Family Mythology: Interview of a Heroic Journey with Campbell's Theory

This essay presents an interview with a family member, exploring their heroic journey through the lens of Joseph Campbell's theory. The student interviewed their mother, focusing on her experiences after the death of her husband and her decision to join the army. The interview delves into the challenges she faced, including the fear of the unknown, the rigorous training, and the emotional toll of her service. The essay analyzes the interview using Campbell's stages of the hero's journey, highlighting the ordinary woman's transformation into a hero, her threshold into a new world, her ordeals, and her ultimate reward of self-discovery and honoring her family. The essay concludes by emphasizing the relevance of Campbell's theory and its application to the family member's experiences, drawing parallels to Shakespeare's "As You Like It" to underscore the idea of individuals playing various roles in life. The essay successfully meets the assignment brief requirements and provides a comprehensive analysis of the interview.

Running Head: INTERVIEW OF A FAMILY MEMBER AND DESCRIPTION OF THEIR
HEROIC JOURNEY BY USING JOSEPH CAMPBELL’S THEORY
Interview of a family member and description of their heroic journey by using Joseph
Campbell’s theory
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

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INTERVIEW OF A FAMILY MEMBER AND DESCRIPTION OF THEIR HEROIC
JOURNEY BY USING JOSEPH CAMPBELL’S THEORY
Introduction
As per Campbell’s theory of the hero’s journey and the similarities with the common
person, we encounter such heroes in our daily lives without understanding their heroic ardour
and achievements. In fact, the closest examples are perhaps found in our families that we often
tend to overlook. For this assignment, I have chosen to interview one such member of my family
whose achievements are not well known to the outside world. In this interview, it is evident that
the heroic journey and the transformation of the character are not always full of accolades and
achievement, but is hidden in the mundane activities of the daily life of an ordinary household.
Interview
The person interviewed for this assignment is my mother. However, for the sake of
maintaining privacy, I will not be divulging her name or any other details of her identity.
ME: Mom, what according to you are the essential qualities that constitute a hero?
MOM: It varies from person to person… for me it can be said that anyone who is brave, and
understands the requirement of a situation in his or her life, and responds to the need of the hour
without any regard for the self, is definitely a hero.
ME: for me, you are a hero. Do you consider yourself to be one?
MOM: (smiling softly) you are saying that just because I am your mother. However, taking into
consideration the challenges that I have faced in the past, I tried to rise to the occasion.
ME: that’s you being humble.
MOM: definitely. Any mother in my shoes would have done the same, I believe.
ME: Could you share some instances where you were afraid, yet took action anyway?

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INTERVIEW OF A FAMILY MEMBER AND DESCRIPTION OF THEIR HEROIC
JOURNEY BY USING JOSEPH CAMPBELL’S THEORY
MOM: When I got the news of your father’s death in the war, you were only two years old. With
your father being the sole earning member for our family, my fear was how to feed my child and
myself. I was also angry with your father because he was not supposed to leave us so abruptly. In
spite of all the risks that are involved in the job of your father, I still took some time to come to
terms with the fact that he is gone. And he is never going to return.
ME: How did you feel when you were given a chance to serve the army?
MOM: I did not know about the official letters that were addressed to me as your aunt thought it
would be too much for me at that point in time. However, when your father’s friends came to
visit right after the funeral, they asked me about my decision. They were perhaps expecting a
refusal. Since I was completely unaware of the proposal, they explained it to me. At first, I could
hardly believe what I was hearing. It seemed surreal. They gave me some time to process all the
information and patiently waited for my decision. I knew that my decision would be respected,
irrespective of what it would have been.
ME: What happened after that?
MOM: I knew what to do. It was a moment of realization that dawned upon me. There was no
better way to honour the memory of our deceased father and my husband than to join the army.
Simultaneously, it was a nerve-wracking moment. I had no idea of the kinds of requirements in
terms of the physical capabilities and the mental strength that were needed from a soldier. It is
true that I have watched your father undergo rigorous training, but having a firsthand experience
was something very new and scary at the same time.
ME: How did you overcome the fear?

