Approach the inmost cave, The Ordeal

When approaching the inmost cave the Hero will be making there final preparations for complete terror and wonder. The book used Wizard of Oz to explain how a hero will approach there inmost cave. There is usually a threshold guardian who confront the hero before they can enter another special world. This world is a world in another like Chinese boxes. For example the emerald city in the Oz. When a hero makes it in like Dorthy finnally getting to meet Oz she is given an impossible task. When they come to the inmost cave they have to realize that they are on the edge between life and death. That life is a ticking clock and that in the cave there is no turning back. The Hero must get into the opponents mind to out smart them. Finnaly the Hero has come to the big ordeal. The heart of the matter that must be dealt with. I big part of this stage is the Hero's death and rebirth. A hero must die to be reborn as a new person. They hero soon realizes that there greatest opponent is there own shadow. A villian is a hero's shadown in human form. A shawdow is a hero in there own story. So when the Hero is up the villian is down and when the villian is up the hero is down.

I though this section was intersting because it was getting to the core of every story. I liked the idea that every person has a villian deep down inside of them. That every one has a story. That even the villians could be looked at as a hero in a different light. I also liked how when talking about approching the inmost cave the used the Wizard of Oz as an example. It made it easyer for me to see what they were explaining.

I was a little confused by what they were taking about the placement of the Ordeal?

On the Road

This story is about a friendship between Dean and Stal. It starts off with them in an old truck traveling through the jungle. They are traveling to Mexico city and on there journey they go up the mountains. The only inhabitants on the mountains are native Indians that had never known other civilization until that highway was built. Dean and Stal are completely amazed by there innocence and simplistic lifestyle. At one point they pull over and there are little girls selling crystals. Dean said that he looked into there innocent eyes and felt like he was looking into Mother Marry's eyes. When they drove off the little girls fallowed them for what seemed like forever. When they arrive to New Mexico it snapes them back to reality. They see the harsh cuelty of the city comparred to the innocent indian girls in the mountains. In the city Stal getts stuck in a hospital bed with a fever. It doesn't stop Dean he says good bye to Stal and moves on to Ney York city. When Stal gets better he takes his own journey back to New York. Stal hears how Dean is not always the most trust worthy person. He has several marriages and two devorses. Dean moves back to San Fransico with his second wife. Meanwhile Stal find the love of his life Laura. He send Dean a letter saying that he wants to travel with Laura to San Fransico. Dean travels back to New York to make the travel with Stal. In New York they reconnenct there friendship, but because they both dont have money Dean leaves by himself. It is a sad good bye as Stal and Laura wave good bye in a car like leaving a sad puppy.

I felt that Dean was a sad character. He could never settle down and had to be constantly moving no matter who he was leaving behind. He seemed like such a lonely character because he couldn't be with one person for to long. There friendship was the only real connection I felt he had. Dean seemed like a loving character and wanted connentions with people, but his wondering soul wouldn't let him have that. Stal on the other hand felt like he could keep connenction with peopl. For example his devotation to Laura. I think Stal has a bit of a wondering sould himself, but at least he has comitment to people. I felt this story was about the power of friendship no matter how distant it can be. Stal and Dean with always have the stories and memories the made on the jouney to Mexico City. The friendship and love for each other was strong and made a good story.

Refusal of the Call and meeting with the mentor

Most Hero's refuse to go on there journeys because they are afraid of what might happen. This part of every story serves as a dramatic function to capture the audences attention. The Hero's refusal to call brings attention to the dangers and consequinces of the journey. The Hero usually does this by making up a list of bad excuses in why they should not go. In some cases it is good that a Hero refuses it's call. Refusing the call is ok when the call is from ecil or a summon to disaster. Not all Hero's refuse their call. Some acutally seek the adventure and in these cases they have their mentors or threshold guardians to warn them. Their guardians try to block the Hero from their journey by scarring them. This can often leave doudt in the Hero's mind making the journey more emotional suspenseful for the audience. When meeting with a mentor the Hero is usually left with some sort of gift. Some times the mentor archetyoe is not even there the Hero finds wisdom else where. Often mentors are folklore and myth like. Creating a very common archeype for the mentor as a fair god mother or bearded wizard. Some times a Mentor can become evil and actually betray the Hero.
I thought that the section on the Hero's refusal of the call was very intersting. In the Hobbit Bilbo at first is constantly refusing his call. It's not till Gandof sends 12 dwarf into his house and practically pushes him out the door with them that Bilbo actually starts to except it. I never would have thought that it would be ok for the Hero to refuse his call.
In other people's stories do they refuse their call or do they have a mentor warning them about there call? Does every story really need a mentor or could the Hero be a mentor himself? Have you every had a very unlikely mentor youself?