The Unoriginal Hero's Journey
Joseph Campbell's 17-step template for the Hero's Journey accurately describes the stages that many heroes go through in stories. While this structure is useful for understanding how a hero's adventure unfolds, it can sometimes make stories feel repetitive and predictable. The Hero's Journey typically starts with a "Call to Adventure," and then moves through various trials and challenges before ending with the hero mastering both their ordinary and extraordinary worlds. However, following this formula too closely can result in a narrative that feels like it's following a checklist.
Many popular books and movies, such as Harry Potter, Star Wars, and numerous Disney films, follow Campbell's template. Because of this, viewers and readers who are familiar with the Hero's Journey can often guess what will happen next. The main character usually receives a "Call to Adventure," faces several "Trials," and eventually reaches the point where they gain the "Freedom to Live." This formulaic approach can sometimes cause audiences to lose interest in the main character’s story, making them more drawn to supporting characters who may not follow such a set path.
The Hero's Journey often starts with the hero in a peaceful, ordinary world that is disrupted by some kind of tragedy. For example, in stories like Harry Potter and The Lion King, the deaths of important figures push the main characters into their adventures. Other predictable elements, such as "Supernatural Aid" and the "Road of Trials," are also common in many stories. Additionally, the "Meeting with the Goddess" often involves a romantic subplot that feels almost obligatory. When every hero's story follows these same steps, it can start to feel like we've seen the same plot over and over again.
While Campbell's template effectively captures the classic hero's adventure, its overuse has led to a sense of monotony in storytelling. Stories that break away from this pattern often feel more original and interesting. For example, stories that focus on flawed or ordinary characters, or that change the usual hero storyline, can feel new and exciting. This may be why side characters in Hero's Journey stories often become more popular, as they are not as bound to this predictable path as the main character is.
Overall, the Hero's Journey is a useful tool for understanding the structure of many stories. However, when it is followed too strictly, it can make stories feel predictable and less interesting. Audiences today often prefer narratives that take risks and offer something new, rather than sticking to the familiar steps of Campbell's template.
Wow Shriya! I completely agree with your analysis of the Hero's journey. I do think that each plotline that uses it adds their special effects so it seems new, but it is tiring seeing the same general story repeated so many times in different fonts. Furthermore, I think the heroine's journey is overused.
ReplyDeleteHi Shriya. I also agree that rigidly following the hero's journey becomes monotonous and boring. I never thought about it, but the more I imagine stories, the more the romantic subplots connect to meeting with the goddess, which I also find a little annoying most of the time because it's done with almost no build up. Also yes, side characters are almost always more compelling than main characters.
ReplyDeleteHi I agree with your point that the outline of the Hero's Journey can make some plots predictable. Perhaps this is why stories with twists in them can be so exciting. However, the representation of these steps in the journey can be through an infinite amount of different events, and therefore I don't think it's the outline that makes something boring, but rather how the author decides to depict each individual step.
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ReplyDeleteI completely agree that this same template can make stories seem predictable. A lot of the time it feels as if I know the ending or what is going to come next, which makes the story less interesting. I think the "obligatory" romantic interest is particularly annoying, because it constantly comes up in the same place with the same outcome in every story which makes everything feel boring.
ReplyDeleteI think you have a great point about the biggest problem of the Hero's Journey being its repetitiveness. However, I feel like it's hard to depart from the Hero's Journey, because in order for a story to be interesting, it needs a character, a problem, and a way for the character to resolve it. Though, there are some unorthodox narrative structures that go against the Hero's Journey, like the Zero's Relapse by Michael Cisco.
ReplyDeleteThis is a really interesting take. I feel like I definitely have mixed opinions on the structure of the journey. I agree that in a lot of cases it ends up being same-old. I think for more complex novels, it could be well written and not seem as predictable. How well all the other aspects of the story, like character depth and premise, is really important because of how set the cycle is.
ReplyDeleteHi Shriya! I have to agree with you. Even if the audience isn't thinking about the hero's journey conscoiusly, people recognize consistant patterns that get boring after a while. I also agree that flawed characters have become more popular recently to break away from the classic hero's journey. With a more imperfect character, the story leaves more room for personal development. I think with more complex characters, stories sometimes become a combination of the hero's and heroine's journeys, which I like. Great post! (also great picture for this post. Superman is so boring)
ReplyDeleteGreat blog! I completely agree with you- unless the story has some fantastic traits that make up for the boringness, it's hard to enjoy and appreciate. I liked that you singled out Road of Trials and Meeting with the Goddess- both steps feel forced when used in a story. I find it interesting that some of the biggest movies of all time like star wars follow the template closely- I wonder if using the template is a hit or miss type deal.
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