In What Makes a Hero? By Mather Winkler, he connects the hero’s journey seen in many fictional books and movies to the events that unfold into ordinary people. While I can see his overarching point that people will improve themselves from overcoming the adversary, I dispute the notion that the hero’s journey is a mirror to the real world heroes.
The first point I will dispute is that the hero’s journey mimics what happens in real life. Winkler concedes the point that people won’t fight dragons or other monsters, but they will confront problems that may be mentally or physically challenging. I agree with him on this point, but I still see flaws in the hero’s journey.
One of the bigger plot holes in the hero’s journey, when applied to real life, is the crisis portion. Winkler states that the hero is at its darkest hour, and will be resurrected into something stronger if they die. However, in real life, heroes that die while doing their “quest” will not be resurrected. Of course, there is the argument that their spirit is resurrected into movements, monuments, or memories. This argument is one that I agree with to an extent. In some cases, the hero is remembered and honored appropriately after they die. However, in many cases, the hero is talked about for a week or so and then forgotten by everyone except the hero’s family.
This can be seen with the oversaturation of heroes in media. There are so many heroes that are mentioned on websites that it is impossible for people to remember all of them. In this sense, even though the heroes are remembered for a week, I do not consider their spirits to be resurrected. Unfortunately, in my eyes, some heroes have their journey ends at the crisis and not complete the full circle that is seen so often in movies.