Modern Hero In A Long Way Home By Saroo Brierley

A five year old boy traveled across the vast country of India on a train and thrown into the streets of Calcutta with millions of people and survived. In A Long Way Home by Saroo Brierley, Saroo experienced several life-threatening trials as a child and miraculously ended up in an affluent area in Australia following adoption. After growing up in Australia, Saroo set on a journey to find his birth family in India. Saroo’s journey begins simply to fulfill his own self-interest, though turned into something greater than himself which defines him as a true hero. Saroo Brierley experienced separation, initiation, and return throughout his life which develops his naval, making him a modern mythological hero as defined by Joseph Campbell.
Saroo

Saroo enters the belly of the whale when he reaches the Calcutta train station. At this point Saroo understands “No one was coming for [him]; [he] was all alone. [Saroo] realized that to have any hope of returning home, [he] would have to be as strong as [he] could be” (Brierley 76). He realized he needed to change his mindset and suppress his fear to escape the situation. Despite Saroo’s realization he needed to be strong, he fell into his temptations in order for him to survive. A railroad worker stopped Saroo and he “was overjoyed; at last someone had stopped to help and was going to save [him]. I didn’t hesitate to go with [the railroad worker]”(Brierley 87). Falling into a temptation which may deviate from the necessary path is an integral part of the initiation phase. Though Saroo fell into this trap, he became aware of his surroundings which matured Saroo. An Australian couple adopted Saroo which was his ultimate boon to escape. If he did not make it to the orphanage or was not adopted, Saroo may not have even lived or completed his journey. Saroo proves himself as a mythological hero after enduring several trials even though the odds seemed to be against