The Hero's
Journey
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Explanation
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Example from Pan’s Labyrinth:
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I: Departure (The protagonist is
separated from the known and steps into the unknown.)
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Home Culture
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The protagonist has a "home," a
place that s/he thinks is normal, familiar, and common to others in his/her
culture.
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-
Ofelia looks at the statue and seems to get acquainted
with its structure
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Call to Adventure
from the Ordinary World
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A normal occurrence motivates the
protagonist to acknowledge an unknown aspect of his/her world, feel a
restlessness with the constraints of his/her life, or find a new world that
s/he was not aware existed.
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-
Ofelia see’s a flying bug when observing the
statue, in addition, Ofelia sees the bug following her to Captain Vidal’s
house
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Refusal of the
Call; Arrival of the
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The protagonist chooses not to move forward
in life because s/he chooses to not give up his/her position, power, ideals,
goals, or responsibilities; the refusal is often based on his/her fear of the
unknown and comfort in the familiar. Usually secondary characters support the
protagonist's refusal.
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-
Ofelia does not accept Captain Vidal as her
father, therefore she refuses to move from the past like her mother Carmen
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Ofelia also refuses to give up her obsession
with fairytales
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Supernatural Aid
(Can be the
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The inexperienced protagonist is provided a
supernatural, guiding, and/or guarding character, or an instrumental item
(sword, encouragement, etc.) to assist his/her step forward into the unknown.
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-
Ofelia has two supernatural mentors one serves
to be the fairy who guides her into the Labyrinth
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Another mentor is seen to be the Faun who
assigns her tasks in order for Ofelia to return to the kingdom
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Crossing the
First Threshold to enter the Special World.
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The protagonist moves out of his/her
comfort zone and walks alone. S/he is confronted with an obstacle that must
be overcome before s/he can fully enter the dangers of the unknown journey.
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-
Ofelia crosses her comfort zone when she must
remove a key within a toad as part of the Faun’s first task
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II: Initiation (By crossing the threshold, the protagonist's world is
changed forever. A mental journey merges with the physical journey to result
in a spiritual revelation of purpose and self.)
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Road of Trials
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The protagonist is tested and found
vulnerable, but the outcome reveals a part of him/her that s/he did not know
existed. The assistance given the protagonist under the "Supernatural
Aid" section of "Departure" begins to come into play in the
story, and s/he is not expected to face the trials alone.
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-
Ofelia finds herself to be lonely when she is
unable to be along with her mother
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In this particular moment, Ofelia see’s her
imagination sore as she imagines the Faun being in her room at certain times
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Meeting a Soul
Mate
(mother-figure)
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The protagonist meets an ideal (in ancient
myths a goddess; in modern stories a soul mate) and sees the possibilities of
his/her journey. This supernatural, human, or symbolic ideal encourages
him/her forward.
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-
Ofelia meets Mercedes, a rebel informant
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Mercedes is a character that encourages Ofelia
to follow her imaginations
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In addition, Ofelia also protects Mercedes’s true
identity from Captain Vidal
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Overcoming Temptation
(father-figure)
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Someone or something tries to destroy the
journey itself. Often the destroyer has been sent by a larger evil to stop
the protagonist. The protagonist is often misled, but eventually overcomes
his lack of knowledge, prejudices, and fears as s/he grows in the acceptance
of his/her role as hero.
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-
Ofelia during the second task finds herself
tempted to eat the grapes despite the presence of a Cyclops like monster
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This causes for the fairies to be eaten
- Also, Ofelia must be careful of Captain Vidal's action |
Approaching the
Inmost Cave & The Ordeal
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The protagonist, having made the adjustment
to the Special World, now goes on to seek its heart. They pass into an intermediate region
between the border, and the very center of the Hero’s Journey. As the hero near the gates of a citadel
deep within the Special World, they may take time to make plans, do
reconnaissance on the army, reorganize or thin out the group, fortify and arm
themselves, and have a last laugh before entering. During the Ordeal itself, the hero will
enter into the “belly of the whale”, and then die so they can be reborn. The
hero will face his greatest fears, the failure of an enterprise, the end of a
relationship, the death of an old personality.
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-
Ofelia will face the death of her mother which
was the greatest failure to Ofelia by far
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Captain Vidal found Ofelia’s mandrakes root
and threw them into the fire, Ofelia was unable to protect her mother as well
as finish the Faun’s second task
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The Ultimate
Goal: Reward (Treasure)
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The protagonist becomes self-assured and
often receives physical gifts and/or emotional rewards. Since personal
limitations are broken, the protagonist can see the big picture not only in
relation to him/herself but also in relation to others. The protagonist
understands how the ultimate goal can be accomplished and the mission
completed.
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-
When the Faun returns to Ofelia’s bedroom, he
allows her to receive another chance to finish her tasks before the full moon
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Ofelia then realizes the she is very desperate
to reach the kingdom in order to lead a peaceful life
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III: Return (Through the protagonist's ultimate sacrifice of self,
s/he walks in an enlightened state.)
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Refusing to
Return
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Although seldom a true refusal, the
protagonist, who should return "home" with his/her powers, ability,
or wisdom, remains isolated and often faces a death of sorts. Sometimes s/he
prefers to live in the enlightenment than return to a "home" that
might not accept the ultimate gift.
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-
The death of Ofelia’s mother sparked a sort of
discouragement within Ofelia to use her attempts to return to the kingdom
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She believes that further carrying these tasks
would harm the ones she cares about
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The Chase
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The protagonist flees toward safety to
thwart the attempts to take back the treasure, power, ability, or wisdom.
Because the protagonist has changed, the chase characterizes his/her courage
and confidence.
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-
Ofelia initially flees with Mercedes from
Captain Vidal however this attempt fails
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On the second attempt Ofelia flees with her
baby brother from Captain Vidal
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The Rescue
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The protagonist is unable to save
him/herself. Others help him/her return "home," which may deflate
his/her ego, but since s/he sees the entirety of the mission, s/he
understands the importance of what is accomplished.
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- Ofelia is saved by the Spanish Rebels when they massacre Captain Vidal's house |
Crossing the
Return Threshold
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The protagonist must face the evil or its
leader and the realization that home is no longer a place but a state of
being. Those in his/her past may not accept his/her new ability, power, or
wisdom and may test it as a final trial to the protagonist.
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-
Ofelia in order to finish the Faun’s third
task must confront Captain Vidal himself
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Ofelia realizes the after her mother’s death
and Mercedes fled, she does not have anyone to care for her therefore she takes
desperate steps to get back to the kingdom
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Master of Two
Worlds
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The protagonist has the ability, power, or
wisdom without limitations to relax in whatever world (physical, mental,
emotional, or spiritual) s/he finds him/herself. S/he can adjust to who s/he
was in the past and who s/he might be in the future.
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-
When Ofelia arrives at the kingdom she sees her dead
father and mother back alive
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This shows that the kingdom carries its own components
of imagination and realism
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Freedom
(Often the theme
of the quest)
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The protagonist is able to combine the
workings of unenlightened (old) and enlightened (new) societies into one
world, the world where the protagonist now resides. S/he understands that
his/her old self had to "die" in order for the new way of life to
begin. S/he no longer fears change because s/he has learned to live in the
moment regardless of what that means.
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Ofelia’s kingdom is all she imagined while
reading her fairytales
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This shows that the Ofelia has reached her final
place of solitude which is within her imagination
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Monday, September 29, 2014
Blog Post #6 Pan's Labyrinth Chart
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