The final stage of the Hero’s Journey, according to Vogler, is the returned of the hero to the Ordinary World. The hero returns bringing an Elixir or a lesson they have learned throughout their adventure. Dorothy wakes in her bed, back in Kansas, and feels as if she has become a different girl then who she was when she had left. She returns from her journey with the self-confidence in who she is. She also brings home the lesson of “there is no place like home”, for she has learned that however far over the rainbow she goes, she will always wish for the comfort and love she receives from her family. “no place like home — there’s no place like home — no place — … Dorothy. Dorothy, dear. It’s Aunt Em, darling. … Oh, Auntie Em — it’s you! … Yes, darling. … She got quite a bump on the head — we kinda thought there for a minute she was going to leave us. … But I did leave you, Uncle Henry — that’s just the trouble. And I tried to get back for days and days. … There, there, lie quiet now. You just had a bad dream. … No, Aunt Em — this was a real, truly live place. And I remember that some of it wasn’t very nice…. but most of it was beautiful. But just the same, all I kept saying to everybody was, I want to go home. And they sent me home. Oh, but anyway, Toto, we’re home! Home! And this is my room — and you’re all here! And I’m not going to leave here ever, ever again, because I love you all! And — Oh, Auntie Em — there’s no place like home! (2:15:26-2:16:06, Wizard of Oz).”
Compared to the story of Beowulf, the hero returns to Geatland, the Ordinary World to the hero, with the Elixir, or rewards. “Then the earls’ defender furnished the hero with twelve treasures and told him to set out, sail with those gifts safely home to the people he loved, but to return promptly. And so the good and grey-haired Dane, that high-born king, kissed Beowulf and embraced his neck, then broke down in sudden tears. Two forebodings disturbed him in his wisdom, but one was stronger: nevermore would they meet each other face to face. And such was his affection that he could not help being overcome: his fondness for the man was so deep founded, it warmed his heart and wound the heartstrings tight in his breast. The embrace ended and Beowulf, glorious in his gold regalia, stepped the green earth. Straining at anchor and ready for boarding, his boat awaited him. So they went on their journey, and Hrothgar’s generosity was praised repeatedly, (Heaney 1876- 1886).” The scene above not only supports Vogler’s idea of Returning with the Elixir, but also Meeting with the Mentor. The emotion between Hrothgar and Beowulf represent the bond represented between a parent in a child, as Vogler had stated previously.
According to Christopher Vogler, the hero of a story, takes twelve different steps to set the story forward, The twelve steps written out by Vogler are The Ordinary World, the Call to the Adventure the Refusal of the Call, Meeting with the Mentor, Crossing the Threshold, Tests, Allies, Enemies, Approach to the Inmost Cave, the Ordeal, the Reward, The Road Back, Resurrection, and the Return with the Elixir. The twelve steps of the “Hero’s Journey” are taken in the film The Wizard of Oz, and in the story Beowulf. As the different hero’s make their way through their “Special World”, they encounter people and challenges that cause the story to drive itself. For example, the Ordeal leaves the audience thinking and in suspense. The phases of the Hero’s Journey push the story in the direction the author wishes for it to move.
After surviving the phase of the Ordeal, the hero receives a Reward. According to the writings of Vogler, the reward represents either a symbol of their survival or a physical trophy. Dorothy is rewarded with knowledge and the trophy of the Witch’s broomstick. Dorothy’s knowledge is represented through the Wicked Witch’s death. She returns from the Wicked Witch’s castle with the old woman’s broomstick in hand. She expects that the Wizard of Oz, as promised, will send her home to Kansas. “Can I believe my eyes? Why, have you come back? …Please, sir. We’ve done what you told us. We’ve brought you the broomstick of the Wicked Witch of the West. We melted her. … Oh …you liquidated her, eh? Very… resourceful! … Yes, sir. So we’d like you to keep your promise to us, if you please, sir, (1:57:02-1:59:16, Wizard of Oz).”
As Vogler wrote, the reward may be represented as a physical trophy and a symbol. In Dorothy’s case, the reward is represented as both the physical trophy of the Witch’s broomstick and the symbol of the knowledge of the Witch’s death. In his writings, Vogler had stated that the hero’s reward may be a physical trophy or even the act of learning a lesson. In the story of Beowulf, the hero’s reward consists of the claw of the slayed ogre-demon, Grendel, and gifts and tools for a Warlord. “.. as the hall-thanes eyed the awful proof of the hero’s prowess, the splayed hand up under the eaves. Every nail, claw-scale and spur, every spike and welt o the hand of the heathen brute was like barbed steel. Everybody said there was no honed iron hard enough to pierce him through, no time-proofed blade that could cute his brutal, blood-caked claw, (Haney 979-989).” Hrothgar gifted Beowulf with an embroidered banner, breast-mail, a sword, and a helmet with an “embossed ridge”. Other gifts that were present to the hero are eight fine horses, a saddle with a “sumptuous design”, and the price, in gold, for the Geat who was killed in the battle with Grendel, (1019-1047).
The Road Back
According to Christopher Vogler’s writings on the Hero’s Journey, The Road Back is when the hero “begins to deal with the consequences of confronting the dark forces of the Ordeal.” The Road Back acts as a point in the story, is where the hero realizes they must return to the Ordinary World and leave the Special World behind. The Wizard gives the Scarecrow, the Lion, and the Tin Man their Rewards: the degree, the medal for valor, and the ticking heart. However, when it is time for Dorothy to finally be able to travel home to Kansas in the basket of a balloon, Toto jumps out of Dorothy’s arms to chase a cat. Dorothy runs after the meager terrier, and the balloon rises out of reach, taking the Wizard away with it.
Dorothy’s first effort on the Road Back is met with failure, however, Glinda, the Good Witch of the North, appears to aid and show Dorothy the way home. “Come back! Oh, don’t go without me! I’ll be right back! Toto! … This is a highly irregular procedure! This is absolutely unprecedented! … Oh! Come back! Don’t go without me! Please come back…I can’t come back! I don’t know how it works…Oh, now I’ll never get home! …Oh, that’s very kind of you — but this could never be like Kansas. Auntie Em must have stopped wondering what happened to me by now. Oh, Scarecrow, what am I going to do? Oh, will you help me? Can you help me? …You don’t need to be helped any longer. You’ve always had the power to go back to Kansas, (2:02:26-2:03:48, Wizard of Oz).”
