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James Jaochico
Amy Moellering
English 1A
September 8, 2016
The Portrayal of the Heros Journey
There are many structures that stories take to tell their tales, but none so classic as the
Heros Journey. The Heros Journey, identified by mythologist Joseph Campbell in his book The
Hero with a Thousand Faces, is a universal framework that countless books, movies, poems, or
other forms of narratives use to tell their story. It involves the Hero, or the protagonist, going
through many stages of an adventure, starting with a change in their daily life, to embarking on
their journey, meeting mentors, passing trials, transforming, returning, and ultimately redeeming
or defeating the overall problem. By the end of the whole ordeal, theyll have learned something
and life would be different than it was before, whether it be in a positive or bittersweet way. This
layout is used often for its timelessness and adaptability to many forms of lore, from romance
novels to epic poems. As of late, however, modern literature and media have added a twist to the
works, replacing the hero with someone closer to a villain, creating a sort of Anti-Heros
Journey. Although the story is much of the same, using morally reprehensible characters as the
protagonists for these narratives reveals a want for realism with an edge, and a sort of cynicism
or distrust in the ideal heroes of old.
Relatively recent events in the world may have led to some animosity with those who
were previously thought to be the saviors or the heroes. Those the previous generation exalted,
such as police officers or soldiers in the military, are now painted in dark colors of racism,
brutality, and crimes of their own. A report on Gallup.com by Jeffrey M. Jones shows that a

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whole 18% of Americans have very little or no confidence in the police, which is the highest
Gallup has measured to date. Songs like F*** The Police have risen in popularity, and
antagonists in films have had their shoes filled by civil protection. People in general wish for a
new type of justice to be doled out by the less-than-legal types of hero, such as the popular T.V.
show Dexter, about criminals being killed by a psychopath rather than being apprehended by the
law. Many have grown cynical towards police forces and dont find them as engaging as a hero
anymore, so they lean towards these anti-heroes as rebellious icons against the ones who they
feel have abused, manipulated, or otherwise wronged society.
Another reason that the heros journey has been bastardized into an anti-heros journey is
because of the public fascination with violence and evil acts over acts of good. Events of great
tragedy are often over-reported, such as the Trayvon Martin case, the Sandy Hook shootings, or
the shooting in Aurora, Colorado. All of these incidents had news coverage for months after they
transpired, as opposed to many acts of charity or altruism that goes overlooked underneath all of
these stories of murder and violence. It appears that violence dominates the news, despite, as
reported by Paul A. Samakow on commdiginews.com, less than 0.37 percent, or slightly more
than one-third of one percent of the population, committed a crime during the year of 2014.
This leads back to heroes. Audiences in America have a fascination with violence and death, as
reflected by news stations frequent reporting of violent crime. Heroes are not mainly known for
killing, or inflicting pain on others, so how can the media satisfy a need for a sympathetic
protagonist and a need for violence? They need to use people who have no qualms with hurting
people, and this phenomenon shot Deadpool to the top of the box office, and Game of Thrones to
the top of the TV ratings.

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As well as these two explanations for the use of the anti-hero, a third reason would be

that Americans relate better to a protagonist with flaws, which is lacking in the older stories that
follow the Heros Journey. The quintessential example of the Heros Journey, the Star Wars
original trilogy, follows Luke Skywalker on his adventure through the galaxy, but he seems to
lack the temptations of a normal person. He only has goodness in his heart and only wishes to
save the galaxy. Its hard to relate to someone without faults, which is why people relate to
Walter White, as hes relatively normal and gives in to the allure of crime and money, or why
people relate to Tyrion Lannister, who has a moral compass, but cant resist some time spent
drinking or being intimate with women. These characters, because of their faults, are characters
that the audience can fill the positions of. Theyre realistic, they have shortcomings, just like all
humans do. No one is perfect.
Despite all of this, the Heros Journey is still alive and well, and variations of it are still
released regularly. In John Romaniellos summary of the Heros Journey, he states, the
monomyth begins with the main character, or Hero, in one place, and ends with him in another
both physically and emotionally. However, whats popular now isnt the traditional Heros
Journey that history knows and loves, but a new, fresh, edgy take on the classic framework.
Instead of seeing a heros rise to glory, were seeing someone who is almost a villain descend
into infamy. Heroes are no longer the main characters of these stories, but the supporting
character, or even the villain. People have become pessimistic about the heroes of lore, and this
is the modern response. Its the natural flow of narratives, as the old formula becomes tired, the
new one comes and replaces it, and it works; within each of us exists a Walter White, a Frank
Underwood, or a Tyrion Lannister. The fantasies are still there, but instead of portraying dreams
and what-ifs of heroism, altruism, and glory, theyre portraying the what-ifs of drug use,

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crime, debauchery, and ruthless paths taken to power. Theyre not portraying what would happen
if the extraordinary person was placed into an extraordinary position, as most classic stories did.
Theyre portraying normal people under extreme temptation giving into their desires and paying
for the consequences. Its realistic, its raw, its gritty, and thats what the audiences are
fascinated with these days. It allows the dark side to come alive and receive some attention on
the screen, or the page. This doesnt speak negatively on our culture, but it does speak for it in a
way, and it says that we as a society believe its high time to turn a watching eye to the villains
now.

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Works Cited
Romaniello, John. "From Mythology to Masculinity: How the Hero's Journey Can Help

You Become a Better Man The Art of Manliness. N.p., 11 July 2013. Web. 07 Sept. 2016.

Samakow, Paul. "Americas Fascination with Violent Crime: Based on Reality?"

Communities Digital News. N.p., 06 Mar. 2016. Web. 07 Sept. 2016.

Jones, Jeffrey M. "In U.S., Confidence in Police Lowest in 22 Years." Gallup.com. N.p.,
19 June 2015. Web. 07 Sept. 2016.