Timed Writing

Joseph Campbell’s “The Hero with a Thousand Faces” is an overall evaluation of a hero’s journey. Not only do his suggestions of a hero’s journey apply to fairytales or short stories, but everyday life as well. These steps help to explain from the very beginning of a story to the end of a story, what the hero has accomplished, overcome, and learned. Examining some of the major sections of the book such as “The Belly of the Whale” and “The Road of Trials,” one can easily fit almost any story including Joseph Conrad’s “A Heart of Darkness” and Ernest Hemingway’s “Indian Camp” into the Campbellian outline. More importantly, this idea of a hero’s journey can easily fit into one’s own life.

“The belly of the Whale” is a continuation of a hero’s journey into an unfamiliar area or new situation. During this stage, the hero must become acquainted with and familiar with his or her new surroundings in order to “go inward, to be born again” (91). This symbolization of a rebirth is a literal one, explaining that the hero is about to experience a new life with new adventures. Upon this entrance to “the belly of the whale,” the hero usually encounters a threshold guardian who guides the hero in his or her journey.

In “The Heart of Darkness” written by Joseph Conrad is a perfect example of a character entering into an unfamiliar situation. The main character of Conrad’s story is a young boy named Daniel. Daniel is taken to a “cemetery of books” where his father tells him to choose any book he wants. At this point of the story, Daniel has no idea what the “cemetery of books” is or why his father is bringing him there. More importantly, Daniel has no idea of what he is going to face later on his journey.
A second section in Campbell’s book is “The Road of Trials”. On the road of trials, the hero will encounter and need to survive many essential tasks and responsibilities in order to continue on his or her journey. This phase of the journey is considered the “favorite phase of the myth-adventure,” filled with potential dangers and hazards (97). When the hero faces these challenges, “he soon finds himself in a landscape of symbolical figures” (101). These figures are usually ones that the hero has stumbled across in the past, which aid to some sort of personal affect.

In Ernest Hemingway’s “Indian Camp” a young male character named Nick is pulled along on a “road of trials” thanks to his father. Nick’s father being a doctor has been called to an Indian camp where he is to help a pregnant woman in need. Without realizing it, Nick is being forced into facing the real world where he will learn much about himself and the others around him. His “road of trails” includes seeing a young woman in pain, while her husband kills himself because of his wife’s pregnancy. Because the husband of the pregnant woman kills himself, Nick is left to question the meaning of life, and why the husband decided he did not want to live anymore. This example portrays how one’s personal “road of trials” aids a hero to learn more about him or herself, due to challenges that leave a lasting impression on the hero.


Being introduced to Campbell’s outlook on a hero’s journey has led me to rethink and establish my own journey and my future journey’s to come. I have realized that life is one big journey, that has little journey’s inside of it. One of my smaller journey’s has been Project Three. Before I started this project, I brainstormed and entered what Campbell would call “The Belly of the Whale”. I was not certain what topic or issue I wanted to write about and I was forced to learn about an unfamiliar issue and become acquainted with it. I chose to research the current issue of health in the fashion industry, and the negative image models in the fashion industry have on young woman. In Madrid, the fashion organizers decided to place a ban on models that had a Body Mass Index under 18. Although this restriction seemed to be a good idea, one which would have the potential to change other fashion organizers to follow in Madrid’s footsteps, the only thing this restriction did was create chaos and disagreements. Along my journey of research I was faced with a “Road of Trials” due to the fact that I was not sure which side of the debate I was on. I understood that a model’s health is very important and the image that model’s give off to young woman is a very influential one, but I also believed that fashion is an art and a model is somewhat of a canvas for designers.

Being introduced to Campbell’s “The Hero with a Thousand Faces” has led me to examine every movie I watch and story I read. On a more extreme level, I have come to realize that my everyday difficulties somehow fit into this genius outline as well. Campbell’s ideas should not be looked passed, for everything in life somehow fit’s into one little journey.