ENG470 Stages of The Heroic Journey in Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone

THE STAGES OF THE HEROIC JOURNEY

in HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE

"All stories consist of a few common structural elements found universally in myths,

fairy tales, dreams, and movies. They are known collectively as The Hero's Journey.

Understanding these elements and their use in modern writing is the object of our quest.

Used wisely, these ancient tools of the storyteller's craft still have tremendous power to heal

our people and make the world a better place."

- Christopher Vogler

ENG470: Symbols and Archetypes in Children's Literature

* Hayley Townsend

* Gianna Tracey

* Douglas Wasbotten

tests, allies, enemies

"Once across the First Threshold, the hero naturall encounters new challenges and Tests, makes Allies and Enemies and begins to learn the rules of the Special World."

allies

tests

Enemies

Professor

Quirinus

Quirrell

Devil's Snare

Rubeus Hagrid

Getting the Key

Trickster

Chess Game

Professor Quirrell is considered to be the trickster because:

• catalyst character
• represents change
• mischief and lies

Shadow

Draco Malfoy

Voldemort needs to get rid of Harry because Harry is preventing him from achieving what he desires most, power. In the book though , Dumbledore was unable to tell Harry at this time exactly why Voldemort wants to kill him.

Professor Minerva McGonagall

and

Professor Albus Dumbledore

Hermione Granger & Ron Weasley

The Mirror of Erised

crossing the first threshold

approach to the inmost cave

(Harry crosses the

first threshold when he runs through the wall at the train station and finds the platform for 9 3/4.)

meeting with the mentor

...guarded by "Fluffy" - the 3-headed dog.

The Trap Door...

"Now the hero finally commits to the adventure and fully enters The Special World of the story for the first time by Crossing the First Threshold. He agrees to face the consequences of dealing with the problem or challenge posed in The Call to Adventure."

(Albus Dumbledore is Mentor to Harry Potter. But in the beginning of the book/movie Hagrid also plays a mentor role for Harry. Both of them motivate and teach Harry. They also plant information that will be useful to Harry later on.)

"The hero comes at last to the edge of a dangerous place, sometimes deep underground, where the object of a quest is hidden. Often, it's the headquarters of the hero's greatest enemy, the most dangerous spot in the Special World, the Inmost Cave. When the hero enters that fearful place, he will cross the second major threshold. Heroes often pause at the gate to prepare, plan and outwit the villain's guards. This is the phase of the Approach. Approach covers all the preparations for entering The Inmost Cave and confronting Death or Supreme Danger."

In the book The Writer's Journey by Christopher Volger he says, in the Inmost Cave the Heros will, " find another mysterious zone with its own Threshold Guardians, agendas, and tests(143)."

(In the Inmost Cave, Harry finds Fluffy the Threshold Guardian, then as mentioned before is put through a series of tests: Devils Snare, the flying keys, and the giant chess game.)

"By this time, many stories will have introduced a Merlin-like character who is the hero's Mentor. The relationship between hero and Mentor is one of the most common themes in mythology and one of the richest in its symbolic value. It stands for the bond between parent and child, teacher and student, doctor and patient, God and Man."

• Prepares the hero for the unknown.

• They may give advice, guidance or magical equipment.

RETURN WITH THE ELIXIR

REFUSAL OF THE CALL

the ordeal*

the road back*

Harry goes home with a picture of his parents, a symbol of love and unity for Harry. He also has learned what family and home is. In the movie when he is getting on the train with Hermione she says, "feels strange to be going home doesn't it?" and Harry replies with, "I'm not going home. Not really." Harry has learned that home is a place that you feel same and loved. He is taking this back to the Ordinary World as a learned lesson.

"Often at this point the hero balks at the threshold of adventure, Refusing the Call or expressing reluctance. After all, she is facing the greatest of all fears, terror of the unknown."

THE CALL TO ADVENTURE

Vogler writes,"In psychological terms this stage represents the resolve of the hero to return to the Ordinary World and implement the lessons learned in the Special World(189)."

