The Concept of The Hero Literature Research: Araby, Barometer Rising, A Wizard of Earth Sea, and the Boat (Essay Sample)

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The Concept of The Hero
Introduction
Authors such as James Joyce and Ursula K. LeGuin have depicted the concept of heroism in their stories clearly. Specifically, James Joyce depicted a boy as the hero in the story while Ursula K. LeGuin depicted Ged, who is also a boy, as the hero of the story. Apparently, it is crucial to understand the meaning of the term hero because it lays the foundation for the upcoming discussion. Consequently, the term hero could be elucidated as a person, supposed to be a man, who is idealized for outstanding achievement, courage, or noble qualities. It follows that both authors depict the concept of a hero clearly because both authors depict male characters as heroes. It is notable that further analysis of the mentioned texts is crucial to understanding how the authors portray main characters as heroes in their stories. It is why this paper examines the notion of a hero as depicted by James Joyce and Ursula K. LeGuin.
The Journey to a Hero
It is important to highlight that the journey to becoming a hero is discussed exhaustively by Vogler (n.d). Critical to the discussion is the fact that the author highlights twelve stages as the ultimate journey to becoming a hero. For instance, Vogler (pp. 3) posits that the journey to heroism begins with a call for adventure, which sets the story by distracting the comfort of the hero’s world. According to Vogler (pp.9), the next stage to becoming a hero is the refusal of the call where the hero refuses the call because of the risks held by the adventure. However, it is imperative to highlight that an eager hero may skip the refusal stage and proceed with the adventure. Considering the risks involved in the adventure, the hero always seeks mentorship before pursuing the journey. After the mentorship stage, the hero crosses the threshold by committing to the journey which is the next stage discussed by Vogler (pp.3).
Having crossed the threshold, the hero encounters tests, enemies, and friends (where the hero learns who to trust and not to trust). The next stage is approaching the inmost cave where a character prepares for the journey by reviewing maps and planning attacks. However, a confident hero may bypass the stage, but he always takes a break such as smoking a cigarette, romance, or a joke before proceeding to the ordeal stage. In the ordeal stage, the hero faces the greatest fear and meets a near death experience before receiving a reward. Critical to the discussion is the fact that the hero must complete the journey by travelling to the ordinary world. The next stage is the resurrection, where a hero faces a challenge that puts other characters at risk. The last stage is the return with elixir where the hero has earned the right back into an ordinary world.
The Call for Adventure
It is critical to highlight that both stories begin with naïve boys whose ability to achieve desired goals are unknown. This owes to the reality both characters in the story do not portray abilities that would make their adventures simple. Further, it is vital to note that LeGuin (1968) does not define the hero’s objective clearly. As evidence, the story begins with a boy who wanders from households and guardians. However, the author eventually informs the audience that Ged’s adventure was to become a magician. In contrast, Joyce (1941) clearly defines the goal of the hero. This owes to the reality that the author informs the audience that the boy in the story intended to seduce a girl he loved. Thus, it can be deduced that both stories highlight the call for adventure by indicating they types of adventures to be pursued.
According to Vogler (pp. 3), the call for adventure is evident when the hero is disrupted from the ordinary world. Imperative to the debate is the reality that this stage is very clear in both stories. For instance, in a Wizard of Earthsea, Ged is disrupted from the ordinary world when magic is introduced into his life. As evidence, Ged is chased by goats after pronouncing the words "Noth hierth malk man hiolk han merth han!" LeGuin (n.p). The goats chase after him until his aunt comes to his rescue. In comparison, the boy in Joyce’s (1941) story is disrupted from the ordinary world when he realizes that he has fallen for a girl. As an evidence of this, Joyce (n.p) mentions, "When she came out on the doorstep my heart leaped”. This indicates that both stories that heroes from both stories are disrupted from their ordinary worlds, which is a required condition for the call for adventure stage.
Approaching the Inmost Cave
It is crucial to note that heroes in both stories make the required preparations before pursuing their main challenge. For instance, Ged experienced the stage by preparing for the ordeal by equipping himself with the necessary magical strength for the ordeal. This owes to the reality that Ged not only studied in a magical school but also acquired magical lessons from experienced magicians. In fact, Ged’s turning point occurred after Ogion advised to stop being the hunter and start being the hunted. In particular, Ogion said, "You must seek what seeks you. You must hunt the hunter." Analogously, the boy in the Araby prepared to seduce the girl she loved by holding a conversation with the girl. This owes to the reality of the words "At last she spoke to me”, which have been quoted from the story. In short, both heroes experienced approaching the inmost cave in their journeys to heroism.
Vogler (pp. 4) reveals that heroes may need to take a break from the journey in the stage under discussion. This owes to the reality that the author argues that the hero may need romance, a cigarette, or a joke before a heroic story proceeds to the ordeal stage. This is evident in both stories because heroes from both stories take breaks prior to the ordeal of their adventures. For example, Ged takes a break before the ordeal of his journey by having a dinner with longshoremen, shipwrights, and weatherworkers. Critical to the debate is the fact that Ged enjoyed their conversations, which provided him with the required break. Similarly, the boy in Araby takes a break by engaging himself in romantic fantasies about the girl she loves. This owes to the fact that the boy imagines himself dispatched on a romantic quest by his beloved (Charles, pp. 2). Therefore, both heroes took a break in approaching the inmost cave before proceeding to the ordeal of their journey
The Ordeal
It is vital to highlight that the ultimate ordeal of both stories is evident after the heroes complete approaching the inmost cave stage. To support the argument, Ged meets the shadow and confronts it, but the shadow takes off. As a result, Ged follows the Shadow and catches up with shadow after overcoming several obstacles. This owes to the reality That Ged was blinded by the storm from seeing the shadow in addition to the fact that the Shadow was nowhere to be seen after the storm disappeared. The boy in Joyce’s story also meets his ordeal, is mostly psychological. As evidence, the boy is faced with mental perils that could undermine his romantic idealism. The boy also faces physical obstacles, especially when seeking money for attending the Araby from his uncle who eventually gives him the money.
The main characteristic of the ordeal stage is the fact that a hero always meets a near death experience, which is evident in both...