Monomyth free essay sample

Monomyth or the hero’s journey is a basic pattern, which is found in many narratives and myths from around the world. The monomyth is â€Å"one of the dominant archetypal pattern in literature, film, and even video game text is the story of a journey. † Through an in-depth analysis of The Step not taken by Paul D’Angelo, this essay will give an explanation of the three stages of a monomyth. The monomyth is made up of three stages that the hero moves through. The stages are departure or separation, struggle or initiation, and return and reintegration. The monomyth’s hero moves through the first stage, that of departure. Within the departure are several short events: he is called to adventure; he gets supernatural aid, and fully accepts the quest. The story begins with a first person perspective of an unknown protagonist. The unknown protagonist receives his call to adventure when he notices a well-dressed young man in his mid-20s in the elevator. We will write a custom essay sample on Monomyth or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page At this stage the protagonist is not aware that everything in his life is going to change. He thought â€Å"nothing at all† was going to happen, suddenly the young man fell down and burst into tears.Without looking back the protagonist left the young man to cry alone. He refuses the quest initially of saving a fellow man in need because he had â€Å"bundle of mixed emotions, [and didn’t know] what to do. † The Hero had second thoughts of decision he made at that moment. In order for the character to guide him back to his quest, a guiding spirit appears and causes the hero to commit consciously or unconsciously to the adventure. The guiding spirit that helped the protagonist was his own curiosity and concern about the young man.The protagonist had many questions about the young man and wondered if the young was â€Å"[mentally disturbed, A manic-depressive, or A suicide just waiting to happen. ]† He couldn’t live with the â€Å"sense of regret† of not knowing the answer to these questions as well as not knowing If he did the proper thing, by leaving the young man alone. The protagonist fully accepts the quest to find the knowledge that he needs to answer his unanswered questions. The protagonist moves onto his next stage, Struggle or initiation.The hero journeys through the second stage, the protagonist begins his transformation in the unconscious domain in which the hero’s deepest fears and frustration exist. Within the Struggle are several short events: A goddess figure introduces the protagonist to the concept of unconditional love and acceptance, and triumphing over his fears and frustration. The protagonist is still frustrated about how he was not there for the young man. He kept imagining the worst scenarios about the young man and what made him burst into tears, was it because â€Å"he had just visited the doctor and been told that he had as incurable disease Was he without friends in the city and crushed by loneliness? † The protagonist decided to seek out help from others. The others said â€Å" [he] did the proper thing, the best thing, by leaving the young man alone† but the words from the others were mental temptations to deter the protagonist from completing his quest. This test had him realize that â€Å"they were wrong†¦and [should have] done the right thing. Not the big-city thing†¦the human thing. † With this realization his morals have strength for the final test.Then the goddess figure or protagonist’s realization introduced a thought of unconditional love and acceptance. He learns to love unconditionally when he said, â€Å"The thing I would want someone to do if they ever found my son crying in an elevator† He learned that he should treat others like his own family and should love them unconditionally in spite of not being blood related. This was his epiphany for the protagonist. Now the protagonist faces the final test in his journey. The demon that the hero must triumph over is the setting of the story, the big-city.The protagonist was consumed by â€Å"the big-city† manner, where everyone is in a quick pace world focusing on their own lives and do not have the time to be concern about others’ problem. He demonstrated this manner â€Å"by leaving the young alone [and thinking it was the proper thing, the best thing]† to do in that situation. The protagonist triumphs over his demon with his new found knowledge about unconditional love and acceptances of others then returns home as a rebirth of a new self into a new life. The protagonist enters the final stage, Return and reintegration.