The mythologist Joseph Campbell discovered that a large number of myths from different time-periods and cultures had a common pattern and structure. He described it in his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces (1949) (Veale). Campbell proposed that a hero’s journey, or the “monomyth”, consist of up to seventeen elements that fit into a three-part structure: separation – initiation – return (Indick). Campbell believed this was the formula for the “The standard path of the mythological adventure of the hero,” (Campbell, cited in Indick). Campbell’s model has become highly popular, especially with screenwriters, mainly because its three-unit structure works well with the three-act structure of screenplays (Indick). Campbell’s monomyth has been widely used in many blockbusters, from Star Wars to Disney animated films. It can also be recognised in the plot of most superhero flicks.
However, one feature of the monomyth is that most characters Campbell studied were male and the hero’s journey unfolds from an inherently male perspective (Veale). Only two of the 17 elements Campbell describes feature women (Priester): “the meeting with the goddess,” where the hero meets the idealised mother-goddess, such as the Athena in The Odyssey (1997) that offers guidance and inspiration, or the “woman as temptress,” where the hero faces “temptation that threatens to divert him from the path of his destiny,” (Priester) such as Calypso, in the same film. These characters are represented as stationery obstacles or rewards for the hero, but do not themselves evolve.
One of Campbell’s students, the psychotherapist and author, Maureen Murdock, questioned Campbell about the heroine’s journey. He responded, “The Heroine is the object of the Hero’s Journey,” adding, “She doesn’t go anywhere, she’s what the Hero is journeying to” (Murdock, cited in A. K. Anderson). Murdock felt that this model did not respond to the spiritual and psychological needs of contemporary women’s journeys (Books) and later wrote her own book, The Heroine’s Journey: Woman’s Quest for Wholeness (1990), in an attempt to bridge the gap in Campbell’s framework. Murdock proposes a mythic structure for heroine that is relevant to contemporary women (Indick).
In contemporary western society, in addition to maintaining traditionally feminine tasks of motherhood and family duties, women are also faced with building a career and earning money. Because they often have to compete against men in the labour market, to be successful they’re expected to display masculine traits such as aggressiveness, assertiveness, and confidence (Rigoglioso), thus becoming disconnected from their femininity. Through her work with women Murdock found that they “worked hard to make it in a man’s world and then were often experiencing enormous spiritual aridity and deep wounding of their feminine nature,” (Murdock, cited in Davis, 6). It is important to note that for Murdock (and representative of the Jungian school of psychology), the “masculine” and “feminine” does not refer to genders, instead these are “creative forces,” that are present in all men and women (Murdock 156). For this reason, she suggested a heroine’s journey was towards a unity of these forces and the “integration of the feminine and the masculine aspects of herself,” (Murdock 169).
Murdock’s stages of the heroine’s journey are as follows (cited in Indick):
- Separation from the feminine
- Identification with the masculine
- The Road of trials
- The Illusory boon of success
- Awakening to feelings of spiritual aridity
- Initiation and descent to the goddess
- Urgent yearning to reconnect with the feminine
- Healing the mother/daughter split
- Healing the wounded masculine
- Integration of masculine and feminine
To my knowledge, Murdock’s structure hasn’t had as much cinematic success as Campbell’s as yet. However, one film that appears to mirror it quite closely is the 2012 Disney animation Brave. Brave’s plot is set in medieval Scotland and tells the story of a young, rebellious princess, Merida. As the story unfolds, Merida passes through all ten stages described in The Heroine’s Journey. The resentment of marriage (a duty traditionally expected of women) and conflict with her mother, Elinor, can be seen as Merida’s “separation from the feminine.” When three princes arrive to compete for her hand, Merida bends the rules and competes for her own hand, defeating them all in archery (traditionally a masculine activity). This clearly marks her “identification with the masculine.” Following a fight with her mother, Merida flees into the forest, thus embarking on “the road of trials.”
The magic cake that Merida receives from a witch represents the “illusory boon of success”. She hopes the cake will change her mother and improve Merida’s situation, but instead it turns Elinor into a bear. Merida is shocked and wants to undo the spell. Although Murdock’s “feelings of spiritual aridity” may not be the most fitting words here, it’s an “awakening” nonetheless, as Merida reconsiders her desires and priorities. This also marks Merida’s “initiation and descent to the goddess.” According to Murdock, “the descent is characterized as a journey to the underworld […] the meeting of the dark goddess, or simply as depression” (87-88). In Merida’s case it is facing the terrible consequences of her actions and receiving a message from the witch to “mend the bond torn by pride,” (Brave) before the second sunrise, or the spell will become permanent. Merida following the will-o’-wisps to ancient ruins can also be seen as part of the initiation as Merida learns about the cursed prince transformed into a bear like Elinor. This prompt’s Merida’s “urgent yearning to reconnect with the feminine,” as she vows to undo her mother’s spell, and thinking she can do it by repairing a tapestry she damaged during their fight. Whereas the bow and arrow are used in the film to show Merida’s masculine side, tapestry (traditionally a woman’s task), is a motif used in illustrate her femininity.
