The Hero's Journey is a theory created by Joseph Campbell and expresses the idea that most heroes are essentially the same person embodied in different ways. Lawrence C. Rubin describes the monomyth as, “The hero, or mythic protagonist, from birth to death is on a journey, replete with demons, both inner and outer, challenges both great and small, and a cast of characters, some enemies, others allies and companions” (265). The 2001 animation Osmosis Jones is no exception to this assumption. In the film, a white blood cell named Osmosis Jones goes on an epic adventure to save the life of Frank and prove himself to the people of his community. In the beginning of the movie, Osmosis starts off as an egotistical jerk who believes he can do everything on his own; however, as the film progresses, Osmosis realizes that sometimes two brains are better than one. Jones finds out the hard way that without a helping hand, there is little he can achieve alone. Osmosis’s journey through the monomyth develops the theme of teamwork because help from others proves to be essential to Osmosis’s triumph. Osmosis’s journey towards heroism begins with his everyday job as a germ patrolman for Frank’s body. During their routine procedure, Jones and his partner stumble upon …show more content…
Numerous times during the movie, Jones falls short of his destiny, but his companions are there to aid him on his expedition. For example, during his return to the status quo, Osmosis gets reinstated back onto his job and gets the girl of his dreams. The most important thing Jones gains at the end of the film is a new sense of wisdom, morality, and intellect. Through teamwork, Jones returns from his trek as a refined version of his former self. Assistance from others helped shape Osmosis into the conqueror of his own fate and victor of his
As they hunt down the red death, the body starts to overheat and Frank himself This is when the hero makes it to the deepest, darkest battle. For Jones, this starts in the eye of Franks’ daughter, Shane. He goes after Thrax and they fight back and forth until eventually they end up on Shane’s fake eyelash. This would be the perfect time for Jones to give up but because of his perseverance, he does not give up and keeps fighting.
Aristotle, an ancient Greek philosopher and scientist, conveys, “Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom”. In other words, Aristotle states that the gaining of self-knowledge provides an individual with the ability to know one’s personal gifts and accountabilities. To start one’s adult life a person must pursue the journey of self-discovery to learn in depth about their skills and weaknesses. Individuals must find themselves through the limitations and ordeals that they face during their voyage for self-awareness. For example, in Tim O’Brien’s short story, “On the Rainy River”, the narrator shares his story about self-discovery. O’Brien looks back into his past, to the time when he was called to serve in the Vietnam War. O’Brien’s initial
Opposed to that of common thought, Superman is not the only type of character that fits the heroic persona. Although “superheroes” typically come to mind when one thinks of a hero, there are many other ordinary people capable of extraordinary things. A hero is a person who takes the initiative to set out on a journey of internal growth. During this symbolic journey, one truly finds himself and betters the lives of others mentally and physically. In Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, Odysseus takes the path of heroism, resulting in the reborn spirit of a selfless, modest hero.
Watching a film, one can easily recognize plot, theme, characterization, etc., but not many realize what basic principle lies behind nearly every story conceived: the hero’s journey. This concept allows for a comprehensive, logical flow throughout a movie. Once the hero’s journey is thoroughly understood, anyone can pick out the elements in nearly every piece. The hero’s journey follows a simple outline. First the hero in question must have a disadvantaged childhood. Next the hero will find a mentor who wisely lays out his/her prophecy. Third the hero will go on a journey, either literal or figurative, to find him/herself. On this journey the hero will be discouraged and nearly quit his/her quest. Finally, the hero will fulfill the prophecy and find his/herself, realizing his/her full potential. This rubric may be easy to spot in epic action films, but if upon close inspection is found in a wide array of genres, some of which are fully surprising.
In the end, Osmosis and Drix's perseverance pays off. Jone's wins the love of the mayor's assistant, Leah, the two are reinstated to the police force, and instead of being a joke to most of the population of Frank's body, Osmosis is now regarded as a hero. Josephine Campbell states, “The true mark of a hero, according to Campbell, is the willingness to serve others with what has been gained through the quest.” If the two wouldn’t have pushed on through their hardships, they never would have made it this
The Hero’s Journey describes the typical adventure of the archetype known as The Hero, the person who goes out and achieves great deeds on behalf of the group, tribe, or civilization. After reading the epic poem The Odyssey, by Homer, and watching the movie O Brother, Where Art Thou?, by the Coen brothers, they both show evidence of the Hero’s Journey. The Hero’s Journey is based on Joseph Campbell’s A Practical Guide to The Hero With a Thousand Faces. In The Odyssey, Odysseus is projected as the “hero” while in O Brother, a man by the name of Ulysses Everett McGill can be seen as the “hero”. Elements of The Odyssey and O Brother are shown through the stages in the Hero’s Journey like the Approach to the Inmost Cave, The Supreme Ordeal, and Threshold Crossing.
