This has all the makings of a good paper, but it needs proofreading. Some of your wording is awkward and your are having some problems with punctuation, especially commas. There are also misspellings — make sure to run your papers through the spell check in Word. Lydia Fish
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A monomyth or the Hero’s journey is the basic pattern of narratives seen in many stories. Joseph Campbell described it in his book, “The Hero with a Thousand Faces.” He summarizes a monomyth as, “A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man.” It involves the departure, the initiation and the return. This pattern is evident in J. R. R. Tolkien’s trilogy, “The Lord of the Rings.”
The Hero’s journey starts with a call to action or either falls into it. In “The Lord of the Rings” Frodo has been given a ring by Bilbo which in turn forces him to take a journey to Rivendell. Here, he could have let others take the ring to the Cracks of Doom but instead, he takes it upon himself to destroy it. It is at the Council of Elrond where his main journey begins and he has fully accepted the ultimate challenge.
Once the task is accepted often times the hero is guided by an elderly protective figure and is often given something by the figure. In the novel Gandalf the Grey is there in the beginning of Frodo’s journey, it is he who gives Frodo the ring. He clearly shows an intimate sense of protection of Frodo and serves as his advisor and was the one to inform Frodo of the history of the ring. Later in the book, when the Fellowship is disbanded, Gandalf is not at Frodo’s side. Instead Sam is there to guide and protect. Sam proves one more of physical support for he feeds him and protects him since Frodo becomes drained from the burden of carrying the ring.
The next step is the first threshold. This obstacle tries to prevent the hero from entering the unfamiliar world from his original one. The scarecrow is a threshold guardian, if they step one step more they will be the farthest they have ever been from the Shire. The black riders can also be “threshold guardians” that hinder Frodo’s exiting of the Shire and journey to Rivendell. At Rivendell he creates and establishes his allies and enemies.
Gandalf also seems to go through a first threshold when he battles Sarumon. He goes to him for advice, for Saruman is like Gandalf’s elderly advisor just as Gandalf is advisor to Frodo. However, he realizes that Saruman has given into the powers of the ring. This threshold marks Gandalf’s journey to greater power and knowledge for he now does not have someone to guide him.
Once the first threshold is overcome, the hero begins the initiation of the journey. He comes across multiple trails and tribulations. These challenges are constant for Frodo and the whole of the fellowship. One such experience is the fall into the darkness. Gandalf experiences this when he is pulled down by the Balrog in the Mines or Moria. He is tested and emerges from the darkness as Gandalf the White, rather metaphoric for the triumph of good and evil. Whenever Frodo puts on the ring he is shrouded in darkness and shadowy figures. He must battle the temptation of the ring and surface out of the power of the wispy world. The decent into the dark is a test faced by many of the members of the Fellowship.
There is also a theme of water that often occurs. Often times the hero will be submerged in water and is pulled out of the negative powers of the abyss, often by a higher power. Such is the case in the Dead Marshes. Frodo is sucked into the watery graves of dead soldiers and is saved by Sam. This decent can be interpreted as a desire to die and give up by Frodo. Sam however, a character that represents hope, friendship and persistence comes to his rescue and in a subtle way tells Frodo that hope is not lost and that he will help him get through this.
Finally there is the return. Frodo needs help to return and the trip is not simple. It can be compared to the Magic Flight, which has happened other times in the book. This flight is a return that is faced with opposition. Frodo experiences a crossing of the return threshold. He returns to the shire and must accept it as reality. Frodo, though happy to be back does not feel completely happy and content in the Shire anymore. Compared to the rest of the Hobbits he has become a master of two worlds. He has seen more horrors then they have, though the Shire was affected by the ring. His unrest causes a feeling of separation and so he decides to leave his original world.
“The Lord of the Rings” follows fairly closely the Hero’s Journey. Though the hero is rather atypical for he is not one of great strength and is mostly just a ring bearer or almost a vessel for those who are protecting and caring for him as they jointly fight for the destruction of the ring.
Works Cited
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monomyth
Brittany Thrun ? October 02, 2008, at 09:28 AM