Vogler had written of the Road Back being the point in the story where the hero realizes that they belong back in the Ordinary world, rather than the vibrant, “Special World”. In this scene, Dorothy comes to realize that she would rather be back in bleak, boring Kansas and with the people she loves, then in a world she isn’t used to. In the story of Beowulf, the phase of The Road Back, represents the hero confronting the consequences of the Ordeal. In the case of Beowulf, the hero fights Grendel’s Mother, once she attacks Heorot after Grendel was killed. Beowulf makes a speech to the Danes, stating he will get revenge against the murder of Aeschere, King Hrothgar’s advisor, and he also tells the King to step up and lead his people as the king he is, not as someone who grieves at the wrong time. “Wise sir do not grieve. It is always better to avenge dear ones than to indulge in mourning. heroic code that For every one of us, living in this world means waiting for our end. Let whoever can win glory before death. When a warrior is gone, that will be his best and only bulwark. So arise, my lord, and let us immediately set forth on the trail of this troll-dam. I guarantee you: she will not get away, not to dens underground nor upland groves nor the ocean floor. She’ll have nowhere to flee to. Endure your troubles to-day. Bear up and be the man I expect you to be, (Heaney 1384-196).”
Resurrection
According to the writings of Vogler, the resurrection phase of the Hero’s Journey acts as a “final exam” for the hero. The hero is tested to see whether or not they have fully learned from the Ordeal. Dorothy is resurrected when she finds, courtesy of her mentor, Glinda, The Good Witch of the North, that she had the ability to return home since the magic slippers appeared on her feet. Glinda explains that Dorothy needed to learn the lessons of her Journey before she was able to receive her full reward. Dorothy comes to realize to get her Reward, she must believe in her herself as well as her ability to carry out different adventures in the world she is in. “Because she wouldn’t have believed me. She had to learn it for herself. … What have you learned, Dorothy? … Well, I — I think that it — that it wasn’t enough just to want to see Uncle Henry and Auntie Em — and it’s that – if I ever go looking for my heart’s desire again, I won’t look any further than my own backyard. Because if it isn’t there, I never really lost it to begin with! Is that right? … That’s all it is! … No. She had to find it out for herself. Now, those magic slippers will take you home in two seconds! (2:10:00-2:12:03, Wizard of Oz).”
Dorothy’s “final exam” had been to think back on what she and learned throughout her journey. As Vogler states, the Resurrection phase of the Hero’s Journey, portrays the responding to the new threat that was introduced in the Road Back. For Beowulf, he pledges to kill Grendel’s mother, or to die trying, as he had towards the beginning of the story. (1473 – 1491). “Then he saw a blade that boded well, Beowulf discovers a sword in her armory, an ancient heirloom slays his opponent from the days of the giants, an ideal weapon, one that any warrior would envy, but so huge and heavy of itself only Beowulf could wield it in a battle. So the Shielding’s’ hero, hard-pressed and enraged, took a firm hold of the hilt and swung the blade in an arc, a resolute blow that bit deep into her neck-bone and severed it entirely, toppling the doomed house of her flesh; she fell to the floor. The sword dripped blood, the swordsman was elated, (1557 – 1569).”
The phase of Tests, Allies, and Enemies, according to Vogler, sets the hero up to encounter challenges and to learn the “rules” of the “special world”. The idea of the Test, Allies, and Enemies allows for the character to develop and test the protagonist; tests the “hero” in them. Dorothy is tested throughout her journey to Oz, to prove her dedication and commitment to finding her way home. Dorothy is able to face the presented tests with allies she has gained while following the Yellow Brick Road. Dorothy’s allies include the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion. As the story unfolds, Miss Gulch, Dorothy’s neighbor from Kansas, and the Wicked Witch of the West serve as Dorothy’s enemies. “Here’s what I’m taking him [Toto] in so he can’t attack me again, (9:17-9:20, Wizard of Oz).” Miss Gulch tests Dorothy and develops her sense of how to achieve her dream to be somewhere “over the rainbow.” “Very well — I’ll bide my time and as for you, my fine lady, it’s true, I can’t attend to you here and now as I’d like, but just try to stay out of my way…. just try! I’ll get you, my pretty, and your little dog, too! (34:28-34:33, Wizard of Oz).” The Wicked Witch threatens Dorothy with future challenges and problems that will happen if Dorothy were to get in the Witch’s way.
According to Vogler, the hero meets people in the “Special World”, and the people he meets befriend him or they challenge him. In the Wizard of Oz, Dorothy gained the friendships of the Scarecrow, the Lion, the Tin Man, and Glinda and the Wicked Witch of the West tests and challenges her. In Beowulf, he meets different Danes and creatures who challenge and befriend him. “Unferth, a son of Ecglafs, spoke contrary words. Beowulf’s coming, his sea-braving, made him sick with envy: he could not brook or abide the fact that anyone else alive under heaven might enjoy greater regard than he did: “Are you the Beowulf who took on Breca in a swimming match on the open sea, contest risking the water just to prove that you could win? It was sheer vanity made you venture out on the main deep. And no matter who tried, friend or foe, to deflect the pair of you, neither would back down: the sea-test obsessed you. You waded in, embracing water, taking its measure, mastering currents, riding on the swell. The ocean swayed, winter went wild in the waves, but you vied for seven nights; and then he outswam you, came ashore the stronger contender. He was cast up safe and sound one morning among the Heathoreams, then made his way to where he belonged in Bronding country, home again, sure of his ground in strongroom and bawn. So Breca made good his boast upon you and was proved right. No matter, therefore, how you may have fared in every bout and battle until now, his time you’ll be worsted; no one has ever outlasted an entire night against Grendel, (Heaney 500-528).”
