I am truly impressed — this is extremely well thought out and beautifully written! Lydia Fish October 16, 2008, at 09:37 AM
1,228 words
Joseph Campbell was a historian whose passion in life was to discover the history and underlying causes for continuous and repetitive themes throughout myths in different cultures. He was particularly fascinated with hero myths, also given the name of monomyths, which was created and applied by Campbell and his fellow scholars. Campbell believes that recurrent myths of heroes are not necessarily influenced by past myths of heroes, but by psychological and spiritual forces that engrain these ideas in the minds of mankind. This is why the human culture sees so many repetitive themes following one lifetime after another all across the world. Stories such as the ring cycle, prominently famous within Tolkien’s ring trilogy, is a theme that has been exposed and used time and again throughout the ages. The theme that Campbell mainly studies includes that endless thrill for good versus evil, for a hero to rise up from the common man and to set off on an adventure or quest to face his or her fears. Heroes were symbols of honesty and truth. Campbell also noted that heroes tend to recognize the faults within themselves. This leads to heroes seeking out the genuineness and better-quality traits that lie underneath the surface to make up for their blindness. These themes that Campbell specializes in can be easily seen within Rowling’s Harry Potter series, as well as within Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings Trilogy.
Rowling’s Harry Potter series is one of the biggest followers of a genuine hero myth. The main character, Harry Potter, becomes a hero as an infant by miraculously stripping Voldemort, the villain and most powerful dark wizard of that age, of all of his strength and power, reducing Voldemort to barely nothing and almost to his death. As Harry grows up through the first six novels at Hogwarts, his wizarding school, and then goes out into the real world in the seventh and final novel, he follows all of the key components of the perfect hero. Harry finds many faults within himself as he often compares his abilities and characteristics to that of Voldemort’s. One of the climaxes of the series, and of monomyths in general, appears when Harry recognizes his faults as strengths, and starts searching for the truth within himself, as well as within Voldemort. Heroes will often believe that they are destined to become something from the very beginning and do not have the power within themselves to make the future any different. However, this is completely false, and the hero becomes a conqueror of himself, fear, and fate, when he or she realizes that there is always a choice to be made. One of the main points of the Harry Potter series that emphasizes this theme is when Harry is continuously told by the sorting hat, students, and other wizards, that he would have done well in the house of Slytherin at Hogwarts; the one of four houses at Hogwarts that turns out more dark wizards and witches than any other. Even though the sorting hat placed Harry within Gryffindor, the house reserved for those with courage, Harry often believed that there was a mistake and by some ill fate he was meant to be in Slytherin. What made Harry a great hero was the fact that he asked to be placed in Gryffindor. He didn’t want to turn out evil, or develop and use magic for dark and evil reasons. Harry made a choice, as heroes do, and chose the truth, as well as made a commitment to fight for the side of good in the world, and to help friends and others in need. While Harry was the main character in the series, Rowling also incorporated his friends and classmates as mild heroes as well, which created an even stronger narrative and connection with the reader because it sends out the message that anyone can become a hero, as long as you make honest choices with yourself.
A major similarity between Harry Potter and Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, is the character of Aragorn. Aragorn is the descendent of Isildur, a man who took the Ring of power from the hand of Sauron. When Isildur had the chance to destroy the Ring, he refused, and kept it to himself, ultimately leading to his downfall. Because his ancestor had been tempted and corrupted by the Ring, Aragorn feels that he will be corrupted as well, since the same blood flows in him. This greatly influences Aragorn to stay away from the world of Men and his place as King of Gondor. Instead of living in the life of royalty, he lived his life, somewhat secluded, as a Ranger and with the Elves. When Aragorn is finally presented with the task of protecting Frodo on his quest to destroy the Ring, he does everything in his power to do so. Aragorn finds that he is able to resist the Ring and its power, and turns away from it. By doing so, he is able to put the shadow of his ancestors behind him and he eventually takes up his place as King in the world of Men. While Aragorn is considered as one of the heroes in the trilogy, there are so many more points of view on the overall hero. These heroes range from Gandalf, to Frodo, to Sam, to Gollum, and many others as well. However, while speaking of the true monomyth hero, Aragorn would seem to be the best fit; having the greatest struggle throughout his entire life and during his many journeys. Not only because of the evil that the ring tries to bring out in every being, but mainly because the ring never presents itself with any evil hold over Aragorn. While Frodo and Gollum do have that internal struggle amongst themselves with the ring pulling them in one evil direction, and their innocence and conscience pulling them towards the light, a true hero has many other falsehoods to conquer, not just evil. For example, Aragorn not only has the fellowship to look after, but he is also troubled by the evil brought upon his ancestor Isildur, and he fears the destiny of becoming a king and he makes a choice to stay away from that path. Aragorn is also torn with his love for Arwen, the daughter of an elf-lord. Heroes were often given this difficult task of making the right choice, even if they felt like it was the wrong one.
It’s easy to see how one simple idea about an ideal hero can be reused over and over again. Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter are only two examples of these successful narratives. Considering how widely different and similar they can be to one another, only shows how essential this theme is in association with mankind. Joseph Campbell was able to decipher the reasons for monomyths that continually appear throughout history, and he most likely made new discoveries on the subject every day. While there are more than enough monomyths diffused throughout the entire world, the most successful hero stories are the ones that the audience can connect with, remember for a lifetime, and are passed down from generation to generation. Whether conveyed through word of mouth, on paper, on film, or any other form of communication, these timeless acts of heroism will continue to circulate and will be reinvented forever.
Lauren Brych? September 30, 2008, at 09:29 PM
