone of Coraline is creepy, uncomfortable, and it makes you feel like a scared kid. But how does it achieve that tone?

It’s a combination of a whole lot of things. The writing is a part of it, sure, and the score music also does a lot of heavy lifting.

But to me, Coraline is a testament to the incredible power of animation, character design, production design, and artistic collaboration in general.

Moving Parts

Henry Selick served as the director, writer, and production designer for Coraline, and it’s impossible to talk about Coraline’s tone without exploring his role and his general artistic style.

Selick also directed The Nightmare Before Christmas and James and the Giant Peach, so there’s a good chance you’re already familiar with his work, as well as some highly experimental short films [see video].

Both Selick and Tim Burton attended CalArts, just North of Los Angeles, a school that has a reputation for producing supremely talented animators and filmmakers. (As a point of reference, the core group of Pixar founders all attended CalArts.)

Tim Burton tapped Selick to direct The Nightmare Before Christmas, which helped him prove his value to Hollywood big wigs.

His industry career since then has been a bit of a rollercoaster, but before I go and regurgitate his IMDb bio, I’ll just say that he has a very specific visual style and artistic sensibility that he’s been developing for decades.

Neil Gaiman specifically requested Selick to be the director of Coraline, and that turned out to be a great choice.

Just to summarize the point here, Henry Selick was especially well-suited for Coraline, thanks to both his pre-existing visual style and his understanding of frightening children’s stories.

Coraline owes its tone to Selick, the character designs, the sets, and the animation.

Stop-motion is a notoriously slow and difficult animation technique. Animation itself takes much longer than shooting a live-action movie.

Maybe the team behind Coraline made the right call on every single decision because they had more time to make those decisions. Or maybe Laika (the production studio that made the movie) is just stuffed with incredibly talented filmmakers. For my money, it’s actually a combination of both.

Coraline’s music, visual presence, and sound design culminate in a tone that’s truly special. With that said, let’s draw some conclusions about Coraline’s story.

Bringin’ it All Back Home

After exploring this movie a bit more, I think people want to see it analyzed because the finished product is so good and so different that it’s easy to feel like there’s something much bigger happening here.

It’s definitely possible to interpret Coraline as an allegory, listing off every character and object one by one and assigning them meaning in some kind of meta-narrative.

(Just for fun, I tried to think of something Coraline could be an allegory for. How ’bout the death of ambition during the creative process? Ya know? At first, there’s so much enthusiasm to strike out into unknown territory, but the project becomes so abstract and strange that it’ll probably never see the light of day. The Other Mother is ambition itself: seemingly exciting and accommodating at first but steadily more threatening and malicious.)

And that can be a lot of fun.

I’m guessing attempts to analyze Coraline are really attempts to define the unique tone that makes the movie work.

For me, seeing that Coraline’s story is pretty standard in structure and approach is exciting. Because the movie is still special.

Earlier I teased an answer to the question of how artists can make something unique out of fairly traditional elements.

Here’s my answer. Feel free to disagree.

Once you’ve decided which aspect of your project is the most important to you, that’s where you can focus your creative attention. That’s the area where you can inject your personal style.

As long as the other components are solid (i.e. story structure, characters, performances), they will support your more creative, more outlandish elements.

Extremely talented artists can get to a point where every aspect of their work can be wild, crazy, and creatively innovative, but if you’re starting out, you need to give your work a foundation built from traditional techniques that have been proven to work.

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Sunday, February 24, 2013

Coraline & the hero's journey.

3 comments:

It is missing 3) the refusal, 10) way back and the 12) Return with elixir

saved me like 3 hours of not reading a book thanks

Home — Essay Samples — Literature — Coraline — Coraline And The Alchemist: Comparing Their Hero’s Journeys

Coraline and The Alchemist: Comparing Their Hero’s Journeys

• Categories: Coraline Hero's Journey The Alchemist

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Published: Apr 11, 2022

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Works Cited

• Coelho, Paulo. The Alchemist. HarperCollins Publishers., 2014.
• Selick, Henry, et al. Coraline. Focus Features, 2009.  

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The Hero’s Journey Prezi

This is a Prezi presentation that details The Hero’s Journey. The Hero’s Journey is based on Joseph Campbell’s study of literature. In this presentation, your students will look at how stories are told in very similar patterns. I incorporated numerous video clips to highlight each concept (The Hunger Games, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, The Matrix, The Karate Kid, and Harry Potter). I would like to point out that this presentation does carry a PG rating. There is some violence and minor language in some of the clips. I had my students produce their own Hero’s Journey story, and the results were amazing. This teaches students the elements of story writing in a very visual way. The students learn what characters should be included as well as the attributes of those characters. They learn that there is a pattern and what elements are included in each transition. It teaches them the process of introducing characters, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. This file is too large to be uploaded to TpT so the purchased document (a word document) contains the instructions for going to the actual Prezi. There are 95 slides or transitions in the Prezi. Make sure you have access to YouTube for the videos to load.

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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.