Monomyths [Tuesday, March 16, Period 3]
When the students filed in, a single word was written on the blackboard: DEATH.
"Hey all," Cindy said, nodding a bit as they took their seats. "So, we're onto the Sixth Stage of the journeys, today. This marks the end of Act II and is usually the climax of the story. 'Death' may seem a little extreme when there's still, roughly, a quarter to a third left to go, but, in most cases anyway, the death we're talking about is metaphysical--or, at least, not meant to last very long. Though, again, I did say 'most cases.'"
"Death is the Sixth Stage for the feminine journey only--death is a possibility for the masculine journey as well, but that comes in the third act for them. We'll discuss the why's and wherefore's of that later, but for now, let's discuss this feminine death. Remember, it comes right on the heels of her Eye of the Storm, where the hero is feeling strong, proud, and accomplished. Everything seems to be going so well--and then this stage happens, bringing about almost a complete and utter reversal of where she was before. The villain reappears and all is lost. Remember, this villain doesn't have to be an actual person; it can be societal, like when the heroine realizes she's being forced to remain a victim so others can feel good about rescuing her. 'Villain' in this case means anything she's been fighting against since she began."
"This stage is complete rock bottom for the hero. She believes she has failed at her journey and accepts defeat. Everything pig-piles on her: if her husband left her, this is the stage where she sees him kissing a new woman--at the same time that she loses the house, her job, or custody of their children. If she was physically attacked, her attacker is set free and people may think she fabricated the story; if she was trying for a promotion, not only does she learn that it went to someone else, but her position is being terminated--" Cindy gave an odd twitch at that word "--or a fellow employee makes up lies to get her fired. She becomes a nonentity, either because society has turned against her, she's been made to feel as if she has no worth as a person, or because she has literally died."
"Many novels from the last few centuries with female protagonists who attempt to buck the system end with the literal death of their protagonists. The heroes would flaunt conventions and go through their journeys and never make it out of this stage. They could either die, live ostracized, or return to their former lives, martyred and shamed. That's a much longer death, but a death nonetheless. The Epiphany ends with the protagonist swimming out to sea to drown, for example. Sometimes these deaths are presented as a kind of Pyrrhic victory, where death is chosen before compromising one's own principles. Other times it's an object lesson to show the hopelessness of people in a certain situation. The choice between death of the body and death of the spirit is a difficult one."
[OCD up]
"Hey all," Cindy said, nodding a bit as they took their seats. "So, we're onto the Sixth Stage of the journeys, today. This marks the end of Act II and is usually the climax of the story. 'Death' may seem a little extreme when there's still, roughly, a quarter to a third left to go, but, in most cases anyway, the death we're talking about is metaphysical--or, at least, not meant to last very long. Though, again, I did say 'most cases.'"
"Death is the Sixth Stage for the feminine journey only--death is a possibility for the masculine journey as well, but that comes in the third act for them. We'll discuss the why's and wherefore's of that later, but for now, let's discuss this feminine death. Remember, it comes right on the heels of her Eye of the Storm, where the hero is feeling strong, proud, and accomplished. Everything seems to be going so well--and then this stage happens, bringing about almost a complete and utter reversal of where she was before. The villain reappears and all is lost. Remember, this villain doesn't have to be an actual person; it can be societal, like when the heroine realizes she's being forced to remain a victim so others can feel good about rescuing her. 'Villain' in this case means anything she's been fighting against since she began."
"This stage is complete rock bottom for the hero. She believes she has failed at her journey and accepts defeat. Everything pig-piles on her: if her husband left her, this is the stage where she sees him kissing a new woman--at the same time that she loses the house, her job, or custody of their children. If she was physically attacked, her attacker is set free and people may think she fabricated the story; if she was trying for a promotion, not only does she learn that it went to someone else, but her position is being terminated--" Cindy gave an odd twitch at that word "--or a fellow employee makes up lies to get her fired. She becomes a nonentity, either because society has turned against her, she's been made to feel as if she has no worth as a person, or because she has literally died."
"Many novels from the last few centuries with female protagonists who attempt to buck the system end with the literal death of their protagonists. The heroes would flaunt conventions and go through their journeys and never make it out of this stage. They could either die, live ostracized, or return to their former lives, martyred and shamed. That's a much longer death, but a death nonetheless. The Epiphany ends with the protagonist swimming out to sea to drown, for example. Sometimes these deaths are presented as a kind of Pyrrhic victory, where death is chosen before compromising one's own principles. Other times it's an object lesson to show the hopelessness of people in a certain situation. The choice between death of the body and death of the spirit is a difficult one."
[OCD up]