Beowulf, then defends himself from Unferth’s challenge by saying Unferth is a drunk. Beowulf speaks of Breca as friends, “”Well, friend Unferth, you have had your say about Breca and me. But it was mostly beer that was doing the talking, (530-533).” Beowulf compliments Breca in his refute, saying that Breca was a good swimmer, but Beowulf was better, and he was the one held up by killing nine sea monsters. Beowulf tells Unferth at the end that, he would have been able to kill Grendel, if he was any good, (530- 606).
Approach to the Inmost Cave
The inmost Cave represents the “dangerous place” in the story’s setting. According to Vogler, this is where the hero crosses the second most major “threshold” in their adventure. For Dorothy, the approach to the inmost cave occurs in the Witch’s castle where she is forced to choose between giving up her magic slippers and Toto, whom the Witch has threatened to drown if Dorothy doesn’t relinquish the slippers. If the Witch gets the slippers, she will become the most powerful force in Oz, and Dorothy will have lost the ability to return home. “That’s the castle of the Wicked Witch! Dorothy’s in that awful place! (1:31:11-1:31:19, Wizard of Oz).” “I — I’m here in Oz, Auntie Em. I’m locked up in the Witch’s castle and I’m trying to get home to you, Auntie Em! (1:38:02-1:38:50, Wizard of Oz).” According to Vogler, the “dangerous place” in the Wizard of Oz, is the “awful place” of the Witch’s Castle.
However, in Beowulf, Vogler’s “dangerous place” is considered is Heorot during the battle with Grendel. Heaney uses the phase in the Hero’s Journey, The Approach to the Inmost Cave, as a way to make the enemy, in this case Grendel, aware of the Hero’s presence in the story. “Then out of the night came the shadow-stalker, stealth and swift; the hall-guards were slack, asleep at their posts, all except one; it was widely understood that as long as God disallowed it, the fiend could not bear them to his shadow-bourne. One man, however, was in fighting mood, awake and on edge, spoiling for action. In off the moors, down through the mist bands Grendel strikes God-cursed Grendel came greedily loping. The bane of the race of men roamed forth, hunting for a prey in the high hall. Under the cloud-murk he moved towards it until it shone above him, a sheer keep of fortified gold. Nor was that the first time he had scouted the grounds of Hrothgar’s dwelling although never in his life, before or since, did he find harder fortune or hall-defenders. Spurned and joyless, he journeyed on ahead and arrived at the bawn. The iron-braced door turned on its hinge when his hands touched it Then his rage boiled over, he ripped open the mouth off the building, maddening for blood pacing the length of the patterned floor with his loathsome read, while a baleful light, flame more than light, flared from his eyes. He saw many men in the mansion, sleeping, a ranked company of kinsmen and warriors quartered together. And his glee was demonic, picturing the mayhem: before morning he would rip life from limb and devour them, feed on their flesh; but his fate that night was due to change, his days of ravening had come to an end, (703-735).”
Ordeal
The next phase of the Hero’s Journey is the Ordeal, the moment in the story where the hero faces their “greatest fear” and the audience feels a moment of “suspense and tension”, wondering what will happen to the hero. When the Witch torches the Scarecrow and his straw starts to burn, Dorothy cannot stop herself from protecting her new profound ally. She grabs a bucket of water and douses the fire, accidentally wetting the Wicked Witch, who begins to melt into a puddle on the floor, killing her. “Help! I’m burning! I’m burning! I’m burning! Help! Help! Help! (1:47:56-1:48:59, Wizard of Oz).” Dorothy throws a bucket of water on the scarecrow, however, the water splashes on the Witch as well. As the water hits her, the Witch begins to scream, “Ohhh — you cursed brat! Look what you’ve done! I’m melting! Melting! Oh — what a world — what a world! Who would have thought a good little girl like you could destroy my beautiful wickedness!? Ohhh! Look out! Look out! I’m going. Ohhhh! Ohhhhhh…. (1:51:26-1:52:59, Wizard of Oz).” The Witch’s voice fade, leaving behind her cloak and hat laid on the floor.
Dorothy leaves the audience in full suspense as the bucket of water is picked up and then thrown over the Scarecrow. The audience is left to wonder if the witch will live and if the guards and minions of the Witch will hurt Dorothy and her allies. The suspense left to the audience represents the idea of Vogler’s theory on the Ordeal of a Hero’s Journey. In the Ordeal, the hero confronts the challenge and leaves the audience with a sense of “tension and suspension”.
In the story of Beowulf, the hero, Beowulf, confronts Grendel and fights him using only their bare hands. “Venturing closer, his talon was raised to attack Beowulf where he lay on the bed; he was bearing in with open claw when the alert hero’s comeback and armlock forestalled him utterly. The captain of evil discovered himself in a handgrip harder than anything he had ever encountered in any man on the face of the earth. Every bone in his body quailed and recoiled, but he could not escape. He was desperate to flee to his den and hide with the devil’s litter, for in all his days he had never been clamped or cornered like this. Then Hygelac’s trusty retainer recalled his bedtime speech, sprang to his feet and got a firm hold. Fingers were bursting, the monster back-tracking, the man overpowering. The dread of the land was desperate to escape, to take a roundabout road and flee to his lair in the fens. The latching power in his fingers weakened; it was the worst trip the terror-monger had taken to Heorot. And now the timbers trembled and sang, a hall-session that harrowed every Dane inside the stockade: stumbling in fury, the two contenders crashed through the building. The hall clattered and hammered, but somehow survived the onslaught and kept standing it was handsomely structured, a sturdy frame braced with the best of blacksmith’s work inside and out. The story goes that as the pair struggled, mead-benches were smashed and sprung off the floor, gold fittings and all. Before then, no Shielding elder would believe there was any power or person upon earth capable of wrecking their horn-rigged hall unless the burning embrace of a fire engulf it in flame. Then an extraordinary wail arose, and bewildering fear came over the Danes. Everyone felt it who heard that cry as it echoed off the wall, a God-cursed scream and strain of catastrophe, the howl of the loser, the lament of the hell-serf keening his wound. He was overwhelmed, manacled tight by the man who of all men was foremost and strongest in the days of this life. it But the earl-troop’s leader was not inclined to allow his caller to depart alive: the did not consider that life of much account to anyone anywhere. Time and again, Beowulf’s warriors worked to defend their lord’s life, laying about them as best they could with their ancestral blades. Stalwart in action, they kept striking out on every side, seeking to cut straight to the soul. When they joined the struggle there was something they could not have known at the time, that no blade on earth, no blacksmith’s art could ever damage their demon opponent. He had conjured the harm from the cutting edge of every weapon. But his going away out of this world and the days of his life would be agony to him, and his alien spirit would travel far into fiends’ keeping, (Heaney 710-807).”
