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.