Herald

Harry finds out that Quirrell and Voldemort are two in one; sharing a body. While Harry is trying to protect the stone, he is also feeling pain in his head from being so close to Voldemort. In the book, as soon as Quirrell touched Harry, "a needle-sharp pain seared across Harry's scar; his head felt as though ti was about to split in two (294)..." The pain became so unbearable that Harry blacked out as the book says, "He[Harry] felt Quirrell's arm wrenched from his grasp, knew all was lost, and fell into blackness, down (295)..." The black out symbolizes Harry's death and his rebirth is when he wakes up safe and sound in the hospital.

"Here, the fortunes of the hero hit bottom in a confrontation with his greatest fear. He faces the possibility of death and is brought to the brink in a battle with a hostile force. The Ordeal is a 'black moment' for the audience, as we are held in suspense and tension, not knowing if he will live or die. This is a critical moment in any story, an Ordeal in which the hero must die or appear to die so that she can be born again. It's a major source of the magic of the heroic myth...what happens to the hero happens to us. We are encouraged to experience the brink of death moment with her...every story needs such a life and death moment which the hero or his goals are in moral jeopardy."

The Hero returns to The Ordinary World but the journey is meaningless unless she brings back some Elixir, treasure or lesson from the Special World. Sometimes the Elixir is treasure on on the quest but it may be love, freedom, wisdom or the knowledge that the Special World exists and can be survived.

Vogler writes, "having survived all the ordeals, having lived through death, heroes return to their starting place, go home, or continue the journey. But they always prceed with a sense that they are commencing a new life, one that will be forever different becasue of the road just traveled(215)."

(Harry has received an invitation to study Wizardry at Hogwart's. For a brief moment, his insecurities get the better of him and he thinks about declining. .)

The owls are the messengers. They make a call for a change by sending letters to Harry to come to Hogwarts.

At the end of the book Harry takes the road back to his old home with the his uncle Vernon and aunt Petunia for the summer. With his new magic skills Harry says that he will have a good summer for, "They don't know we're not allowed to use magic at home. I'm going to have a lot of fun with Dudley this summer...(309)" Harry is no longer afraid of his family and knows how to stand up for himself.

When Harry's invitations to Hogwart's are continuously intercepted by Mr Dorsley, magic ensures at least one will get to his hands.

"

"The hero is presented with a problem, challenge or adventure to undertake. Once presented with a Call to Adventure she can no longer remain indefinitely in the comfort of The Ordinary World."

Hero

reward

Harry Potter is the main character and the Hero of the story. He is the most active and growing character. He comes face to face with death on multiple occasions.

tHE RESURRECTION

Works cited

Harry's reward is finding out that the Sorcerer's stone didn't end up in the wrong hands, along with a celebration. Harry wakes up "and next to him was a table piled high with what looked like half the candy shop (296)."

"Having survived Death, beaten the dragon or slain the Minotaur, Hero and audience have cause to celebrate. The Hero now takes possession of the treasure she has come seeking, her Reward. It might be a special weapon like a magic sword or a token like the Grail or some elixir which can heal the wounded land." Also, Vogler says, "When hunters have survived death and brought down their game...Heroes may have the equivalent of a party...in which they cook or consume some of the fruits of victory (176)."

STAGE ONE: THE ORDINARY WORLD

Vogler writes, "For a story to feel complete, the audience needs to experience an additional moment of death and rebirth, similar to the Sureme Ordeal but subtly different(197)." In a Cleansing Vogler says, "returning hunters may be quarantined safely away from the tribe for a period of time. To reintegrate hunters and warriors into the tribe shamans use rituals that mimic the effects of death (198)..."

Before joining his classmates, Dumbledore allows Harry to have a day off to heal. But, the next death and rebirth Harry faces after waking up in the hospital is when Slytherin almost wins the House Cup. But Harry is revived when him and his team of Gryffindor win the cup through the bravery and demonstration of their ablilty to use what they have learned at school.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Dir. Chris Columbus. 2001. Blue Ray.

Rowling, J. K., and Mary GrandPré. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. N.p.: Bloomsbury, 1997. Print.

Vogler, Christopher. The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers. Studio City: Michael Weise Productions, 2007. Print.

The Dursley's

Harry's Life: Living in the cupboard under the stairs with the Dursley's.

"Most stories take the hero out of the ordinary, mundane and into a Special World, new and alien. This is the familiar 'fish out of water' idea that has spawned countless films and TV shows."