How Campbell Use Mythological Stories to Support His Argument

Different cultures have their own special accounts of how humankind works. From one culture to the next, these stories are different. Joseph Campbell contends, however, that regardless of where they are in the world, all civilizations have similar stories. Campbell backs up this claim with a number of legendary tales. According to him, falsehoods perform four key social roles. Campbell makes the case that mythical tales serve a mystic function through his collection of mythological tales. These tales frequently convey the wonder and awe of the universe. For instance, creation stories serve a mystic function that makes one muse over their being. The reality of the surroundings is another thing that is brought up in creation tales. Campbell also argues that these stories perform a cosmological function (Scott 14). Mythological stories are stories that try to describe the various process of nature. However, Campbell uses this function of mythological stories when explaining why myths of previous ages have failed to serve in the contemporary ages. Stories of ancient ages have failed to suit in the scientific discoveries and existing theories.

Moreover, Campbell maintains that the stories are important because they perform a pedagogical function. He argues that mythological stories describe how humans should live happy and complete lives. Campbell helps one to go through life stages. Furthermore, the storyteller claims that the stories perform a sociological function. The mythological stories support and authenticate particular order in the society. However, Campbell has failed to give this function the attention it needs because the function explains the diversity that exists in the society.

In The Hero with a Thousand Faces, Campbell describes a hero’s mythological story as a monomyth. According to Campbell, the hero-myth stories exist in various human societies. According to Campbell, hero stories are creations of the human mind. Hence, these mythical stories are the same. The hero, in this case, represents the human mind. Campbell argues that myths are significant in the early ages of the life of humans. The author states that they help humans establish independence. Humans come into the world before full development forcing them to spend significant times with their mothers until maturity stage (Campbell 107). Upon maturity, they need to break the infantile ties through initiation. Moreover, retelling the story of the journey of the hero helps in separating humans from their childhood. Campbell introduces the concept of initiation when assessing the relationship between behaviors and hero myths.

Campbell’s Definition of Myth

According to Campbell, a myth is a creation of human imagination. Campbell defines myth as a secret opening that the infinite energies of the universe go through into the cultural manifestation of humans (Campbell 1). Campbell maintains that myths have been in existence in all ages of human history. The activities of the human mind have inspired the creation of myths. The concept of myths has motivated the development of religious ideas, philosophies, technological and scientific discoveries, and arts. Campbell reveals that several myths from various historical ages and places have similar basic make-ups and stages. For instance, he maintains that a hero emerges from a group of ordinary humans to supernatural wonder. The hero interacts with marvelous forces and achieves decisive victory (Campbell 107). Then the hero moves from the mysterious adventure back to fellow humans. According to Campbell, a hero goes through three major stages that include the separation, initiation, and return stages.

Synthesis of Narratives of Various Cultures

Campbell is effective in synthesizing the narratives of different cultures in the world. Through his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces, Campbell manages to bring various mythologies in the world into one story that all the myths mention. The single story is significant in properly guiding human beings to live in this world. Campbell maintains that nothing can alter the symbols of mythology. He explains that since myths are creations of the mind, they bear an undamaged power of their sources (Campbell 2).

Favorite Book or Film

The Hunger Games book also fits in Campbell’s model. The book presents the story of young people who compete through physical fighting. They compete by killing one another until one remains. All citizens in the society watch as their young children fight to death, to witness the victory of one person. This book fits into Campbell’s model because it seeks to select a hero from a group of ordinary individuals in the society. Every district presents a pair of youths to compete in the event. Then the youths are separated from the rest of the people to face one another. The remaining person goes through extraordinary forces as he or she has to fight the other 23 people. Moreover, the book fits Campbell’s model because it recognizes the female hero.

Campbell is careful in his book and appreciates the role of women in the society. He gives women various titles depending on their responsibilities. In the Hunger Games, a young girl takes part in the event and manages to fight others, including the boys. In this case, she qualifies to become a hero in line with Campbell’s classification.

Flaws in Campbell’s argument

Although Campbell’s argument has some significance, it has some evident flaws. The argument that monomyth is universal seems to be false. He claims that the stages that heroes around the world go through are the same (Campbell 107). However, different geographical positions have unique aspects that motivate a hero. Moreover, Campbell fails to present the female hero, in the same manner, he presents the male hero distorting the meaning of a female hero. Campbell uses gender-inclusive language when discussing the female and male heroes. He also enlists the myths of both genders at the same time suggesting that he recognizes their roles. However, he describes female heroes as goddesses, earth mothers, and temptresses (Nicholson 188). On the other hand, he describes men heroes with the same term. The earth mothers may be bad affecting the role of the female hero. Furthermore, he recognizes the woman as a temptress creating a difference between the female and male heroes. This aspect defaults the outlook of the male hero. The use of women in the myths also risks the female hero. Various principles perceive the woman as a sign of sin affecting the role of the female hero in mythical stories.

Campbell’s argument that heroes separate themselves from the ordinary society is controversial. Humans are attached to one another. People face challenges when they try to detach themselves from the rest of the society. As such, Campbell’s argument that a hero must go away from other people is controversial. Moreover, the ego in people’s lives complicates one’s desire to move away from others. Campbell’s explanation of the origin of archetypes and symbols is insufficient. He presents them as biological items while using them as a pedagogical utility. This confusion is unclear in explaining the origin of these elements.

Relevance of Campbell’s Work

Campbell’s work is relevant to the contemporary society. For instance, Campbell mentions that one of the functions of mythology is the pedagogical function. In the case, he argues that myths guide people. Every society has standard practices that all the inhabitants should follow. Myths provide a skeleton of the expectations of the society. They help the society understand the acceptable norms. Moreover, Campbell’s work is significant in understanding the heroes in the contemporary society. For instance, societies that experience political instability may have political heroes. The ordinary citizens should understand the motivations, urges, and the challenges facing such heroes (Vogler 2). They should be able to establish their demands to ascertain how they can help them to cruise through their journey to heroism.

Campbell’s works are important in guiding individuals into adulthood. Campbell describes myths as the disclosures of the unconscious that guide people to maturity. They help the youth to get out of their childhood habits and embrace adulthood (Scott 24). This ideology concurs with psychoanalysis ideologies. Psychoanalysis reveals that psychological challenges at the unconscious level affect development. As such, Campbell’s argument of separation, initiation, and return are significant in understanding psychological disorders such as schizophrenia (Scott 24). Moreover, the foundation of Campbell’s arguments on the archetypes is biological. In this case, the contemporary society may use Campbell’s argument to explain various biological occurrences that affect the society.

Works Cited

Campbell, Joseph. The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Novato: New World Library, 1949.

Nicholson, Sarah . “The Problem of Woman as Hero in the Work of Joseph Campbell.” Feminist Theology (2011): 182-193.

Scott, Emma . “The Nature of Myth.” 2010.

Vogler, Christopher . “Excepts from Myth and the Movies, Stuart Voytilla.” (2003).