Comparing Beowulf And The Hero's Journey

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In order to be a legitimate hero – at least in Joseph Campbell’s eyes – the hero must embark on and a journey that meets “[his] standard storyline which he call[s] the ‘monomyth’” (Who was Joseph Campbell?). Many of the stories we read and the movies that we watch all portray a hero who “give[s] his or her life to something bigger than oneself” (The Hero’s Adventure, 151). For instance, Beowulf enters the Land of the Danes in order to save the people from the terror-filled nights that Grendel and his Mother cause, Shrek proceeds to save Princess Fiona from a dragon-watched castle in hopes of getting back his swamp, and SpongeBob leaves his pineapple home to retrieve King Neptune’s stolen crown to prove that he is no longer a kid and deserves to manage the Krusty Krab. In all of these characters’ expeditions, all …show more content…
For Beowulf, Shrek, and SpongeBob, yes, the Hero’s Journey qualifies them to be true heroes. The only problem with their situation is that they are fictional characters. Truth of the matter is, not everyone fits these qualifications; not everyone can slay a dragon or rescue a princess from a tower or retrieve a stolen crown. Although these prospects are not met, it is illogical to have a hero without a journey. And for that reason, the Hero’s Journey does define what a true hero is even if there is a lack of vigor or bravery and anyone who commences on the journey, no matter how small or insignificant, is considered a hero.
On the grounds that the Hero’s Journey is an indication of what a hero is, a high school senior applying for college is just as eligible to be considered a hero. Throughout the course of the college application process, a student goes through all three steps that are listed in Campbell’s Hero’s Journey: departure, initiation, and return. Just as Beowulf “heard how Grendel filled the nights with horror… [and] commanded a boat [to be] fitted out…when help was needed” (Part One 112-116), a senior
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