In part 1, I wrote about the Hero’s journey. I described the details and it’s similarity to our own life’s journey.
But what about the Romance genre, can’t the books in this category also draw comparison to the Hero’s journey? If love and falling in love are a part of our own life’s journey – can’t it then be a part of our own Hero’s journey, as well as the Romance genre that we so love to read?
I decided to use my own writing as a starting point to find similarities in the Hero’s Journey and romance novels. Each story starts with a hero, either a stereotypical one or the antithesis, but there is at least one character in every book that can be identified with the label ‘hero.’
What is the call to adventure in a romance novel? It is a set of circumstances in the ‘hero’s’ life that motivates them to heed the call and embark on the adventure which in this case is love.
It could be falling in love, moving away, starting a new school, splitting up with someone, heart break, for example. Whatever it is, it is big enough for the character to heed the call to action, take a risk and embark on the adventure, when it presents itself.
And the supernatural element? Isn’t that love itself? We do not know where these strong emotions come from or how they direct us, but the power of love is more than a physical feature and perhaps rather than a supernatural aid, it is in fact a supernatural motivator.
The story will then follow the cycle of the ‘Hero’s Journey’ from this call to adventure into the unknown world.
“There is what I would call the hero journey, the night sea journey, the hero quest, where the individual is going to bring forth in his life something that was never beheld before.”
Joseph Campbell
Quotefancy
But what is the unknown world when you are in love? It is love itself, the feeling of being in true love for the very first time is like entering an unknown world, a world that contains only one other person. It is a sacred, precious, unique place belonging to those people only. It elicits feelings of excitement, happiness, care, obsession, jealousy, control, passion, power and desire. Making love with someone you love is a beautiful experience, one that cannot be put into words, because it is a unique to the two hearts and souls who experience it only.
And the motivator? Love itself; whether finding love, being in love or healing after a heart break that is the actual motivator, which drives the hero forward on their journey. They must make decisions, facing difficult choices, temptations and challenges. At those moments the unknown world of true love suddenly seems like a terrifying and scary place. Every story has those moments of crisis and doubt, where the plan goes wrong. These could be due to character flaws, external factors, even their loved one leaving them. They can all place doubt on the validity of the love and can make the hero feel like giving up, no longer certain of their decision and difficult choices must be made, to stay on the right path.
The hero may make a sacrifice for this love or perhaps undergo a transformation to be worthy of this love or atone to the loved one they have hurt. Each one of these steps is driven by the virtues of the love itself.
“A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself”
Joesph Campbell
Brainy Quote
And in the end? The Reward?
It could be that everything is how the hero wished for; the lovers are together, everything is perfect. But that may not have been the purpose of the journey. Through the process of their adventure they have grown, changed, had revelations which mean that the reward may be something completely unexpected.
But, however, the story ends, ultimately it is the journey which is far more important, than the ending, which of course just ends, the story is over.
The majority of people never answer the call for adventure in their lives. It can feel too difficult, too daunting, and too uncomfortable. The leap of faith, too demanding, to ever undertake. Love also, can be frightening, it can be scary to listen to your heart, some never take that risk, open their hearts up to something more and many are left wondering what could have been.
Regardless if you agree or disagree with my thoughts: the journey, as with life is far more important than the final destination or the happy ending.
“We thought of life by analogy with a journey, a pilgrimage, which had a serious purpose at the end, and the thing was to get to that end, success or whatever it is, maybe heaven after you’re dead. But we missed the point the whole way along. It was a musical thing and you were supposed to sing or to dance while the music was being played.’
Alan Watts
AZ Quotes