The Hero's Journey, Stage by Stage

Chris McCandless the main character of Into The Wild, and Harry Potter of the Harry Potter series both display characteristics of Joseph Campbell’s The Hero’s Journey. Joseph Campbell writes specific stages of what a “ hero” should be based off of centuries of facts. By using the  Hero's Journey Outline I was able to break down each individual story and thoroughly dissect what stages Chris and Harry went through on their journey.  In Both literary works we as the readers must decide if Chris McCandless along with Harry Potter show the characteristics of a “hero” by using Joseph Campbell’s The Hero’s Journey.

McCandless leaves his whole life behind, setting out on a journey that will forever change who he once was . This young man left behind family, friends, and the life he had chosen to live. The story begins with him trying to find his own self identity, without the astigma his parents have placed on who he should be, and the goal of achieving his journey on his own. Every “hero” knows that changes need to be made in order to achieve their purpose on earth.

There are many similarities between McCandless and Potter. Having to grow up without parents lead Harry to realize that he was very different from the people around him. McCandless knew this on a very intimate level, he knew that he did not truly fit with his family the same way Potter was an outcast in his family.

Using information from J.K. Rowling's books and movies, I have come to the conclusion, that Harry Potter truly fit the characteristics of Joseph Campbell’s "Hero". Throughout the novel and movie series, Harry is made out to be this amazing wizard who is given the task of saving the entire wizarding world from Lord Voldemort. In the Harry Potter series there are many scenes depicting Harry taking on his counter part Voldemort to save the greater good.  I came across a paper titled "Harry Potter a Modern Day Mythical Hero" written by Nancy Snyder (Harry Hero or Not?) In her paper she compares her ideal of Harry being a hero to that of Joseph Campbell's by using his own, The Hero’s Journey. In her paper she states that “ when faced with the past and the adventure that is his fate Harry shows courage , bravery , strength , and ingenuity” which are clear signs of being a Hero .Throughout each series Professor Dumbledore, Hermione, and Ron constantly reminded Harry that he was born to do great things in his life.

In the movie Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry had to sacrifice the loss of one friend in order to save the greater good, because not defeating Lord Voldemort was not worth the lives of millions of others, which shows a very heroic action. At age eleven Harry Potter was approached by Hargid, someone you could describe as his mentor came to him to begin his journey as a wizard. During my research into Harry Potter, I found a website that stated that "early on his eleventh birthday he found out he was a wizard and he began attending Hogwarts in 1991" (Harry Potter). Throughout Harry’s journey of discovering who he was as a wizard he goes through many stages that Campbell describes a “hero” goes through.

When looking into Chris and Harry’s life they are very similar in their journey as a “ hero”. Every “hero” has a starting point, in Joseph Campbell’s The Hero’s Journey it is called the Ordinary World. This is when the person chooses to take on a journey because of a situation or dilemma that is going on in their life. Harry choose to take on his journey of being a wizard because Hargid came to him while chris took on his journey because he did not believe that the life and world he was living in was one he should be apart of. In Into The Wild when McCandless found out about his father having a separate family he immediately believed that his whole life was nothing but a lie.

The Call to Adventure is when something in the journey shakes up and they must face the beginnings of their changes. In Harry Potter , is when he arrives at Hogwarts for the first time and he is introduced to the world beyond the one he has grown up in. McCandless’s call to adventure happens near the end of his journey when he realizes that he may have made a mistake by not adequately preparing for his adventure. One of the last things that Chris writes is a message on a window reading S.O.S which indicates that he had some regrets about the things that he had done. Refusal of The Call which is stage 3 is when the “hero” for a very brief moment questions if he/she is making the right choice or if they should turn around. Harry faces this challenge when he first finds out about Voldemort. In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, his first encounter with Lord Voldemort leaves him struggling with the fact that he must fight this great evil without fully understanding why. When Chris McCandless set out on his journey he knew exactly what he was doing and not until the end of his journey did he second guess his choice.

Meeting with the Mentor is when the hero comes across someone who has traveled the world, who is willing to help them and give them some tips. Or, it is when the hero finds this unknow wisdom and power within themselves that keeps them going and pushing through. When Hargid comes to get Harry to show him the way of the wizarding world, Potter is being inducted into one phase of stage 4. When Harry first arrives in Hogwarts Hargid is the person who shows him around, gets him the things he needs for school, and mentors him as he gets used to being in this new world. On the other hand Chris finds the power within himself to continue on his journey.Throughout his journey Chris comes across many people who are willing to help him and share their wisdom on things that have happened in their own journey’s of life. Yet, Chris still chose to look deep within himself and trust his own instincts and continue on hisown journey without the help of others.There are many stages to Joseph Campbell’s The Hero’s Journey (Joseph Campbell Hero's Journey .) Although Chris and Harry may not have had the same journey they still went through the some of the same stages of Joseph Campbell’s The Hero’s Journey.