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INTERVIEW OF A FAMILY MEMBER AND DESCRIPTION OF THEIR HEROIC
JOURNEY BY USING JOSEPH CAMPBELL’S THEORY
MOM: I had to undergo immense training in order to present myself for the physical exam. It
was extremely difficult, as I was not used to that kind of strenuous and demanding physical
activity. I had to push myself to the limits that I knew I could not cross and then push through it.
It was not enough. There were times when I gave up. I did not want to go on with the training
anymore. Then, I thought of your dad and how the rest of the family was looking forward to my
success. I could not give up.
ME: were things the way you had imagined them to be once you joined the force?
MOM: yes, and no. I had some vague ideas about the life of an air force pilot, but your father did
not want to talk about most of the things that one had to witness. Now I know why. It is more
mental and emotional than physical when it comes to being a part of the armed forces. It is
definitely rewarding when you fulfil a mission and return to the base. Serving the country and
working for the protection of the common people brings with it a great sense of joy and
satisfaction.
ME: now that you have served your position for a decade, do you feel that you took the right
decision?
MOM: yes. If I had given up the chance of being a part of the army, I would have brought
immense misfortune and misery in not just my life, but of you, and the entire family. In a deeper
sense of the term, it was necessary for me as well. I could only understand why your father chose
this life and how he could leave his family every time he went back for his job by putting myself
in a similar scenario. I could also process the grief that came along with the death of your father.
ME: has life changed for you, now that you are not a housewife but an air force pilot?

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INTERVIEW OF A FAMILY MEMBER AND DESCRIPTION OF THEIR HEROIC
JOURNEY BY USING JOSEPH CAMPBELL’S THEORY
MOM: definitely. Being a part of the armed forces requires a certain sense of discipline that is
not seen in the lives of regular people. Moreover, this disciplined life has taught me a lot in terms
of what we are capable of achieving as human beings. I have also seen death from the closest
proximity. That has increased the value of life for me, as well as made me humble.
ME: for me, you would always be my hero.
MOM: I am glad that I could be what I needed to be.
Discussion
According to the theories of Campbell on heroes and their journey, this interview clearly
adheres to most of the significant stages in the journey. My mother was an ordinary woman, who
upon the call of the occasion, chose to rise to it, in spite of the initial refusal. Upon doing so, she
reached the threshold, that was between the home and that of the world outside (Voytilla, 1999).
Once she was on the other side of the threshold, it was a completely different world that was
unknown to her. The ordeals for her were missions to be completed and to return alive along
with her squadron members. The greatest ordeals were moments of life and death in terms of
eliminating the enemy, using firearms, and witnessing the death of her fellow squadron
members. The reward she received from the journey was the transformation within herself. She
knew what she was capable of. Her reward was also honouring her deceased husband and setting
an example for her child. On coming back to the ordinary world, she also realized that although
everything might seem to be the same, nothing is really the same as it was prior to her
transformation (Voytilla, 1999). The resurrection was her rebirth as a woman. The hero in this
assignment returns with elixirs in the form of badges of bravery and honour. She is also needed

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INTERVIEW OF A FAMILY MEMBER AND DESCRIPTION OF THEIR HEROIC
JOURNEY BY USING JOSEPH CAMPBELL’S THEORY
to return to the other world repeatedly, as per her “calls”, and each time, she discovers her own
self as she repeats the entire journey of being ordinary to being extraordinary (Voytilla, 1999).
Conclusion
Joseph Campbell was one of the prominent figures who had begun to explore the world
of myths along with Carl Jung, Heinrich Zimmer, Theodore Gaster, etc.Campbell then went on
to put forth his observations in the form of a chain that is known to be The Hero’s Journey. He
also experiments with the myths of various cultures in his books, namely “The Hero with a
Thousand Faces”, and “The Inner Reaches of the Outer Space”, etc. His illustrations also follow
the pattern of the traditional hero found in Shakespearean plays. In this assignment, I have
attempted to carve out a similar pattern of the development of a hero that has fulfilled most of the
stages that have been mentioned by Campbell in his work. While transcribing the interview, the
famous lines from “As You Like It” reverberated in my mind-
“All the world’s a stage
And all the men and women merely players:
They have their exits and entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts (Shakespeare, Wells & Taylor, 2005).”
It was too ironic that the closing lines of my mother strongly hinted the similar idea of us playing
parts that we need to.

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INTERVIEW OF A FAMILY MEMBER AND DESCRIPTION OF THEIR HEROIC
JOURNEY BY USING JOSEPH CAMPBELL’S THEORY
Reference
Shakespeare, W., Wells, S., & Taylor, G. (2005). The Oxford Shakespeare: the complete
works (p. 1150). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Voytilla, S. (1999). Myth and the movies: Discovering the mythic structure of 50 unforgettable
films. Michael Wiese Productions.