The Coming-of-Age Storyor

Hero Quest

What Is a bildungsroman or Hero Quest?

The story of an individual’s quest for identity within society

http://www.victorianweb.org/genre/hader1.html

Some form of loss must jar them away from home/family at an early stage

Process is long, arduous, and gradual Repeated clashes between his needs/ desires and views imposed by society

Protagonist adopts society’s values and is welcomed

Protagonist assesses his place in this society

The main character is often an orphan or a child who has lost his/her father

He/she is usually from a small townEducation is preparation for adulthood It opens his/her mind to other possibilities

He/she desires to leave home to search for his/her identity

The hero often experiences love after leaving home

Stages of the Hero Quest

http://www.interculturalrelations.com/v2i1Winter1999/w99hart.htm

Stages of the Hero QuestThe Departure

Common WorldCall to AdventureRefusal of CallSupernatural AidCrossing First Threshold

Stages of the Hero QuestThe Initiation

Road of TrialsSupreme OrdealThe Ultimate Boon

Stages of the Hero QuestThe Return

Refusal of the ReturnCrossing the Return Threshold

Master of the Two Worlds

THE DEPARTUREThe story of an individual’s quest for identity within society Hero will leave everyday world

Hero receives a “call to adventure” May feel restless / outgrown old ways

Hero accepts call willingly or reluctantly

Aide or mentor appears Helps hero get past fears

Crossing the ThresholdHero undergoes ordeal in order to pass into the world of adventure

Trial could be painless or violentContrast between familiar world and the unknown world of adventure

THE INITIATIONHero must undergo a series of tests

Helper / companion to assistOften violent encounters with forces of natureEach success proves hero’s ability and

advances the journey toward its endSupreme Ordeal – expansion of consciousness

(after a Final Battle)Ultimate Boon – hero succeeds in journey and

acquires object or knowledge

THE RETURNHero considers return

Sometimes refuses Hero MUST return to complete the cycle

Ultimately crosses the return thresholdTakes form of awakening, rebirth, resurrection,

or emergenceKnowledge or object acquired is put to use in

everyday worldHome is not a place

THEMESOpening ScenesThe opening of a story must do more than get our attention; it should also present key ideas and themes that will be echoed in some way throughout the story.

Voice & Point of ViewFrom whose point of view is this story told?

How would you describe the narrative voice of the story?

Are you sympathetic to this voice, or not?

How does this point of view influence or affect the story?

Turning Points What were the most significant events in the

protagonist’s early life - those that truly changed who he or she became?

How does the story show the importance of those events?

What recurring themes and motifs are there in this person’s story?

Choose one and explore how it is echoed throughout the story.

Who Am I?In some way, all coming-of-age stories address the quest to define oneself.

Writing in the voice of the main character in the story you are studying, try to answer as that person would if the question “Who am I?” was posed to him or her.

Interpersonal Relationships

Does the main character have “good” parents/guardians by your definition?

How do they influence him or her?

Family What is the role of the main character

in his or her family? Does that role change? What code or set of beliefs does the

family seem to live by? What expectations does the family

have for this person? Does he or she meet them? How does

the character try to separate from his or her family?

To what extent is he or she successful?

Gender RolesHow many stories can you think of that portray men and women in stereotyped gender roles?

Now examine the story you are studying: to what extent are the roles of men and women stereotypical?

FriendshipFor many young people, their peer group becomes more influential than their family.

How do friendships change this character?

In what ways are these friendships a substitute or continuation of his or her family?

RebellionIn what ways does the character rebel?

What does he or she rebel against?

How does the character rebel -outwardly or inwardly?

Does rebelling accomplish something important?

Where Is Home?How does the main character in the story you are studying define “home”?

Is it the place the character comes from, or somewhere of his or her own making?

What about this character’s “home” seems to stay with the person wherever he or she goes?

Everyday LifeWhat films or books have you seen in this genre in which the everyday life of the characters is especially interesting or unfamiliar to you?

What do you learn about different cultures from this description of everyday life?

Community ValuesWhere is the main character from in the story you are studying?

How does it shape who he or she is?

What values and beliefs of this community does the character embrace?

Which does he or she reject?

Education / The ArtsMany artists, writers, and filmmakers first glimpsed the outside world through books, dance, or other art forms.

What works of art were important in affirming or changing the main character’s view of him- or herself?

Political / Social Realities

As young children, we are sometimes unaware of issues such as gender roles, race, class, or other political realities. A common theme of many coming-of-age works is a dawning understanding of these realities.

At what point do the characters in the story you are studying begin to understand the political and social boundaries that define their lives?

What incidents set off this understanding? How does it shape them?

The Outside World

How does the story you are studying show how outside events change or define the characters?

Coming-of-Age Stories You Might KnowGo Tell It on the MountainThe Tale of the Swamp RatThe Mortician’s ApprenticeThe Dirt EatersMy Enemy, My BrotherHoop DreamsAngela’s AshesBastard out of Carolina

Black BoyStar WarsGreat ExpectationsThe Silence of the LambsThe Autobiography of Malcolm X The Catcher in the RyeA Tree Grows in BrooklynNative SonBoyz in the Hood The Outsiders Stand By MeLord of the Rings

I Know Why the Caged Bird SingsMama’s GirlThe House on Mango StreetRattleboneWhite OleanderTheir Eyes Were Watching GodGirl InterruptedComing of Age in MississippiWe Were the MulvaneysThe Joy Luck ClubThe Color Purple