The next phase in the “Hero’s Journey”, is the Meeting with the Mentor. According to the writings of Vogler, the mentor represents the relationship and acts as a bond similar to a “parent and child, teacher and student, doctor and patient, god and man.” Vogler continues to circle around the idea that the purpose of the mentor is to prepare the hero and to give the hero a “swift kick” to get the hero on the right track.
As Dorothy arrives in Oz, she encounters the Good Witch of the North, Glinda. Glinda arrives believing that Dorothy is the “new witch” the munchkins have spoken of. As Dorothy and the witch talk of their surroundings, they form a friendship bond. Glinda introduces the idea of Dorothy being the hero of the story, for she had killed the wicked witch. “The Munchkins are happy because you have freed them from the Wicked Witch of the East, (26:27-26:31, Wizard of Oz).” The witch gives Dorothy the “red slippers” and tells her of the steps she must take to get home, back to Kansas. “The only person who might know would be the great and wonderful Wizard of Oz himself! It’s always best to start at the beginning and all you do is follow the Yellow Brick Road, (35:10-35:16, Wizard of Oz).”
Throughout the story, Glinda continues to appear to aid Dorothy and her added campaigns. When Dorothy is put under a sleeping spell from poppies, Glinda, the Good Witch of the North, reverses the spell to allow Dorothy to complete her adventure to Oz. Glinda also arrives at the end of the quest to tell Dorothy of how she is able to get home, after the Wizard left without her. According to Vogler, the mentor provides knowledge, tools, and the adventure itself to the hero, and the mentor is typically older than the hero with a connection to them. Dorothy’s mentor, Glinda, is portrayed as older, however, they meet at the beginning of the film.
In the story of Beowulf, Beowulf’s mentor is portrayed as King Hrothgar and their connection dates to Beowulf’s father. “Hrothgar, the helmet of Shieldings, spoke: ‘Beowulf, my friend, you have travelled here to favour us with help and to fight for us. There was a feud one time, begun by your father. With his own hands he had killed Heatholaf, who was a Wulfing; so war was looming and his people, in fear of it, forced him to leave. He came away then over rolling waves to the South-Danes here, the sons of honour. I was then in the first flush of kingship, establishing my sway over all the rich strongholds of this heroic land. Heorogar, my older brother and the better man, also a son of Halfdane’s, had died. Finally I healed the feud by paying I shipped a treasure-trove to the Wulfings and Ecgtheow acknowledged me with oaths of allegiance, (Heaney 456-473).”
Beowulf’s connection to Hrothgar exists to repay Hrothgar for his father; Hrothgar paid off Ecgtheow’s enemies, however, he had died before repaying Hrothgar. Beowulf arrives in Daneland already knowing what his adventure is to be. However, Hrothgar gives Beowulf his blessing of fighting Grendel and restates Beowulf’s “purpose” in Daneland. “’Greetings to Hrothgar. I am Hygelac’s kinsman, one of his hall-troop. When I was younger, I had great triumphs. Then the news of Grendel, hard to ignore, reached me at home: sailors brought stories of the plight you suffer in this legendary hall, how it lies deserted, empty and useless once the evening light hides itself under heaven’s dome. So every elder and experienced councilman among my people supported my resolve to come here to you, King Hrothgar, because all knew of my awesome strength.’ … ‘It bothers me to have to burden anyone with all the grief Grendel has caused and the havoc he has wrecked upon us in Heorot, our humiliations. … Now take your place at the table, relish the triumph of heroes to your heart’s content, (Heaney 407- 490).”
Crossing the First Threshold
According to Christopher Vogler’s idea of the phases of a Hero’s Journey, a hero is to cross a “threshold”. Crossing the threshold represents the hero fully committing to the adventure and facing the consequences of what lies ahead in the “special world”. Vogler describes this moment as “when the story takes off and the adventure really gets going.”
The threshold, in the film The Wizard of Oz, is represented as the land Oz. Dorothy “crosses” the territory using the Yellow Brick Road, which the munchkins and Glinda, the Good Witch of the North, told her to follow. “It’s always best to start at the beginning –and all you do is follow the Yellow Brick Road. …Follow the Yellow Brick Road. Follow the Yellow Brick Road. Follow, follow, follow, follow, follow the Yellow Brick Road. Follow the Yellow Brick. Follow the Yellow Brick Follow the Yellow Brick Road. You’re off to see the Wizard, the Wonderful Wizard of Oz. You’ll find he is a whiz of a Wiz If ever a Wiz there was. If ever oh ever a Wiz there was. The Wizard of Oz is one because, because, because, because, because, because…because of the wonderful things he does, (35:48-37:00, Wizard of Oz).”
According to Vogler, crossing the threshold represents the hero’s full commitment to the adventure. Dorothy shows her full commitment to their adventure by following the Yellow Brick Road. The road leads Dorothy through the “threshold” of Oz.
