Monomyth In Star Wars And Beauty And The Beast

A monomyth is a pattern in literature and stories that can be found across many different cultures. There are many examples of literature that contain the hero’s journey. Star Wars and Beauty and the Beast both follow the hero’s journey and are similar monomyths.

The hero’s journey has different stages that make it up. One of those stages is known as crossing the threshold. Beauty and the Beast and Star Wars show ways that a hero crosses the threshold of their quest. In Star Wars Luke Skywalker joins a jedi named Obi-wan Kenobi on a journey away from his planet. Luke crossed the threshold when Obi-wan first took Luke to a cantina in Mos Eisley. The hero of the monomyth often faces trials after crossing the threshold. Luke faced his first

trial then when he was encountered by two strangers in the cantina. Aaron Wright states, “It is worth noting that when we think of the term “epic hero” we generally consider a male figure who must perform well in battle.” Belle in Beauty and the Beast is a hero. She crossed the threshold of her journey when she began searching for her father in the woods. She discovered a castle owned by a beast which was where her father was being imprisoned. Belle faces the beast and sacrifices her freedom for her father. She spends the next days in the castle with the beast, experiencing things she’s never seen before.
The refusal of return takes place after the hero gets what they wanted; the hero does not want to return to their regular and possibly boring life. Luke Skywalker rescued princess Leia from the death star in Star Wars. Star Wars: A Myth for Our Time describes a scene from the movie, “Luke, accompanied by the Princess, escapes with the plans of the battle station in Solo's ship out of the Death Star, out of the belly of the whale.” They stole the death star plans so they could find it’s weak spot. He could have finished his journey and gone back to his planet or with Han Solo at that point but Luke actually decided he wanted to stay to help the rebels attack and destroy the death star. Belle’s thoughts about returning were not as similar. Returning to the village was hard for Belle to do, as the journey through the woods was dangerous by herself. Although she enjoyed the beast’s company and living in the castle, she had to return to her father at home.
The rescue from without is when the hero is suddenly saved by someone unexpected. In Star Wars, Luke is being chased by Vader and his allies down the trench in the death star. Luke starts to have trouble avoiding the attacks of the enemy and unexpectedly, Han Solo appears flying above Luke’s ship to save him. In Beauty and the Beast, the village’s men go to the castle to hunt down the beast. Rather than Belle or the beast fighting the men, the servants of the castle hold them off at the entrance. If not for the servants beast would have been easily hunted down and killed. Belle also helped beast when she warned him of Gaston.
Star Wars and Beauty and the Beast are both good examples of the hero’s journey monomyth, displaying examples of the refusal of return, rescue from without, crossing the first threshold, and other stages. Monomyths and archetypes can be found in many stories and literature.