Lecture 3.4.2 – Other Elements of the Hero’s Journey
What does Jerry’s swim through the tunnel symbolize?
His passage from boyhood to young manhood. Coming of Age. There is a well known German word for this genre of literature – Bildungsroman. The Harry Potter series is a Bildungsroman -
What about the mother character? Jerry, a boy of eleven, has come to the shore with his mother. She is very protective of him, treating him as the little boy he has always been, although she is aware that he is growing up and worries about his safety, she realizes that he needs his freedom if he is to develop into a man.
What is the POV – 3rd person omniscient
The narrator knows Jerry's mother's thoughts and feelings. For example, the narrator says, early on, that "She frowned.”
The question of the Mentor: What does this passage tell us about the mother’s role “I want some swimming goggles,” he panted, defiant and beseeching. She gave him a patient, inquisitive look as she said casually, “Well, of course, darling.”
But now, now, now! He must have them this minute, and no other time. He nagged and pestered until she went with him to a shop. As soon as she had bought the goggles, he grabbed them from her hand as if she were going to claim them for herself, and was off, running down the steep path to the bay.
The mother gives him the tools which will help make his ‘journey’ possible. It’s like a magic wand or a sword in other Hero’s tales.
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