In the story of Beowulf, Crossing the Threshold relates to Vogler’s idea of the hero’s full commitment to the adventure. Beowulf expresses his full commitment through a speech to King Hrothgar. In his speech, Beowulf tells of how he will fight Grendel and how him and his men with only use their bare hands. “’Now I mean to be a match for Grendel, settle the outcome in single combat. … I have heard moreover that the that the monster scorns in his reckless way to use weapons; therefore, to heighten Hygelac’s fame and gladden his heart, I hereby renounce sword and the shelter of the broad shield, the heavy war-bound: hand-to-hand is how it will be, a life-and-death fight with the fiend. Whichever one death fells must deem it a judgement by God. If Grendel wins, it will be a gruesome day; he will glut himself on the Geats in the war-hall. Swoop without fear on the flower of manhood as on others before. Then my face won’t be there to be covered in death: he will carry me away as he goes to ground, gorged and bloodied; he will run gloating with my raw corpse and feed on it alone, in a cruel frenzy, fouling his moor-nest. No need then to lament for long or lay out my body: if the battle takes me, send back this breast-webbing that Weland fashioned and Hrethel gave me, to Lord Hygelac. Fate goes ever as fate must,’ (Heaney 425-455).”
Throughout a story, a hero is outlined. The term hero may usually be classified as someone who sacrifices themselves for the good of others, someone who saves the day, or even someone audacious. However, Christopher Vogler, writer of The Hero’s Journey, classifies a hero as someone who performs an act of self-sacrifice.
Throughout a hero’s journey, the hero encounters a numerous amount of archetypes that impact and effect the course of the story. The hero will rendezvous a character who represents the “dark side”. The antagonist projects onto the audience as a villain or an enemy, representing the archetype of a shadow. According to the writings of Vogler, the shadow “are usually dedicated to the death, destruction, or defeat of the hero.” The hero of the story will also encounter a character whose personality and characteristics don’t match the idea of “gender specific qualities”. Vogler and Carl Jung discovered the psychological purpose of the shapeshifter archetype. The character expresses the energy of either their anima or their animus, depending on whether the character is male or female. The psychological terms anima and animus are described as the female aspect in the male unconscious, or the male aspect in the female unconscious.
The film, The Wizard of Oz, shows the different archetypes described in the Vogler writings, and the protagonist, known as Dorothy, follows the course of “The Hero’s Journey.”
Ordinary World
The first stage of Vogler’s “Hero’s Journey” is the Ordinary World, the phase in which the protagonist goes through normality. Dorothy’s “ordinary world”, in the Wizard of Oz film, is Kansas, where she lives with her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry. Kansas is shown as black-and-white to establish vivid contrast to the distinctively colorful world in which Dorothy is propelled into. The screenwriters, Edgar Allen Woolf, Noel Langley, and Florence Ryerson, show Kansas as bleak and dismal, showing the constant work that is done to the farm. Compared to Kansas’s bleak ambience, the world of Oz is shown full of vivid, blinding colors and creatures that wouldn’t be in Dorothy’s ordinary world.
As the film commences, Dorothy is introduced by the screenwriters, with a song of a world full of color and excitement, for which she longs for, instead of the depicted black-and-white world. “Someplace where there isn’t any trouble…do you suppose there is such a place, Toto? There must be. It’s not a place you can get to by boat or train. It’s far, far away… behind the moon… beyond the rain. Somewhere, over the rainbow, way up high, there’s a land that I heard of once in a lullaby. Somewhere, over the rainbow, skies are blue, and the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true. Someday I’ll wish upon a star, and wake up where the clouds are far, behind me, where troubles melt like lemon drops, away above the chimney tops, that’s where you’ll find me, (6:05 -6:10).”
According to the writings of Vogler, the Ordinary World is used by the writers to introduce the story’s hero and to create a “vivid contrast with the strange new world” in which the hero comes into. In the text of Beowulf, the author uses the Vogler’s Ordinary World as an introduction of the hero as well as the idea of the world known before tragedy and problems occur. “The leader of the troop unlocked his word-hoard; the distinguished one delivered his answer: ‘we belong to the birth of the Geat people and owe allegiance to Lord Hygelac. In his day, my father was a famous man, a noble warrior-lord named Ecgtheow. …’ The man whose name was known for Courage, The Geat leader, resolute in his helmet, answered in return: ‘We are retainers from Hygelac’s band. Beowulf is my name. If your lord and master, the most renowned son of Halfdane, will hear me out and graciously allow me to greet him in person, I am ready and willing to report my errand.’ (Heaney 258-285 and 340-347)”
Between the author of Beowulf and the screenwriters of The Wizard of Oz, each story uses Vogler’s idea of Ordinary World to introduce the hero. The screenwriters of The Wizard of Oz show the Ordinary World as Kansas, a bleak, dismal setting to contrast with the future, vibrant world. Dorothy is then introduced in the bleak Ordinary World; she wishes of a world of more color to replace the dismal of her “ordinary”. The author of Beowulf show the Ordinary World as a time before trouble. Beowulf is then introduced as a problem arises in the “ordinary world”.
Call to Adventure
The next phase of Vogler’s “The Hero’s Journey,” is the Call to Adventure. Vogler outlines the Call to Adventure as a situation in which the hero is presented with a problem or an adventure to undertake, where they “no longer remain indefinitely in the comfort of the Ordinary World.” In the film, The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy’s neighbor Ms. Gulch, portrayed by Margret Hamilton, strikes Dorothy’s dog, Toto, with the back of a rake, causing the meager terrier to bite the woman. Miss. Gulch arrives later with an order to seize Toto and send to the sheriff’s office to be euthanized. Toto is placed in a basket on the back of Miss. Gulch’s bicycle, allowing an easy, unnoticed escape. Toto returns to Dorothy; however, Dorothy becomes fearful of Miss. Gulch’s return and decides to run away from home. “Toto! Oh, they’ll be coming back for you in a minute. We’ve got to get away! We’ve got to run away — quick! (11:25-11:39).” Wizard of Oz) Dorothy is presented with the adventure of traveling “over the rainbow” in which she had wished for in the beginning of the film.
According to the writing of Vogler, after the protagonist is presented with the Call to Adventure, they are no longer able to remain in the “comfort” of their normal world. “So, after nightfall, Grendel set out for the lofty house, to see how the Ring-Danes were settling into it after their drink, and their he came upon them, a company of the best asleep from their feasting, insensible to pain and human sorrow. Suddenly then the God-cursed brute was creating havoc: greedy and grim, he grabbed thirty men from their resting places and rushed to his lair, flushed up and inflamed from the raid, blundering back with the butchered corpses. (Heaney 115-125).”