The mold of the heroic template is evident throughout various types of media. Within movies, novels, and poems the hero’s journey is present. Of course, not every piece of literature or movie follows the cycle. However, the idea of the monomyth arose from Joseph Campbell. He wrote his own book, The Hero of a Thousand Faces, within his writing he describes that heroes’ follow the same basic procedure throughout their quest(s). This is where the idea of the hero monomyth arose. In Michael Lewis’s novel, The Blind Side, he portrays “The heroic monomyth.” The Blind Side consists of the basic characters and archetypes that accurately reflect the heroic template.
The Hero’s Journey is an ancient archetype that we find throughout our modern life and also, in the world of literature.Whether metaphorical or real, the journey that a character goes on shows not only the incredible transformation of the hero but it also gives them their life meaning. It is the ultimate human experience and it reflects on every aspect of life. Take Logan, also known as Wolverine, from the X-Men movie as an example. His adventure starts with “The Call,” which is the first step of the Hero’s Journey. This step happens due to the realization of imbalance and injustice that the character has in their life. Logan steps into the first stage of the pattern but is hesitant to start his adventure because he does not know what and
What is a hero? To our understanding, a hero is a person who is admired for great or brave acts. Joseph Campbell, an American mythologist, and writer wrote The Odyssey. In this novel he talks about The Heroes Journey which are twelve different stages of adventure known as the Ordinary World, the Call to Adventure, Refusal of the Call, Meeting the Mentor, Crossing the Threshold, Test/Allies/Enemies, Approach to the Inmost Cave, Ordeal, Reward, the Road Back, Resurrection, and the Return With The Elixir. The Odyssey is about a legendary hero named Odysseus, who fought among the Greeks in the battle of Troy and went through the stages of The Heroes Journey. Odysseus lived in Ithaca, Northwest of Greece, with his wife Penelope and son Telemachus.
Joseph Campbell defines a hero as “someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself ” (Moyers 1). The Hero’s Journey consists of three major parts: the separation, the initiation and the return. Throughout a character’s journey, they must complete a physical or spiritual deed. A physical deed involves performing a daunting and courageous act that preserves the well-being of another person. A spiritual deed calls for action that improves another individual’s state of mind. While fulfilling their journey, a hero must undergo a psychological change that involves experiencing a transformation from immaturity into independence and sophistication.Campbell states that these events are what ultimately guides a hero into completing
These trials begin when Drix and Jones go to the nose to make sure everything is running smoothly. All seems to be okay until the cartilage gets broken by Thrax, the deadly virus responsible for Frank’s illness, and his accomplices. Osmosis and Drix must keep the dam from breaking completely before moving on. This is also the first glimpse that Osmosis gets of Thrax, and when he tries to alert the mayor of him, he gets brushed off. Even though everyone continues to dismiss what Osmosis is saying about Thrax, he decides to continue pursuing the
One way this is represented is that Steve Jobs experienced the 5th stage of “The Hero’s Journey,” Allies/Helpers. According to “The Hero’s Journey,” “Every hero needs a helper, much like every superhero needs a sidekick.” This step is seen in Steve’s life where his helper is Woz, and according to him in his Stanford speech, “Woz and I started Apple in my parents garage when I was 20.”
The hero's journey is the typical path the hero in a mythological adventure follows and is typically characterized by certain key stages. In the Anglo-Saxon poem, Beowulf, the hero's journey can be characterized through a valiant warrior as he quells evil and protects his people but the hero's journey does not necessarily require itself to be seen through the eyes of a inherently righteous man. A few hundred years later writers still made great use of the hero's journey in their writing but from a different perspective. Christopher Marlowe's 16th century work, Doctor Faustus, follows another form of the hero's journey, the flip side of Beowulf, as one sells his soul to the devil and pursues more evil desires. While both protagonists are entirely different they both remarkably follow the same journey of showing a great division over time in what one might consider to be a hero.
After the departure of the hero 's journey, the initiation or road of trials occurs. This is when the hero transitions from an ordinary person to a heroic stature. The first part of the initiation is the brother battle. This battle occurs when the hero fights with a person who is close to them or an actual brother. One example of a brother battle in the book is when Janie asked Logan what he would do if she were to run away with someone, aka Joe. Another example is when Janie fought with Joe before he died. The feelings that she had contained throughout their marriage ended up being exposed in this fight and in turn helped represent this battle as a stepping stone in her journey to becoming an independent person. In addition to the brother battle, the hero experiences a dragon battle. One example of this battle is when Janie
One well-known example of “The Hero’s Journey” from popular culture is the Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, by J.K. Rowling. In the novel, Harry Potter, the main character, is the chosen one and “The Hero’s Journey” applies to his life from the moment he is attacked by He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named as a baby. Joseph Campbell calls the initial phase of a hero’s development the “Call to Adventure.” The call is the in... ...