Excellent essay! Good point about “unlikely heroes”! Lydia Fish October 16, 2008, at 09:44 AM
Word Count 835
Joseph Campbell was a well educated scholar who distinguished himself by collecting and analyzing myths from around the world. He was especially observant of universal constancies from geographically diverse stories and began to categorize them by age and content. Noting their progression Campbell grouped them into four sections: The Way of the Animal Powers, Seeded Earth (mother nature), Celestial Lights (gods and goddesses), and The Way of Man (emphasizing individual journeys and human spirituality). The Way of Man focuses specifically on hero figures, and Joseph Campbell, through his life’s work (which was also his passion), creates a descriptive clarification of what makes any narrative work a myth and any character into a “hero”. “A hero,” says Campbell in the opening of his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces, “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 men.” Several literary icons have created works which exemplify Campbell’s ideal “classic journey of a hero.” One such literary figure, J.R.R. Tolkien, shared Campbell’s passion for folklore. Tolkien’s work in particular follows Campbell’s format not only in the main plot, but also in the journeys of individual characters.
J.R.R. Tolkien’s literature is unique in that it presents the most unlikely characters as heroes and emphasizes these more than the other more classicly hero-esque side characters. In the novels The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings both Bilbo and Frodo become the unlikely protagonist figureheads while entities Gandalf, Theoden, and Aragorn, all heroic, are put on the back burner. Within the text of The Return of the King, Aragorn the true king of Gondor follows the path of a hero exactly when he must go and summon the army that lies under the Haunted Mountain, Dwimorberg, in order to save mankind from the threat of Sauron. Though unwilling at first to assume his rights as as Isildur’s heir, Aragorn is eventually coerced by Elrond into taking the Dimholt path to the dwelling of the Dead Men of Dunharrow. As he progresses deeper into the valley Aragorn gains the ability to physically feel the evil that permeates the area and questions whether or not the tainted blood of his forefathers will lead him to his doom Upon arrival at the portal into the mountain he must cross the threshold into a place where no man shall trespass save the true king. Aragorn is not cordially greeted by a the cursed shadow host and must prove that he is the man worthy of their audience. After being tested by the Leader of the Shadow Host, Aragorn escapes the force of the mountain and gains the allegiance of the dead. The host leads Aragorn to a decisive victory in battle and he in turn relieves them from their duty. In light of all this, the trials and tribulations of Frodo are still more prominent in the readers mind than Aragorn’s.
Campbell, having constructed a format for the path of a hero, elaborates on specific events that commonly occur in traditional adventure tales. For example there is the encountering of a protective figure (often elderly) who provides special tools/advice for the adventure ahead. Another common theme, in the words of Campbell, is when “The hero is challenged to survive a succession of obstacles and, in so doing, amplifies his consciousness. The hero is helped covertly by the supernatural helper or may discover a benign power supporting him in his passage.” These two elements can be found in both Tolkien’s literature of Middle Earth and J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Gandalf the Gray from the very beginning acts as a guardian/mentor for both Bilbo and Frodo. Likewise, Harry Potter is well looked after by the Headmaster of Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore. Acting in accordance with Campbell’s statement Harry, in order to thwart Lord Voldermort in the end of the first book, must use what he has learned during his brief schooling at Hogwarts to pass the many challenges used to seal the Sorcerer’s Stone. On the way his comrades Hermoine and Ron assist him to the best of their ability in the trials. In the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Frodo must transport the Ring of Power across Middle Earth in order to destroy it in the fires of Mt. Doom. Whenever it appears that Frodo is unable to complete the task he is rescued by the magical elves or his gardener Sam. In truth both characters from the two series would have failed without their helpers.
Joseph Campbell’s expansive knowledge of myths allows us to look upon the fantasy genre of literature, specifically the works of J.K. Rowling and J.R.R. Tolkien, in a methodical way. Campbell’s organization of mythological and adventure stories enables the reader to better understand the dynamics of the “hero” and the choices made by the authors in portraying them.