Refusal to the Call
Dorothy comes to encounter a nomadic fortune teller, known as Professor Marvel. The professor is able to easily notice that Dorothy has run from home and decides to tell her a fake fortune to persuade her to return home. “Well I, uh, I can’t quite see. Why, she’s crying. Someone has hurt her. Someone has just about broken her heart. …Well, it’s uh, someone she loves very much. Someone she’s been very kind to. Someone she’s taken care of in sickness. … Well, she’s, uh…What’s this? Well, she’s, she’s putting her hand on her heart. Oh, she’s, she’s dropping down on the bed. (14:36-15:11)” Dorothy comes to believe the professor and returns home in hopes of being forgiven by Aunt Em for breaking her heart. “Oh, no, no, I have to get to her right-away! Come on, Toto! Oh, what’ll I do? If we go home, they’ll send you to the Sheriff. And if we don’t, Aunt Em may well, she may die! I know what I’ll do -I’ll give you to Hunk. He’ll watch out for you. But we’ve got to hurry. Goodbye, Professor Marvel — and thanks a lot! (15:17-15:31, Wizard of Oz)”
The phase of Refusing the Call, according to Vogler, expresses hesitation and reluctance to the presented adventure. The protagonist has not become fully committed to the adventure and reconsiders due to fears and other unknown terrors. Vogler indicates of the influence needed to persuade the hero to fully commit to their presented adventure. Professor Marvel, in the film The Wizard of Oz, acts as a force that places the fear of losing Aunt Em in Dorothy. Dorothy’s fear for Aunt Em overpowers the excitement of adventure and traveling somewhere “over the rainbow”.
The author of Beowulf describes him as a man of honor and bravery, “… a thane, they declared with the strength of thirty in the grip of each hand, (Heaney 380-381).” Beowulf is comes to be known as a man like no other; “There was no one else like him alive. In his day, he was the mightiest on earth, highborn and powerful, (196-198).” When Beowulf presents himself to King Hrothgar, he presents himself by saying “I am Hygelac’s kinsman, one of his hall-troop. When I was younger, I had great triumphs… [My kinsman] seen me bolstered in the blood of enemies when I battled and bound five beasts, raided a troll-nest and in the night-sea slaughtered sea-brutes. I have suffered extremes and avenged the Geats (their enemies brought it upon themselves: I devastated them). Now I mean to be a match for Grendel, (407-409 and 419-425).” Beowulf proves himself to be a man who does not “refuse” any sort of battle or “adventure”. In the case of Beowulf, there is no Refusal to the Call according to the writings of Vogler.
Thanos, the adversary, or antagonist, of the Marvel movies, was born from the planet Titan, which eventually died from overpopulation. Thanos had been exiled and labeled The Mad Titan for his relentless solution to overpopulation: to eradicate half of the population, without prejudice and at random. In the movies Infinity War and Endgame, Thanos goes in search for the six infinity stones, which will allow him to eliminate half of every planets’ population.
Thanos had been exiled from his planet for his idea to depopulate his planet. He believed that his planet was in danger of eventually dying from overpopulation, so he came up with the solution of eliminating half of the population, randomly. After his exile, Thanos believed the universe to be in danger of overpopulation. The intention to “save the universe”, Thanos set out to depopulate planets in the universe, and who ever got in his way, he destroyed. Different emotions, whether hidden or denied, may grow into something unstoppable and psychotic, according to the writings of Vogler. Throughout the movies involving the Titan, Thanos grows rash and intent on not stopping until the “universe is saved”. He won’t let anyone, or anything get in his way. If they do, he kills them. Thanos’s emotion of “saving” turns into an unstoppable force that destroys people and planets, and in the end causes his death.
According to Vogler’s writings on the Shadow of a story, the dramatic function of a Shadow brings out the hero qualities in a hero and it gives a worthy opponent to the hero. Thanos continues to challenge the Avengers; always keeping the heroes on the toes. He continues to bring destruction and struggle to Earth to bring out the Avengers and have them fight him. In the end, Thanos brings his destruction fully upon Earth, eliminating half of the living population. The heroes almost give up fully, allowing Thanos to overtake them, but they get back up and continue to fight against the Shadow that took away their families and friends.
Thanos is a Titan, born to the planet, Titan. With his origin, Thanos has very few similarities between physical Titan qualities and physical human’s qualities. Thanos has the basic human qualities of two legs, two arms, and a face, however, Thanos’s build differs from the average human. The average human man is about five foot eight and a half inches tall, whereas, Thanos is supposedly eight feet tall. Along with his towering frame, Thanos’s broad face and shoulders show an exorbitant amount of strength which allows for the Titan to overpower any force than crosses him. Along with the basic physical qualities of a human, Thanos shares the quality of commitment, determination, leadership, and persistence. To be committed and to have determination is to be devoted to a purpose or a cause. Thanos shows, throughout Infinity War and Endgame, how devoted he is to “saving the universe from destruction”. He shows his devotion through his long search of the infinity stones and his continuous quest to saving the universe. To be a leader, is to guide a group or organization (in this case The Black Order, heinous creatures from the Black Moon). Thanos guides these creatures through the universe on a search for the six infinity stones and the and in depopulating planets. Thanos shows the idea of persistence, the continuous action of a crusade without surrender and without yielding to failure. Thanos continues to destroy and divide planet populations without capitulating or giving in. No matter who or what tries to stop him, Thanos plows through without letting failure get in his way.
According to Vogler, Thanos is the Shadow of the Avengers. The Titan shares a few physical and mental similarities along with the average human; body parts, leadership skills, persistence, determination. Thanos continues to challenge the heroes of the story, the Avengers, and gives them a worthy opponent. During his exile, Thanos’s idea of saving the universe manifested into an emotion that later came to destroy planets and families and kingdoms, and himself.
