Ivonne Vasquez-Perez, Final Exam Essay

The Hero's Journey consists of three main stages: the Separation, the Initiation, and the Return. The calling, the threshold, and the descent make up the Separation. The abyss, the mentor, and the transformation make up the Initiation, while the creation makes up the Return. In the Separation the hero leaves home, and in the Initiation the hero finds a mentor and performs heroic deeds. In the Return the hero goes back to his home and/or family.

An example of Separation in the Odyssey is when Odysseus decides to go to the underworld to find Teiresias.Odysseus' calling was the need to get away from Circe. The threshold awas when he decided to leave after h erealized how much time he had spent there. Descent is the beginning of the journey into the unknown, Odysseus' descent was when he sacrificed all the animals to gain access to Teiresias in the underworld.

The Initiation is where the climax of the story is found, most of the action in a story takes place in the Initiation. The abyss is the unkown and it is very similar to the setting. In the Odyssey the abyss was the underworld as was the setting for the Jouney within a Journey. The mentor is self-exlanatory, it is a teacher or helper that aides the hero. In the transformation the hero undergoes a change by performing a heroic deed alone.

The Return has only one stage within it, the creation. The creation is the final stage and it is when the hero uses the wisdom and knowledge he acquired to create a better world or life for himself/herself. The hero can also use experiences he's gained from the journey to create a better world. In the Odyssey, Odysseus creates a better world for himself when he rids his home of all the suitors.

The Hero's Journey can be found anywhere in literature as well as in films. The Hero's Journey is the basis for any story and it is a useful tool in understanding a story. The Separation is the foundation of the story and it is the beginning of the Hero's Journey. The Initiation is the climbing action and the climax of the story. The Return is the conclusion, it wraps up a story and completes the Hero's Journey.