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"Refusal of the summons converts the adventure into its negative. Walled in boredom, hard work, or 'culture,' the subject loses the power of significant affirmative action and becomes a victim to be saved. His flowering world becomes a wasteland of dry stones and his life feels meaningless - even though, like King Minos, he may through titanic effort succeed in building an empire or renown. Whatever house he builds, it will be a house of death: a labyrinth of cyclopean walls to hide from him his minotaur. All he can do is create new problems for himself and await the gradual approach of his disintegration."
-Joseph Campbell, The Hero with a Thousand Faces |
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A Hero's Journey: Refusal of the Call
Last month I introduced the first step in the Hero's Journey, the Call to Adventure. The next step is the Refusal. Often the hero doesn't want to go to where the herald calls. Even if the prospect of going on an adventure had appealed before, reality comes too fast and the hero suddenly discovers that home hasn't been quite so comfortable, that really there are things that need to be done here, and it's not really his job to do whatever the herald asked. In other words, the hero may be afraid of the unknown and insecure about his own abilities to handle the task laid before him. For example, when Harry Potter is told that he is a wizard and that he has the chance to go to the wonderful school Hogwarts to learn how to use his talents, his refusal is centered on his perception of himself; small, friendless, weird Harry who has to wear tape on his glasses to keep them from falling apart. Certainly if he had magical powers, he wouldn't be beat up by his cousin all the time; someone with magical powers would be a lot cooler than he was.
Here's another refusal of a quest from a movie you may recognize:
HERALD: "You must learn the ways of the Force if you're to come with me to Alderaan."
HERO: "Alderaan? I'm not going to Alderaan. I've got to get home. It's late. I'm in for it as it is . . . Listen, I can't get involved. I've got work to do. It's not that I like the Empire; I hate it. But there's nothing I can do about it right now... It's all such a long way from here.
From Star Wars: A New Hope (1977).
With the hero's refusal, some stories have an abrupt ending; those stories can often end in tragedy. In longer, epic stories, however, it merely takes another event, usually forced onto the hero, that boots him out the door. Sometimes the events are humorous, such as Bilbo Baggins from J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit being invaded by thirteen dwarves who eat all his cake. But, often, the events are tragic. Luke Skywalker, from the example above, only decides to go with Obi-Wan Kenobi after seeing the deaths of his aunt and uncle.
Do the events to propel the hero forward have to be tragic? Not necessarily; I think that they are often so sad because whatever gets the hero out the door and onto the journey that will change his life has to be so momentous, so shocking, that sometimes only tragedy will provide the necessary strength for the move.
The Refusal is the first crisis of the Hero's Journey. Because of the refusal, something may happen that may not have happened if the hero had answered otherwise. Usually, this event, like I mentioned above, is tragic. For example, Frodo, from The Lord of the Rings is reluctant to set out from the Shire and is nearly captured by Ringwraiths.
The Refusal (and eventual Acceptance) of the call signal the first threshold crossed. No looking back. From that point forward, everything will be different for the hero; they will see the world in a new light.
Questions to help think about this step
 Does the hero refuse the call?
If so, what motivates the refusal? Obligation and duty, fear, a sense of inadequacy to take on the quest, a dread or dislike of the task to be taken on?
Is the person ready to leave home, to accept adult status? If not, why?
Works cited: The Hero With a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell |
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 Erin's Fantasy Book of the Month
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The seller of lightning rods arrived just ahead of the storm. He came along the street of Green Town, Illinois, in the late cloudy October day, sneaking glances over his shoulder. Somewhere not so far back, vast lightnings stomped the earth. Somewhere, a storm like a great beast with terrible teeth could not be denied.
- First paragraph of Something Wicked This Way Comes
I haven't read a lot by Bradbury, but this book etched itself into my memory with its dark, poetical descriptions and fascinating characters. It's a fitting read for October and will send delightful chills down your spine as the plot unfolds, but it's also not too scary for those of you who don't like Stephen King kind of horror. Jim Nightshade and Will Holloway are best friends born only a few hours apart. When the carnival comes to town, however, their enthusiasm is soon dampened by the realization that the carnival's MC, Mr. Dark, is hunting them.
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From: Strange Wulf  
Well, I don't know if you'd call it a "call to adventure", but I started writing after a very strange dream. It involved martial arts, a luxurious mansion... and the three hyenas from the Lion King. =P And apparently I was their father, despite being human. It was so odd, I had to write about it!
While that story may have gone by the wayside, it still inspired me to start writing, and I've been doing so ever since. =P Not bad for a weird dream, huh?
Whatever it takes, right? 
From: Breezy-E ~ In College
I have a herald in my book, though I hadn't really thought of it that way. I just needed a way to get my heroine to change worlds, so your topic was surprising as well as interesting.
Thanks for sharing! I think a lot of the Hero's Journey is done unconsciously for the most part; the plot simply calls for something to get the hero out the door!
From: Lorien
Wow! I just finished reading Campbell's Hero with a Thousand Faces yesterday, so what a great coincedence to find it in this newsletter! Very cool!
From: Ariella
I like the idea of the Hero's Journey, and I think it's a good way to start a story if you've never written fantasy. However, I think you're right when you say that it can make your writing stiff and formula-like if you use it continually. You have to add your own twists once you get the hang of it.
From: billwilcox
Hello? Hello, Erin? Yeah, this is some frightening, ugly, or just plain strange, herald calling. Are ya ready for a quest?  Great newsletter, thanks for sharing...
Thanks, Bill. I'll go on any adventure you offer... as long as it leads to someplace sunny and warm. It's freezing here in Ohio! |
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Fantasy: October 18, 2006 Issue [#1321]
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