From the Odyssey to modern day “hero’s” in 2015,  all of them must go through the same stages. Even though every story is different and their reasoning behind starting their journey may vary Joseph Campbell’s The Hero’s Journey is still a part of it. The stages in Joseph Campbell’s The Hero’s Journey describe what ever hero for centuries has gone through.

Throughout the book Into The Wild, Chris McCandless shows time and time again that he is a hero. His way of dealing with situations and his determination to set out on a journey and finish it for himself shows clear signs of a hero. Joseph Campbell’s title for his stages came from the text The Hero with a Thousand Faces. In the 1980’s two documentaries were released to introduce Joseph Campbell’s The Hero’s Journey.

Even though Chris’s Journey and Joseph Campbell’s The Hero’s Journey do not match up exactly, Chris’s journey on some level does coincide with The Hero’s Journey. The whole purpose of the Joseph Campbell’s The Hero’s Journey was for the “Hero” to leave what he once knew  behind and to find what was wrong with his/her life and come back as a different person. Although Chris McCandless did not make it back home from his journey I do  believe that he accomplished what he set out to do. Some may say that his journey was pointless because in the end he died but I disagree, I think the fact that he set out with a goal of starting this journey on his own and finishing it shows that he stuck by something he believed. Him doing so left behind a legacy that future young men and women will look up to. Joseph Campbell’s The Hero’s Journey in my opinion was not written for us to decide whether or not someone is a hero but simply to show that every “hero” goes through the same thing.

Chris McCandless in Into The Wild, and Harry Potter in the Harry Potter series both display characteristics of Joseph Campbell’s The hero’s journey. Joseph Campbell writes specific stages of what a “ hero” should be based off centuries of hero’s. By using The Hero’s Journey Outline I was able to break down every stage and thoroughly dissect to see what stages Chris and Harry used on their journey Hero's Journey Outline. In Into The Wild we must decide if Chris McCandless show’s characteristics of a “hero” by using Joseph Campbell’s The Hero’s Journey.

Chris McCandless leaves his whole life behind to set out on a journey that will forever change who he once was. This young man left behind family, friends, and the life that he onced live. He sets out to seek his purpose in life with the goal of achieving his journey by himself. Every “hero” knows that changes need to be made in order to achieve their purpose on earth. Chris McCandless reminds me a lot of Harry Potter. When Harry Potter was just a child his parents passed away. As he began to grow up he realized that he was very different from the people in the world he was living in. Chris McCandless deep down inside knew that as well. He knew that he did not truly fit with his family.

When Harry Potter was 11 years old Hargid, someone you could describe as his mentor came to him to start his journey as a wizard. During my research in finding out more about Harry potter I found a website that stated that early on his eleventh birthday he found out he was a wizard and he began attending Hogwarts in 1991 Harry Potter. At this point Harry Potter was beginning his journey even if he wanted to or not. Throughout Harry’s journey of discovering who he was as a wizard he goes through many stages that Campbell describes a “hero” goes through. When looking into Chris and Harry’s life they are very similar in their journey as a “ hero”.