In a movie series of many individuals who originate from different elements from in and out of our world, come together to form the Avengers. Iron man (also referred to as Tony Stark), a highly accomplished inventor, uses his ability to add intelligence and thought into the group’s actions. The Hulk and Bruce Banner, a two-sided entity, who brings strength and muscle to the team; whether its physical strength, cause from the use of gamma rays, or mental intelligence strength, depending on whichever face he wears. Black Widow (also referred to as Natasha Romanoff) is the smallest in size due to her feminine state, however, her large amount of determination and dedication to the purpose of the Avengers, cancels out her small appearance. Thor, the alien from Asgard, is the reckless warrior, who shows the most amount of protectiveness towards his home, his family (including his brother Loki), and his team.
Captain America is the Avengers’ Blast from the Past! leader. Captain America (also referred to as Steve Rogers) comes from the small town of Brooklyn, New York. Because of his small, skinny state, Rogers is frequently bullied until his longest friend, Bucky, comes to his rescue. After multiple attempts, Rogers was able to enlist in the United States Army, only to be turned into a Super-Soldier. With his honest and positive disposition, the body-altering serum now in his blood, Captain America brings strategy, honesty, and loyalty not only to the Avengers but to those who are bullied and treated unfairly, causing Captain America to fit the role of a hero.
Captain America was originally introduced to the division of S.H.I.E.L.D during World War II and later introduced to the forming of the Avengers in the early 2000s. Captain America has since been willing to do whatever is needed to protect the people of Earth and to carry out the goal of the Avengers. According to Vogler’s writings and guidelines, a hero is one of two varieties; unwilling and willing. In the movie, The Winter Soldier, the S.H.I.E.L.D base is over-run by a group of HYDRA agents. To identify the identities of the HYDRA agents, Caption America speaks out, stating what the agents have done and that they must be stopped. To prove his commitment to stopping HYDRA, Rogers states, “The price of freedom is high; it always has been. But it’s a price I’m willing to pay.” Without knowing whether or not his speech swayed any confused S.H.I.E.L.D operators, Captain America and Natasha Romanoff (Black Widow) continue into the fight against HYDRA.
Without knowing Steve Roger’s background, one would think Captain America to be flawless. He is a strong American soldier that is always there to lead his team. However, Rogers may be TOO strong compared to your average American soldier. From the effects of a super-soldier serum, Rogers gains the increased strength and speed that a normal human does not have. Although his strength and speed make him different, it isn’t necessarily considered a flaw. Steve Rogers is from the past, so to say. During World War II, the Captain sacrifices himself to save the lives of millions of people located in New York. By landing a fast-moving plane into the icy waters, Rogers is forced unconscious and is covered in thick ice, the only protection he receives is from his Adamantium and Vibranium shield. In his “previous, past” life, Steve Rogers had a relationship with the agent Carter. Since his disunion with Peggy Carter, Rogers has felt as if he is missing a part of his life. During the movie Avengers: Endgame, Captain America is sent back into time to find one of the six infinity stone, and while he is in 1970 New Jersey, Rogers notices a picture of him on a desk. He later identifies the desk to be Agent Peggy Carter’s desk. Towards the end of the movie, Captain America travels back into time to return the six stolen infinity stones, however, the captain doesn’t return during his allotted time. Steve Rogers had made the decision to stay in the 1970s time period with Peggy Carter. The captain had strict orders to return the stones and return without changing the timeline, Rogers, however, had decided on his own to stay, which caused him to display a sense of hastiness or recklessness towards the possible outcome of a change in the timeline.
Throughout the course of Captain America’s movies, he experiences the death of his childhood best friend, his mid 1900s romantic partner, and of the symbolical death of his past self. During the movie Captain America: The First Avenger, Rogers and his friend Bucky are on a fast-moving train, when the side is blasted open. With the force of the wind and the change in air pressure, Bucky is cast outward and falls to his death before the Captain is able to save him. When Rogers wakes up from his coma, he learns that he was asleep for seventy years and Peggy Carter, his romantic partner, is close to death. Once she does die, he is left in a time period where he knows no one; he had lost his best friend seventy years earlier and now he had lost the love of his life. According to Vogler’s writing and guidelines of heroes, a symbolic death may represent a hero’s failure or the loss of themselves. In Captain America’s case, he lost the part of him that lives in the 1900s; the part of him that fought as a soldier and with soldiers. Vogler continues to write of how a symbolical death may include the hero to make a sacrifice. Steve Rogers continues to sacrifice himself throughout the movies, whether it be when he is fighting a robot who calls himself Ultron, an alien who wishes to decrease Earth’s population, or fighting his long-lost childhood best friend.
A sacrifice from a hero, is their willingness to give up something valuable, whether it’s an object or even their life, in favor of a group or a purpose, according to the writings of Vogler. In the movie Captain America: Winter Soldier, Bucky is under control and is forced to forget his relationship with Rogers and ordered to kill the captain. While trying to do so, Captain America and Bucky are fighting, when Rogers stops and tells Bucky, “I’m not gonna fight you. You’re my friend.” Bucky continues to fight Rogers, without the captain not fighting back, causing Captain America to fall unconscious and out of the plane. Captain America sacrifices his life on the belief that he won’t hurt or fight his friend, even if they don’t remember their friendship.
Throughout the seven movies that Captain America makes an appearance in, he doesn’t show much of a growth in character. Throughout, a significant change in his character may be how he leads his team of superheroes. In the beginning of Roger’s leadership, he treats the Avengers as more of a soldier unit rather than a team of superheroes. As time progresses, the captain learns to treat them as a group of people who have the power and reception to question and discuss rather than just follow a simple order.
According to Vogler, a hero is either willing, unwilling, a loner, or group oriented; has character flaws, whether they are obvious or not. A hero makes sacrifices, either its sacrificing themselves or an object. A hero must have some kind of confrontation with death, and they grow as a character. In the case for Captain America, is a hero willing to give up his life for his beliefs and for the Avengers. He knows of his flaws and he lets his flaws shape who he is as a person. He has come into some kind of confrontation with death, whether it be symbolical or a relationship loss. He is a Hero.
