Related to both plot diagram and types of literary conflict, the ”Hero’s Journey” is a recurring pattern of stages many heroes undergo over the course of their stories. Joseph Campbell, an American mythologist, writer, and lecturer, articulated this cycle after researching and reviewing numerous myths and stories from a variety of time periods and regions of the world. He found that they all share fundamental principles. This spawned the Hero’s Journey, also known as the Monomyth. The most basic version has 12 steps, while more detailed versions can have up to 17.
As students read To Kill a Mockingbird, they'll be able to see each step in the Monomyth unfold for certain characters, like Atticus or Scout. It can be helpful to introduce students to the steps prior to reading so they can log them as they make their way through the story. When students have finished, they can complete a storyboard detailing the Hero's Journey of a selected character.
| STAGE | SUMMARY |
|---|---|
| Ordinary World | Sleepy Maycomb Alabama, 1930s |
| Call to Adventure | Atticus is asked to defend Tom Robinson, a black man accused of rape. |
| Refusal | He realizes the attention that this case will bring, and that it will expose his family to the cruelty of society. The psychological journey of Atticus and his family begins as they battle morals vs. prejudice in the South. |
| Mentor / Helper | Calpurnia is often Atticus’ helper. She is his black cook and disciplinarian for the children. She acts as the passage for the Finches into the black community. The Mentor of the novel is Miss Maudie, who, like Atticus, believes in Justice and becomes friends with the children. |
| Crossing the Threshold | As the trial begins, hostility towards the Finches grows. Although Atticus knows what the verdict will be, he promises to do everything he can for Tom. |
| Test / Allies / Enemies | Many of the townspeople become enemies during the trial. They allow their racism to cloud their judgment and morality:
|
| Approach | The trial ends with a guilty verdict, but Scout's journey has not ended. She still faces hardships brought on by her father’s involvement in the trial. |
| Ordeal | Sometime after the trial, Scout and Jem are walking home. Bob Ewell attacks them. Boo Radley, who is agoraphobic, leaves his home to save the children and kills Ewell in a fight. |
| Reward | Scout and Jem’s lives are spared. |
| Road Back | Scout gains a moral education, their lives are saved, and her faith in the goodness of humanity is somewhat restored by Boo, who risked his life for them. |
| Atonement | The Sheriff rules Ewell’s death accidental, saying that he fell on his own knife. “Let the dead bury the dead.” |
| Return | The Sheriff’s decision not to convict Boo restores Scout and Jem’s faith in justice and humanity. While Atticus does not think this is right at first, Scout explains to him that sending Boo to jail would be like killing a mockingbird. These words prove Scout has learned a valuable lesson, and has come full circle in her journey. |
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Student Instructions
Use the story of To Kill a Mockingbird and map it to the narrative structure of the Hero's Journey.
Give brief definitions and explanations of the Hero’s journey and the Three-Act Structure. Teachers can give examples and explain different stages in both concepts. Clarify that Hero’s Journey is focused on the struggles of the main character and the Three-Act structure is focused on the progression of the story itself.
In order to help students differentiate between the two concepts, teachers can provide them with examples where the difference is clear. These examples can be from literature or daily life.
Recommend the students some books that fall into these categories. Students can read the books one by one and dissect which concept applies the best and how they will summarize the stories to fit into the stages of the Hero’s Journey or the Three-Act structure.
Students can pick a book of their own choice and try to re-enact the events of that book according to the above mentioned concepts. The rest of the class will have to guess the events and the concept being applied. This activity will sharpen their critical thinking skills.
Encourage the students to examine and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each structure as well as how various stories can benefit from each method. Students can also reflect upon some of the similarities and differences of each concept and which one they think works the best.
Scout's development from an innocent youngster to a wiser adult can be compared to the "Road of Trials" portion of the Hero's Journey. The experiences she has with racism, empathy, and moral complexity make her question how she sees the world.
We can consider Scout's mentor to be Atticus Finch. He helps her develop morally, imparts important life lessons, and inspires her to consider other people's viewpoints. Atticus is also the one who told Scout about defenseless and powerless Mockingbirds who are killed just because they can not fight back. This revelation opened Scout’s eyes to the injustices of the world.
By concentrating more on societal and moral development than on a conventional hero's adventure, the book subverts the structure. Understanding empathy, bigotry, and social challenges are major themes of Scout's journey.