VS.
Danielle McIntyre 7th Period
Homer’s The Odyssey
J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan
Hero’s Journey
Project
Departure
In order to unleash
the unknown within
himself, the hero must
leave his familiar
beginnings…
The Call to
Adventure
“Whether dream or myth, in these
adventures there is an atmosphere of
irresistible fascination about the figure that
appears suddenly as guide, marking a new
period, a new stage, in the biography”
(Campbell 46).
Some of Mr. Darling’s items of clothing have been mistreated by his sons
who were acting from a scene of their big sister’s stories. He stomps away,
angrily, on his way to a dinner party, only to inform Wendy on the way that she is
to grow up immediately the next day. She sighs because she does not want to
grow up, she was still a great believer in these wondrous tales. Right when the
parents disappeared, Peter and Tinker Bell appeared in the room! Wendy was
ecstatic and told Peter of her troubles. He had a solution, Never Land, a place
where there was no such thing as growing
up. At first she was hesitant, but was
eventually intrigued by the magic
happening around her! Just “think
of a wonderful thought,” add a little pixie
dust, and you’d be on your way, Peter
insisted (Barrie). Pulled in by all their
individual imaginations, they all were
off the ground in no time, shouting “we
can fly, we can fly, we can fly!” (Barrie).
Initiation
On the testing
ground, the hero
is tested on every
level…
After surviving his first major test, the
hero is presented with a series of
challenges comprising the major
weight of his journey…
The Road of
Trials
Upon arriving, the first thing Wendy wanted to
witness was the mermaid Lagoon, but they weren’t so
inviting, and “only tried to drown her” (Barrie)! She had
enough self defense to get them to stop, which was good
because Peter was just as immature, laughing along! She
also helped rescue Tiger Lilly from the evil Captain Hook
and return her back to the Indians. When she arrived at
the campsite, they all sang in unison and let the lost boys
go. This is when Wendy finally started to show the true
aspects of a hero, deciding to go home. Michael and John
complained because they never wanted to grow up!
Wendy insisted though, stating “you need a mother, we all
do,” in which they all really did (Barrie). Whether they liked
it or not, they needed a motherly figure to guide them and
show them right from wrong in the world. At this point, it
was truly Wendy, and this was her major test. Their taste
of a dream, better than even imagined, had been lived and
now it was time to snap back to reality. Wendy saved them
from living something too good to be true. When all of
them were captured by Hook, Wendy had to stay strong
for the rest of them and believe that Peter would come.
Her bravery amongst everyone else’s showed attributes of
a hero, even when the air was filled with doubt.
Return
Even after
succeeding in
his primary
task, the hero’s
journey is far
from over…
The
Crossing
of the
Return
Threshold
Even though Wendy is nowhere close to being
a full blown woman, she exemplified a motherly figure
when it was needed. When she returned back to the
nursery, she tricked herself from these experiences to
think that she was now “ready to grow up” after all
(Barrie). Her father was just overreacting earlier, but
from her trip to Never Land, she now knows of her
capabilities to lead the way. As she slowly matures, she
will continue to teach Michael and John some of the
wisdom she gained from Never Land. Even though her
time was much enjoyed there, she won’t ever go back
because of what she has learned. She has experienced
all that she needs to, and will always inside believe firsthand, but will progress into adulthood with the help
from her parents on this wonderful journey.
Though the hero returns, the man that left can never
cross back over – marked by his knowledge, the hero is
forever a different figure…
At the very beginning,
before this huge epic journey
starts, Odysseus is put face to
face with a beautiful goddess,
Calypso. One can only imagine
how breath-taking that sight
could be, but Odysseus
seemed to show no interest at
all. The only woman he ever
thought to stay loyal to is his
“quiet Penelope” (Book 5, 82).
Sure, she was aging and one
day would die mortal, none of
the ability of a great goddess,
but he “longed for home,
longed for the sight of
home…” (Book 5, 86). That
was his great motivation/
fascination and one day, even
after all the troubles he would
soon face, he would reach it.
DepartureCall of
Adventure
At the beginning of the quest, the hero is
drawn forward onto a new and terrifying
path…
InitiationRoad of Trials
Odysseus had just defeated the giant
Cyclops, screaming his name was Nohbody,
hiding his identity. But, he went back to rub the
victory in his face and revealed himself. Too
bad for him, because the Cyclops was furious
enough to shout out to Poseidon for a curse.
Boy, did Odysseus have it coming! Instead of a
journey that could have been long, but
peaceful, he would have to endure almost the
impossible as Cyclops said “should destiny
intend that he shall see his roof again among
his family in his father land, far be that day, and
dark the years between. Let him loose all
companions and return under strange sail to
bitter days at home” (Book 9, 447-452).
“Once having traversed the
threshold, the hero moves in a
dream landscape of curiously
fluid, ambiguous forms, where he
must survive a succession of
trials” (Campbell 81).
If the hero has been so marked by his
journey that he is incapable of selfextraction, other agents of the story can
come to his rescue…
ReturnRescue From
Without
Odysseus is finally
united with his son! At this
point in the journey, he is
unaware of the dilemma they
are about to face. Still teary
from this heart-wrenching
scene, Telemachus has to
warn him of the future, that
“they face more than 100
suitors” (Book 16). Then, he,
as another agent in the story,
helps him fight them off.
Odysseus will be disguised
as an old man and
Telemachus will act as if he
does not know him.
Works Cited
Allen, Janet. "The Odyssey." Holt McDougal Literature: Texas Grade
ed. Evanston, Ill.: Holt McDougal, a division of Houghton Mifflin
9.
Texas
Harcourt, 2010.
1185-1288. Print.
Peter Pan (Special Edition). Dir. Clyde Geronimi. Perf. Bobby Driscoll, Kathryn
Beaumont, Hans Conried. Walt Disney Video, 1953. VHS.
"Peter Pan - Full Movie Script - Disney Link Found on Fanpop." Fanpop - Fan
clubs for everything. What are you a fan of?. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Feb. 2011.
<http://www.fanpop.com.>