Every “hero” has a starting point, in Joseph Campbell’s The Hero’s Journey it is called the Ordinary World. This is when the person chooses to take on a journey because of a situation or dilemma that is going on in their life. Harry choose to take on his journey of being a wizard because Hargid came to him. Chris took on his journey because he did not believe that the life and world he was living in was one he should be apart of. In Into The Wild when Chris found out about his father having a separate family he immediately believed that his whole life was nothing but a lie. The Call to Adventure is when something in the journey shakes up and they must face the beginnings of their changes. In Harry Potter that is when Harry goes to Hogwarts for the first time and he finally sees that there is a world beyond the one he has grown up in. Chris’s call to adventure happens near the end of his journey when he realizes that he may have made a mistake by not adequately preparing for his adventure. One of the last things that Chris writes is a message on a window reading S.O.S which to me indicates that he had some regrets about the things that he did. Refusal of The Call which is stage 3 is when the “hero” for a very brief moment questions if he/she is making the right choice or if they should turn around. Harry faces this challenge when he first finds out about voldemort. In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone Harry faces his first encounter with Lord Voldemort and at that point Harry had to decided if he was going to stay and do what he was called to do or leave. I honestly do not think that Chris goes through stage 3 on his journey. When Chris set out on his journey he knew exactly what he was doing and not for a moment until the end of his journey did he not second guess his choice. When Chris comes to end of his journey he writes one little simple message on a window reading S.O.S you can not help but think that just maybe he would have done things differently if he had known the outcome of his choices.The Meeting with the Mentor is when the hero comes across someone who has traveled the world, who is willing to help them and give them some tips. Or, it is when the hero finds this unknow wisdom and power within themselves that keeps them going and pushing through. When Harry meets Hargid and he shows him the way of the wizarding world that is him going through one phase of stage 4. When Harry first arrives in Hogwarts Hargid is the person who shows him around, gets him the things he needs for school, and mentors him as he gets used to being in this new world. On the other hand Chris finds the power within himself to continue on his journey.Throughout his journey Chris comes across many people who are willing to help him and share their wisdom on things that have happened in their own journey’s in their life. Yet, Chris still choose to look deep within himself and trust his own instincts and continue on his journey without the help of others.There are many stages to Joseph Campbell’s The Hero’s Journey Joseph Campbell Hero's Journey . Although Chris and Harry may not have had the same journey they still went through the some of the stages in Joseph Campbell’s The Hero’s Journey.  

From the Odyssey to modern day “hero’s” in 2015 they all must go through the same stages. Even though every story is different and their reasoning behind starting their journey may vary Joseph Campbell’s The Hero’s Journey is still a part of it. The stages in Joseph Campbell’s The Hero’s Journey describe what ever hero for centuries has gone through.

Throughout the book Into The Wild Chris McCandless shows time and time again that he is a hero. His way of dealing with situations and his determination to set out on a journey and finish it for himself shows clear signs of a hero. Joseph Campbell’s title for his stages came from the text The Hero with a Thousand Faces. In the 1980’s two documentaries were released to introduce Joseph Campbell’s The Hero’s Journey.

Even though Chris’s Journey and Joseph Campbell’s The Hero’s Journey do not match up exactly, Chris’s journey on some level does coincide with The Hero’s Journey. The whole purpose of the Joseph Campbell’s The Hero’s Journey was for the “Hero” to leave what he once knew  behind and to find what was wrong with his/her life and come back as a different person. Although Chris McCandless did not make it back home from his journey I do  believe that he accomplished what he set out to do. Some may say that his journey was pointless because in the end he died. I disagree, I think the fact that he set out with a goal of starting this journey on his own and finishing it shows that he stuck by something he believed. Him doing this left behind a legacy that future young men and women will look up to. Joseph Campbell’s The Hero’s Journey in my opinion was not written for us to decide whether or not someone is a hero but simply to show that every “hero” goes through the same thing.

Chris McCandless in Into The Wild, and Harry Potter in the Harry Potter series both display characteristics of Joseph Campbell The hero’s journey. Joseph Campbell writes specific stages of what a “ hero” should be based off centuries of hero’s. In Into The Wild we must decide if Chris McCandless show’s characteristics of a “hero” by using Joseph Campbell’s The Hero’s Journey as a guide.

Chris McCandless leaves his whole life behind to set out on a journey that will forever change who he once was. This young man left behind family, friends, and the life that he once lived. He sets out to seek his purpose in life with the goal of achieving his journey by himself. Every “hero” knows that changes need to be made in order to achieve their purpose on earth. Chris McCandless reminds me a lot of Harry Potter. When Harry Potter was just a child his parents passed away. As he began to grow up he realized that he was very different from the other people in the world he was living in. Chris McCandless deep down inside knew that as well. He knew that he did not truly fit in with his family.

When Harry Potter was 11 years old Hargid, someone you could describe as his mentor came to him to start his journey as a wizard.  Hargid was the one who showed Harry the way into the wizarding world in 1991 Harry Potter. Throughout Harry’s journey of discovering who he was as a wizard he goes through many stages that Campbell describes a “hero” goes through. When looking into Chris and Harry’s life they are very similar in their journey as a “ hero”.