While this also marks the begins the process of “healing the mother/daughter split,” it is not until the end of the film that the relationship is fully repaired, when Merida asks for forgiveness and declares her love for Elinor, finally undoing the curse. So the film doesn’t follow Murdock’s order of events entirely. Murdock writes that the masculine can become unbalanced and destructive and is wounded (Murdock, 156), as happened to Merida. Therefore “healing of the wounded musculine” needs to take place. Merida intends to declare she will choose a suitor as tradition demands – this shows her wounded masculine, her willingness to submit. However, Elinor stops her and she instead suggests that the first-born should be allowed to marry in their own time, to which the clans agree. This shows a Merida finding a compromise within herself and with the traditions. The last step of Murdock’s “quest for wholeness” is the “integration of masculine and feminine”. At the end of the film we can see Merida working on a new tapestry with Elinor (feminine) and later racing on horse back (masculine). This shows that both women have embraced both sides to find harmony and become “whole”.
The Hunger Games (Collins) is another piece of fantasy fiction that fists into Murdock’s journey. The novel trilogy that has been made into a film (2012) begins with the heroine’s separation from the feminine as Katniss is forced into a battle. After facing many trials, the trilogy ends with Katniss getting married and having children (Collins), which can be seen as a reconnection with the feminine (although this part is yet to be screened). Katniss’ journey therefore can also be seen as repeating the cyclical pattern illustrated by Murdock.
Later in life Campbell noted that most great mythologies were male-focused, therefore to find female heroes he had to turn to fairy tales – stories of a lesser grandeur meant for children (Campbell, 2014, 145-159). While this is true, and Campbell’s work has been useful for understanding mythology, his approach can also be seen as backward looking. The patriarchal patterns are useful for understanding mythologies and ideologies of the past, but not necessarily the best framework for modern fantasy. as they do not respond to modern values of gender equality and the shift in stereotypes of masculinity and femininity and audience’s needs and expectations.
Murdock feels the patriarchal history and religion “betrayed” women (cited in Davis, 6). “If we have spent our childhood looking at images of the divine as masculine, and with a feeling of the inferiority of the feminine the demon of that inferiority is embedded in our culture,” (Murdock cited in Davis, 7). This explains the initial desire of the heroine to separate from the feminine and identify with the masculine, as portrayed in Brave. However, she also feels that these idealised masculine traits idealised by our culture do not necessarily satisfying to women and there is a desire of to reconnect with the feminine (Davis, 6). Murdock notes “there is currently an intense interest in divine images of the feminine” (Davis, 7), making her framework for a heroine’s journey relevant in for “reclaiming the feminine,” as she puts it (Davis, 7).
However, it is also important to note that Murdock’s framework is not necessarily only relevant to women and female heroines. Murdock points out that that the “masculine” and “feminine” energies are present in all men and women and are not an indicator of gender. In this way, men (or the “feminine energy” in men) could have also been
the “wounded” by the patriarchal narratives of the past. These narratives produce potentially damaging expectations such as “boys don’t cry,” “fathers should be the breadwinners” and men must value physically strong and dominance. This could leave some men feeling either misrepresented or neglected by the representations of the traditional hero and his journey too.
Therefore Murdock’s framework is should not be seen as serving the purpose of separating men from women or highlighting the differences, but as producing alternative narratives and representations that do not undermine those qualities that were traditionally seen as feminine. This not only responds to the feminist aspirations, but the to the value placed on diversity and equality in the contemporary western world. For this reason, the popular culture images of heroines such as Merida from Brave or Katniss from The Hunger Games are relevant and relatable. These representations are still sparse, but their considerable popularity suggests that we can expect more in the future.
Works cited
Anderson. “The Heroine’s Journey,” Suite. N.d. Web. 5 Jan 2015.
Brave. Dir. Andrews, Mark & Chapman, Brenda. Walt Disney Studios & Motion Pictures. 2012. Film
Campbell, Joseph. Pathways to Bliss: Mythology and Personal Transformation. Novato, California: New World Library. 2004. Print
Collins, Suzan. The Hunger Games Trilogy: The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, Mockingjay. 2010. New York : Scholastic Press. Print
Hunger Games, The. Dir. Ross, Gary. Linsgate. 2012. Film
Davis, Mary. “Maureen Murdock Interview,” Jung Society Newsletter Articles: C.G. Jung Society of Atlanta. 2005. Web. 19 Jan 2015.
Hunger Games, The. Dir. Ross, Gary. Linsgate. 2012. Film
Indick, William. “ Classical Heroes in Modern Movies: Mythological Patterns of the Superhero. Journal of Media Psychology, Volume 9, No. 3. Fall, 2004. Taylor & Francis Group. Web 13 Dec 2014.
Murdock, Mareen. “Books,” MareenMurdock.com. 2013. Web. 19 Jan 2015.
Murdock, Maureen. The Heroine’s Journey: Woman’s Quest for Wholeness. Boston: Shambhala Publications. 1990. Print.
Priester B.J. “The Heroine’s Journey: How Campbell’s Model Doesn’t Fit,” FANgirl Blog. 30 April 2012. Web. 19 Jan 2015.
Rigoglioso, Marguerite. “Researchers: How Women Can Succeed in the Workplace,” Insights by Stanford Business: Stanford Graduate School of Business. 1 March 2011. Web. 19 Jan 2015.
Veale, Kevin. “Topic 1: Adaptation and Society: Introduction to Mythology and Fantasy,” 139.142 Mythology and Fantasy Study Guide. Massey University. 2014. Web. 5 Jan 2015.
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