Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers. 3rd ed.
The next two stages of Vogler’s hero’s journey are the Resurrection and the Return with the Elixir. The eleventh stage of the hero’s journey, the resurrection, is where the climax frequently occurs. The climax, different from the crisis that occurred earlier, is when the hero is faced with the last and the most dangerous meeting with death. This is when the author will show how the hero has changed throughout the story. This is the stage when the hero “sheds the personality of the journey” and develops a new personality that will be suitable for their return to the old world. This stage helps enforce the lesson of the ordeal, as well as to cleanse the hero of death. This is often the scene in a western where a showdown takes place. The resurrection could also be a choice or a romantic choice. If the story consists of a rolling climax, the resurrection will be included in this. The word catharsis has come to mean an emotional breakthrough; this often happens in the resurrection. The last chance for the hero to make a major change, or the hero having to surrender something, is also things that may occur during the resurrection. The twelfth stage is the return with the elixir. This is when the hero returns to the ordinary world with something to share with others. This can be a lesson, an object, or something to “heal a wounded land”. There are two ways a story can be concluded, they are circular or open ended. The circular, or closed form, of ending a story is the most popular way of ending a story because it gives the audience closure and more of a “so what” to the story. On the other hand, the open-ended story form is one that doesn’t have a set conclusion and in a way can be continued in the minds of the audience.
The stage of resurrection is not a stage that I always like. For a brief moment in the story you think the hero has found peace and that the hero is safe. Then just a moment later the author throws another near death experience in the face of the audience and disturbs the peace they have found. I also do not like open-ended story forms. I am a typical westerner and prefer closure at the end of a story. I hate when the author leaves me with a sense of wondering or worrying. The only time I like to be left not knowing is when the author plans on coming out with a sequel to the story.
1. Which do you prefer, a circular story form or a open-ended story form?
2. In your memoir what was your resurrection?
3. In your memoir what was the elixir that you returned with?
1 comment:
I think it depends on the story if I prefer a circular or open-ended ending. I like to question and be involved in a story and wonder what happened and think about different endings, but at the same time I like to have one specific ending. So I suppose it depends on the story and my mood which I prefer.
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