Every “hero” has a starting point, in Joseph Campbell’s The Hero’s Journey it is called the Ordinary World. This is when the person chooses to take on a journey because of a situation or dilemma that is going on in their life. Harry choose to take on his journey of being a wizard because Hargid came to him. Chris took on his journey because he did not believe that the life and world he was living in was one he should be apart of. In Into The Wild when Chris found out about his father having a separate family he immediately believed that his whole life was nothing but a lie. The Call to Adventure is when something in the journey shakes up and they must face the beginnings of their changes. In Harry Potter that is when Harry goes to Hogwarts for the first time and he finally sees that there is a world beyond the one he has grown up in. Chris’s call to adventure happens near the end of his journey when he realizes that he may have made a mistake by not adequately preparing for his adventure. One of the last things that Chris writes is a message on a window reading S.O.S which to me indicates that he had some regrets about the things that he did. Refusal of The Call which is stage 3 is when the “hero” for a very brief moment questions if he/she is making the right choice or if they should turn around. Harry faces this challenge when he first finds out about voldemort. In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone Harry faces his first encounter with Lord Voldemort and at that point Harry had to decided if he was going to stay and do what he was called to do or leave. I honestly do not think that Chris goes through stage 3 on his journey. When Chris set out on his journey he knew exactly what he was doing and not for a moment until the end of his journey did he not second guess his choice. When Chris comes to end of his journey he writes one little simple message on a window S.O.S you can not help but think that just maybe he would have done things differently if he had known the outcome of his choices.The Meeting with the Mentor is when the hero comes across someone who has traveled the world, who is willing to help them and give them some tips. Or, it is when the hero finds this unknow wisdom and power within themselves that keeps them going and pushing through. When Harry meets Hargid and he shows him the way of the wizarding world that is him going through one way of stage 4. When Harry first arrives in Hogwarts Hargid is the person who shows him around, gets him the things he needs for school, and mentors him as he gets used to being in this new world. On the other hand Chris finds the power within himself to continue on his journey.Throughout his journey Chris comes across many people who are willing to help him and share their wisdom on things that have happened in their own journey’s in their life. Yet, Chris still choose to look deep within himself and trust his own instincts and continue on his journey without the help of others.There are many stages to Joseph Campbell’s The Hero’s Journey Hero's Journey. Although Chris and Harry may not have had the same journey they still went through the some of the stages in Joseph Campbell’s The Hero’s Journey.  

From the Odyssey to modern day “hero’s” in 2015 they all must go through the same stages. Even though every story is different and their reasoning behind starting their journey may vary Joseph Campbell’s The Hero’s Journey is still a part of it. The stages in Joseph Campbell’s The Hero’s Journey describe what ever hero for centuries has gone through.

Throughout the book Into The Wild Chris McCandless shows time and time again that he is a hero. His way of dealing with situations and his determination to set out on a journey and finish it for himself show clear signs of a hero. Joseph Campbell’s title for his stages came from the text The Hero with a Thousand Faces. In the 1980’s two documentaries were released to introduce Joseph Campbell’s The Hero’s Journey The Power of Myth.

Even though Chris’s Journey and Joseph Campbell’s The Hero’s Journey do not match up exactly, Chris’s journey on some level does coincide with The Hero’s Journey. The whole purpose of the Joseph Campbell’s The Hero’s Journey was for the “Hero” to leave what he once knew  behind and to find what was wrong with his/her life and come back as a different person. Although Chris McCandless did not make it back home from his journey I do  believe that he accomplished what he set out to do. Some may say that his journey was pointless because in the end he died. I disagree, I think the fact that he set out with a goal of starting this journey on his own and finishing it shows that he stuck by something he believed. Him doing this left behind a legacy that future young men and women will look up to. Joseph Campbell’s The Hero’s Journey in my opinion was not written for us to decide whether or not someone is a hero but simply to show that every “hero” goes through the same thing.

What is a hero you may ask? The word hero can be defined in various ways but ultimately it is someone you look up to and admire. While reading the Hero’s Journey it defined being a “ hero” in many different ways. It gives a step by step apperance of what a hero’s journey should be.  Joseph Campbell does a really good job in his book getting across his point of what a real Hero’s Journey should be.

In the story Into The Wild Chris McCandless definitely shows whether or not he is a hero. The way he carried himself and the values he had made me believe that the young teenager should look up to him. Which in my opinion would make him a hero, He was not afraid to stand up for what he believes in for example, when he burned all of his money and lived off of nature. When Chris did that  he stood by his values and beliefs which are characteristics of a heros journey.

