What makes a hero? - Matthew Winkler

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What trials unite not only Harry Potter or Frodo Baggins but many of literature's most interesting heroes? And what do ordinary people have in common with these literary heroes? Matthew Winkler takes us step-by-step through the crucial events that make or break a hero.

Lesson by Matthew Winkler, animation by Kirill Yeretsky.

What do Harry Potter,

Katniss Everdeen,

and Frodo

all have in common with the heroes of ancient myths?

What if I told you they are all variants of the same hero?

Do you believe that?

Joseph Campbell did.

He studied myths from all over the world

and published a book called,

"The Hero with a Thousand Faces,"

retelling dozens of stories

and explaining how each represents the mono-myth,

or hero's journey.

So, what is the "hero's journey"?

Think of it as a cycle.

The journey begins and ends in a hero's ordinary world,

but the quest passes through an unfamiliar, special world.

Along the way, there are some key events.

Think about your favorite book or movie.

Does it follow this pattern?

Status quo, that's where we start.

1:00: Call to Adventure.

The hero receives a mysterious message,

an invitation?

A challenge?

2:00: Assistance

The hero needs some help,

probably from someone older, wiser.

3:00: Departure

The hero crosses the threshold from his normal, safe home,

and enters the special world and adventure.

We're not in Kansas anymore.

4:00: Trials

Being a hero is hard work:

our hero solves a riddle,

slays a monster,

escapes from a trap.

5:00: Approach

It's time to face the biggest ordeal,

the hero's worst fear.

6:00: Crisis

This is the hero's darkest hour.

He faces death and possibly even dies

only to be reborn.

7:00: Treasure

As a result, the hero claims some treasure,

special recognition, or power.

8:00: Result

This can vary between stories.

Do the monsters bow down before the hero,

or do they chase him as he flees from the special world?

9:00: Return

After all that adventure, the hero returns to his ordinary world.

10:00: New Life

This quest has changed the hero;

he has outgrown his old life.

11:00: Resolution

All the tangled plot lines get straightened out.

12:00: Status Quo,

but upgraded to a new level.

Nothing is quite the same once you are a hero.

Many popular books and movies

follow this ancient formula pretty closely.

But let's see how well "The Hunger Games" fits the hero's journey template.

When does Katniss Everdeen hear her call to adventure

that gets the story moving?

When her sister's name is called from the lottery.

How about assistance?

Is anyone going to help her on her adventure?

Haymitch.

What about departure?

Does she leave her ordinary world?

She gets on a train to the capital.

OK, so you get the idea.

What do you have in common

with Harry Potter,

Katniss Everdeen,

and Frodo?

Well, you're human, just like them.

The hero's journey myth exists in all human cultures

and keeps getting updated

because we humans reflect on our world

through symbolic stories of our own lives.

You leave your comfort zone,

have an experience that transforms you,

and then you recover and do it again.

You don't literally slay dragons or fight Voldemort,

but you face problems just as scary.

Joseph Campbell said,

"in the cave you fear to enter lies the treasure you seek."

What is the symbolic cave you fear to enter?

Auditions for the school play?

Baseball tryouts?

Love?

Watch for this formula in books, movies, and TV shows you come across.

You will certainly see it again.

But also be sensitive to it in your own life.

Listen for your call to adventure.

Accept the challenge.

Conquer your fear

and claim the treasure you seek.

And then,

do it all over again.