On the eleventh hour of November 11th of 1918, the constant fighting of World War I suddenly ceased along the western front of France. World War I was ended by an armistice, or a temporary cessation of hostilities, on November 11th. It was regarded as the end of “the war to end all wars”. The year following the end of the war, in1919, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the day as the first commemoration of Armistice Day;
“To us in America, the reflections of Armistice day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nation…”
November 11th became known as a day full of parades and brief break from businesses and jobs, starting at 11:00 in the morning. Armistice day didn’t fully become a national holiday until 1926, when Congress passed a concurrent resolution.
“Whereas the 11th of November 1918, marked the cessation of the most destructive, sanguinary, and far reaching war in human annals and the resumption by the people of the United States of peaceful relations with other nations, which we hope may never again be severed, and whereas it is fitting that the recurring anniversary of this date should be commemorated with thanksgiving and prayer and exercises designed to perpetuate peace through good will and mutual understanding between nations; and whereas the legislatures of twenty-seven of our States have already declared November 11 to be a legal holiday; Therefore be it Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), that the President of the United States is requested to issue a proclamation calling upon the officials to display the flag of the United States on all Government buildings on November 11 and inviting the people of the United States to observe the day in schools and churches, or other suitable places, with appropriate ceremonies of friendly relations with all other peoples.”
In 1938, Armistice Day became a national holiday and was changed to Veterans Day. Around the world, people celebrate and honor the veterans of their country, for their patriotism, the love of their country, and their willingness to serve and sacrifice for their country. “Serving is something I am proud of. It was an opportunity that I had to do, something that was important and bigger than myself.” Says Mr. Jed Geldmacher, who had served four years in the United States Marines Corp. “It [veterans day] is a nice way for the Nation to recognize the people who have served for it.” Robert Shaffer, who had served in the United States Army from 1964 until 1971 believes that, “Being a Veteran means that I belong to the American Legion and the VFW. I go see people who have served in Vietnam and Korea wars. I am Proud to be with them.”
Every year to celebrate our veterans, our country has parades, dinners, and even assemblies in our schools to show how thankful we are to them. Veterans Day commemorates veterans of all wars including the Korean war, Vietnam War, and many wars that have occurred in the past. Not only does Veterans Day memorialize the veterans of war, but it also celebrates and honors the Veterans who have served in times of peace. “Veterans Day reminds me of all the people who sacrificed for this country so that everyone has the right to their opinion,” says Mr. Shaffer. Veterans Day, a day to commemorate the bravery and sacrifice of our veterans, a day to cease the hostilities of war.
Once upon a time there was a prince, Prince William of Pea Ville. Prince William was looking for a princess for him to marry. However, His Highness didn’t want just any princess, he wanted a real princess. One evening a terrible storm came on; thunder and lightning clashing all around. In the midst the the thunder, a knock was heard from the gate. It was a princess! Or at least she claimed to be. She had water running down her hair and clothes; it ran to the toes of her shoes and out her heels. “Oh, we’ll soon find out what princess you are,” thought the old queen.
The old queen took the young princess to the bedroom, took off all the bedding and the mattress, and placed a small pea on the bottom. The queen then placed twenty mattresses and twenty eider-down beds on top of the pea. That night the princess slept a restless night. For there was a terrible bump throughout the night! No princess should be treated with such negligence! Oh what a fight she will give, to have her restful sleep.
In the morning to follow, the princess was asked how she slept, “Oh very badly! I have scarcely closed my eyes all night.” The princess walks into the bedroom to call upon the police. “Oh please hurry! I must sue these so called royals, for they caused me a sleepless night and a pain in my back!” A few long moments later, the plaintiff princess and defendant royals stand before the petit jury.
“Welcome, citizens of Pea Ville. We are hear today to form a solution between the plaintiff and the defendants. There must be a preponderance of evidence on one side to adjourn the court. Let us begin.” The judge calls the princess up to hear her side of the story. “Sir, I believe that the ruling family of Pea Ville has conducted a tort. Sir. I say this because I have injured my back from the negligence of their maids. My bed was not properly made and has since caused me great pain. I believe I am owed for the damages.”
The judge than calls up the defendants to hear their side of the event. “Sir, we knew of the pea in the mattresses and that is because my son, here, has been looking for a real princess to take as a wife. We are truly sorry for any damages that have occurred and we will pay any money to ensure the princess is at her finest,” explains the old queen. As the Judge contemplates and reviews the evidence, the princess stands still and has an impression of pure embarrassment. For how could she accuse others for such selfish reasons!
The judge looks up into the rows of people and than back to the plaintiff and defendant, “May I ask, was there any contract, stating the terms of the princess’s stay?” The princess steps up and says, “No there was not, sir. Which means that there was no breach of a contract. And since there was no breach, they truly did nothing wrong and I believe that I, myself, had done the wrong. I am now proposing an out of court settlement rather than bringing charges.” The judge nodes his head and looks towards Prince William and the old queen. “Do you accept the proposal of the out of court settlement?”
Prince William leaps up to his feet to exclaim, “Yes!” The princess smiles and runs to give the royals a hug and to apologize for her inexcusable behavior. As the court is adjourned the princess and the the prince walk out of the court house smiling, hand in hand, ready to see where the next pea takes them.
After a few days, the princess, who Prince William later found her name to be Princess Daria of Sensitive Ville, and the prince got married at the gates of the castle. The couple grow happy together and had many children and many grandchildren, and great grandchildren. A year after the stormy night, the princess decides to place the pea in a museum to remind the people of the kingdom, of their true fairy tale.
Everyone grows up with a dream of some sort. Whether it’s to be a veterinarian, a doctor, a writer, a musician, or even a cook. At some time, those dreams fall away to the back of our minds and collect dust and become forgotten. Around seventy percent of people never dust off their childhood dreams and actually go to school to be that long forgotten person. Life gets in the way of the things we want to do in our spare time (whether it’s sitting down and reading a book; writing a blog; or going to school). Sometimes it’s better to take a break and do what makes you happy, than to continue to do what make you frustrated and angry. Take the time to dust off your childhood dreams, and dream a little dream. 🙂
CCPL Writers' Block 