Chris McCandless in the story shows discomfort when it came to his family which to me shows one of the characteristics of a Hero’s Journey. In the Hero’s Journey it talks about the “The Ordinary World” in which Hero’s  live in a world that is considered average by those who live there. They are often called odd by the people in their community which makes them feel out of place(http://mythologyteacher.com/documents/TheHeroJourney.pdf). You can tell that McCandless feels this way in the beginning when he choses to isolate himself from everyone he knows and changes his whole life with no explanation. Throughout his journey he meets multiple people that try to grow closer to him but because of his fear of trusting others he choses to distance himself even more and not develop any relationship.

Chris McCandless did not just wake up one morning and say that I am going to leave everything I know behind and start on this long lonely journey by myself. No, instead he had a calling to journey that he needed to start and finish on his own. He knew that no one would understand what he needed to accomplish for himself. Chris knew that this was going to be a long journey but at the same time he would have to come to peace with his destiny.http://en.wikipedia.org/  

You might ask what made Chris want to start on what seems to be this awful yet heroic journey, but the answer is not so simple. Chris McCandless had a lot of things in his life that he did not like. He wanted to have the ability to determine what was going to happen in his life with no one else controlling him. Chris did not just happen to start on his journey. He planned it out and knew exactly what he was doing.

Chris goes over and beyond proving that he his a hero. His way of doing things is not always the best but he set his mind on going out completing this journey. A Hero’s Journey is not one that an ordinary person can understand. There are many things that come with being hero. A hero’s life is not an easy one and I think the book Into The Wild proves that. So I leave you with this question, If someone came to you today and asked you to be a Hero would you do it?

What are plastic people? Are they people trying to be something they are not? Or are they just people trying to make it through the miss trails and miss understandings of life. It is really hard to define what “plastic people” are in time period of life.While reading Into The Wild I found that Chris McCandless hatred towards the “plastic people”  came from an honest place.  

Chris McCandless whole life was plastic to him. He felt that after the reveal of his father having a whole other family, that nothing about him was really real. His whole life had been a complete lie that he need to get away from. He not only wanted to get away from his life. He wanted to become a new person. Chris McCandless had made up his mind he was no longer going to be a plastic person.

Someone that is plastic is just trying to make it through life. They are trying to fit into societies idea of what they should be. Society tells them that you have to be super skinny and have a lot of money and live outside of your means. So the “plastic people” being so shallow go into the world trying to model a person they can never be or will be. They buy fancy cars and live outside of their means. Plastic people put on this persona that everything is okay but if you actually look at them. If you actually look right into their eyes and pass the outer persona they have created for themselves. You can really see who they are.

You can see they are hurting and they just want to be understood and excepted into the world. A plastic person is just someone that just got lost in the world and instead of staying true to who they are. They would much whether be this made up version of what society says they should be. Chris McCandless throughout Into The Wild proves time and again that people are plastic and lie.

In Into The Wild Chris McCandless parents are a perfect example of “plastic people”.

They want Chris to be something that he is not. Whether than loving their son for him and what  he believes they push their unrealistic values on to him. They try to buy him things like cars and such to try and make Chris fit into their perfect little world where everything is just plastic. Instead of seeing that what they are doing is pushing Chris away they still continue to do the same things that caused him to hate them in the first place.

The way Chris perceived the world in 1992 is still right in 2015. I do not ever think that “plastic people” will never not exist. Society has created this ideal that you have to be just like the characters hollywood has created in movies or that news has idealized. If you try to differ from this they try to label you as nerd or not a “cool kid”. But lets be honest here for minute who wants to be a “cool kid”. Usually speaking and statistically speaking “cool kids” are the ones that have the most problems.

They grow up thinking everything should just be hand to them. That there is no hard work involved in get want you want in life. Those quote cool kids are the biggest plastic people to me. Its Chris McCandless who could see that too and this is  why he so depressedly did everything in his power to leave the life he had behind and start over.

Through out Chris’s journey he meets lots of people. Each time he met someone they would offer to help or give him something to help him on his journey but each time he would turn them. He never wanted to take help from anyone he was determined to do this by himself. But I think otherwise, I think he never took help from anyone because he could never really trust anyone. Chris had grown up in a family full of “plastic people”. When ever they would give him something they felt as though he owed them something in return. So in Chris’s mind the people that he was closest to had turned out to be “plastic” people and he felt as though if he could not even trust his own flesh blood to not be “plastic” how could he trust anyone else.