A Myth for Our Time

What Does the Hero's Journey say about US?

Any child growing up in western culture finds heroes. Our culture serves up these hero stories, like popcorn with butter (often with actual popcorn and butter!).

In The Hero With a Thousand Faces, scholar Joseph Campbell describes the hero archetype—a pattern that resonates across cultures, genders, social classes, and political lines. He outlines the “Hero’s Journey,” a structure so deeply woven into our myths and literature that we feel incomplete when it’s not followed.

That’s why Hollywood storytellers create such powerful narratives by following its formula. It goes like this:

The hero begins in their ordinary world—sometimes boring, sometimes joyful—but always with a sense that something more awaits.

Then comes the Call to Adventure—an invitation or unexpected thrust into unfamiliar circumstances. The hero may resist, but eventually steps forward as the stakes rise.

Crossing the threshold, the hero enters a new world—unfamiliar, often dangerous. Like Luke Skywalker returning to find no home, Dorothy swept into a tornado, or Frodo burdened with the One Ring, the hero begins the quest.

Revealing their true character one choice at a time, the hero—brave and full of resolve—presses forward. They don’t go alone. A wise guide offers wisdom or a mysterious gift—Obi-Wan, Gandalf, Merlin. Devoted companions help face growing trials: Sam, Ron and Hermione, the Scarecrow and Tinman. Together, they overcome hurdles, each one pointing toward a greater challenge.

Ultimately, the hero must face the greatest test—alone. This is the Tipping Point—the pit, the moment all hope seems lost.

Calling on inner resolve, the hero faces annihilation—sometimes symbolized by a fire-breathing dragon. Victory comes only after the hero remembers who they are and why they’re here. Sometimes, a mentor’s gift or a companion’s love becomes the lifeline, but it’s the hero’s inner strength that turns the tide.

The hero emerges changed—fighting their way out of the cave, flying from the Death Star, clicking the heels of her red shoes and believing in… Home.

They return transformed, bearing gifts for the ordinary world.

Why are we so attracted to these hero stories—especially now?

Here in the U.S., The Hero’s Journey is our go-to myth. From The Wizard of Oz to Star Wars to Harry Potter, these stories invite us in and ask us to walk the path ourselves.

Campbell believed the archetype resonates so deeply because it reflects our untapped potential. These stories call us to courage, to embrace the adventure of being alive.

The hero’s path is rarely chosen, but always met. Success arrives only through courage, perseverance, and a higher calling. Moving through fear, the hero transforms—not just the world, but themselves.

We live in difficult times—times that call forth heroic acts, large and small.

In ordinary life, it’s easy to feel unremarkable. “I just care for my dad with Alzheimer’s,” we might say. I’m too old, too tired, too stressed. Heroes are other people—we watch them on TV.

But real heroes go unseen. We may not recognize our own kindness as courageous, or see our creative acts as resistance. We may not even realize we’re in a story at all.

How much easier it would be to live fully and with purpose if we saw ourselves as part of an unfolding adventure—if we knew what’s at stake and what was ours to do.

Motivated By Love

In the stories we love, the hero knows what matters most. Their ‘why’ is strong enough to move them through fear. They act because something they love is threatened—and they know their next step.

Dorothy longed to return to Auntie Em. Luke faced an empire after losing his family. Frodo carried the Ring because no one else could. None of them saw themselves as heroes. But they each knew the next step was theirs to take.

They were motivated by love—love of place, of people, of life.

Perhaps, in these times, we can begin to see ordinary acts as extraordinary. Maybe we need to understand why this myth speaks so profoundly to us right now. We are in the midst of an epic story!

To find our own place in this story, we must first rediscover what we love. What is my version of The Shire? What do I love enough to act, even at personal cost? Crisis, conflict, even politics draw out our inner heroes. We do our best work when fueled by something greater than ourselves.

We may not see the whole story until the end. Living inside it is like swimming in the ocean—it’s hard to get perspective without stepping back.

But we can imagine what’s possible. We can ask what’s at stake and who is involved. Just like any good story.

Hollywood has it down to a system. They ask:

• Who is the hero?
• What do they want? (What do they love?)
• What is in the way?

They know that the Hero’s Journey story arc is defined by two critical moments: the Call to Adventure and the Tipping Point. These moments define our favorite stories—and potentially help us see our own.

A Call to Adventure

What if everything so far is just a prelude to our own Call to Adventure? We might be tempted to ignore that call—for a while, anyway. I’ll either feel drawn to say yes because I know it is mine to do, OR I wait.

Then the call becomes even more urgent.

I wonder: what if all of our favorite books and movies were sent here to prepare us for this very moment?

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Next time, I’ll explore the Tipping Point—the part where the hero either gives up or gets going. For now, I’ll leave you with a quote from historian Heather Cox Richardson’s January 19, 2025 *Letters from an American* newsletter:

“People are wrong to say that we have no heroes left. Just as they have always been, they are all around us, choosing to do the right thing, no matter what.”