Megan Brown

Mrs. Rutan
AP Lit. & Comp.
20 October 2020
Brown, 1
A Story is More than Words

Words on a page may seem meaningless to some, but to others, they hold great promise

and adventure. These words can transport the reader to a fabricated imagination, so life-like it

can seem real. The countless calculated combinations of characters can show a whole new light

on some of the finest works in literature. Literature not only presents its audience with that story;

it shows the deep, ongoing complexity and symbolism of its characters, surroundings, and their

stories. In How to Read Literature Like a Professor, Thomas C. Foster reveals several commonly

seen theories in literature. His array of literary philosophies can be applied in many of Rick

Riordan’s mythology-inspired novels.

Rick Riordan wrote many stories that had inspiration from myth, Greek, Roman, Norse,

and Egyptian―to be specific. The first book was The Lighting Thief and it introduces a trio,

Percy, Grover, and Annabeth two are demigods―children of a mortal and celestial being―and a

satyr―a half-human half goat. Percy is the protagonist and was accused of stealing Zeus’ prized

bol. To prove his innocence the trio goes on a quest to find the bolt and return it to Mount

Olympus, which is located at the top of the Empire State building. In The Titan’s Curse, Percy,

his two quest mates, and the hunters of Artemis go on another adventure to help find the missing

goddess Artemis. When they find Artemis she is suffering from the titan’s curse―Atlas’ curse―

to hold the weight of the world on his shoulders. After a battle and rescue attempt, the life of the

hunter Zoe was lost. The Trials of Apollo are another one of Riordan’s works, the more recent

novels are about the god Apollo being punished in human form by his father Zeus, Apollo must

EARN his “godly-hood” back by going through many challenges. On his quest to return to the

gods above, on Mount Olympus, he is helped by serval demi-gods on the way

Megan Brown
Mrs. Rutan
AP Lit. & Comp.
20 October 2020
Brown, 2
ZAP!! I’m your dad.

On the outside, a quest might seem like the search for the holy grail or going across the

country in search of a god’s stolen lighting bolt―in Percy Jackson’s case―but symbolically is a

journey for self-knowledge and change of heart or self. In the first couple of chapters of The

Lighting Theif, the audience is getting to know a troubled young boy named Percy. He later

discovers he is a demi-god son of Poseidon and is sent on an important quest to retrieve the

lightning bolt of Zeus. Throughout the whole journey, Percy is discovering new things about this

greek mythology world he had been living in, “Things got even stranger” (Riordan, 12) is

something that would describe his encounters with things such as monster teachers and demon

chihuahuas. On this perilous search for the bolt, he grows to understand the world he is now a

part of. However, the biggest challenge Percy has come to terms with is his father, a man who

had abandoned him and his mother when he was just a baby, Sally Jackson―his mother―never

really talks about Poseidon and says he is “lost at sea”. His whole life and throughout this

journey he struggles to understand if his father loved or even cared for him at all. At the end of

the novel Percy meets his father and after a reflective conversation Posiden says “You are a true

sun to the sea god.” (Riordan,346) During this long journey, Percy can be seen hoping to gain his

father’s approval and seek his attention. At the end of his quest, he knows where he fits in the

world, the demi-god world, and now knows that his father has always been watching him. Who

would have thought a “bolt of lighting” would spark the growth of a young character.
Megan Brown
Mrs. Rutan
AP Lit. & Comp.
20 October 2020
Brown, 3
A stapler was my saving Grace

Foster ponders another theory that characters can be “marked for greatness”. (Foster,

193) If there is a scar, cut, or even the smallest mark on the character―think why. This mark can

be a foreshadowing tool that can connect the dots of the story and provide the audience with a

deeper understanding of the characters. In The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan, Jason Grace is on his

quest to an ice castle to get a clue about who they are saving. On this journey they run into the

Hunters of Artemis, their leader―Thalia Grace―noticed something about Jason. He has a scar

on his upper lip. At this point in the story, the audience is confused because we have no idea

what Thalia is doing. She smiles and rejoices because she found Jason―her long lost brother.

She begins to explain that when Jason was a toddler he was running around with a stapler, fell,

and received the well-renowned scar. This scar helped rejoin a brother and sister that had been

separated for years because of their parentage; no two demigods from the same family could be

together―it was too dangerous. It seems almost silly that a piece of office supplies could help

reunite families.

Yup, definitely Greek -

Stories are seldomly original, writers give and take from one another, many of the stories

stem from the Bible or myths. One of Foster’s theories explains that the “shaping of the story”

(Foster, 64) can come from Greek myth. It is very obvious that the whole Rick Riordan universe

of stories has direct inspiration from Greek, Roman, Norse, and Egyptian myth. The one thing

that Riordan totally could have changed were the names―but he kept some the same―for

example: Percy, Jason, and Zoe. Percy and Jason were both named after great Greek heroes,

Precious and well Jason. These names had a role in all of the stories, they were both great heroes.
Megan Brown
Mrs. Rutan
AP Lit. & Comp.
20 October 2020
Brown, 4
Zoe is a name that has a Greek meaning, life. This name can be seen as ironic because in

Riordan’s third book, the Titan’s Curse, Zoe - the faithful and devout hunter of Artemis - dies.

The reason why Riordan may push these allusions is to help teach the younger generations about

these tales and myths that get lost in the depths of time. The stories help uncover deep-rooted

universal truths about life.

He’s more than your typical hero-

Literature takes many references from biblical or mythological beginnings so many

books can have what Foster calls a “Christ figure”, who might have a couple of these attributes:

1. Wounds on side

2. Self Sacrificing

3. Known to have spent time alone in the wilderness

4. In agony

(Foster, 119)

Jason Grace is a blonde-haired, blue-eyed, demigod son of Zeus and your typical hero. After

reading Foster's book, Jason's sacrifice in one of Riordan’s novels hints at one Christ-like. Many

can see this as ironic because of the Christian view that Greek mythology is pagan like or not

Christian at all. Jason sacrificed himself on the lavish yacht owned by an ancient Roman emperor

Caligula―who is now very much alive. Jason dies to secure the message of warning about a

predestined attack on the Roman demigod camp, Camp Jupiter. He made sure the message would

remain alive in his friend’s hands ready to deliver. Even though he was 17 or so―Jason

sacrificed himself to save his friends―for a greater cause than himself. Ensuring his friends

would survive would then help the overall course of the demigod world. He was stabbed with a
Megan Brown
Mrs. Rutan
AP Lit. & Comp.
20 October 2020
Brown, 5
spear, much like that of the biblical figure Jesus, “his spear driving..” (Riordan 305). His death

was a sacrifice, he told his friends to flee and he would fight off the enemy. Jason had also had a

brief encounter with true evil, this true evil was one of the three most supposedly darkest

emperors of the time. A hero can be a sign of a divine being; one just has to look deep in the

words and text to recognize it.

Literature presents stories of fascination and wonder, but also significance and

understanding―a deeper meaning. The words an author chooses are not just aimlessly recorded

in ink―they are stories, lessons, and universal truths the world may have forgotten over time.

Foster's theories help young scholars perceive these implications and help them apply them to

any literary composition there is: books, poems, or movies. Words can take your imagination to

the most wonderful destinations and teach the most valuable lessons.