Refusal of the Call & Mentor
Summary:
In this section Vogler takes the reader deeper into the hero’s journey and explains in detail the refusal of the call and the meeting and purpose of the Mentor. There are many reasons why a hero might refuse to accept their mission or adventure right away. One of the main reasons why the hero may be apprehensive to embark on an adventure is merely the fact that it has the potential to be life threatening or at least a little bit dangerous. The hero may also try to avoid having to deal with the mission or make an excuse as to why they cannot fulfill their calling. There are some instances when refusing the call is the wise decision on the hero’s part and then there are heroes that are more than willing to accept their call. The Mentor’s job is to protect, guide, teach, train, and provide the hero with magical gifts sometime throughout the story.

Reaction:
I thought it was quite interesting that the idea of a hero embarking on a journey has to have some element that is considered “dangerous or life-threatening.” Vogler says that in less there is an element of danger the adventure would not be considered real. I am not so sure I agree with this because there are plenty of stories that start out with a call to adventure that does not have a dangerous connotation. For example, in the movie “The Parent Trap” there is no definite form of danger when the girls are called to switch places. I’m not sure I fully understood the “Artist as Hero” section because it seemed like Vogler was saying that if you aren’t an artist than you don’t have to face contradictory inner and external callings. It was interesting to think of the mentor as an evolved hero, all the way from the fool to Hierophant.

Reflection:
While reading this section I was thinking about the first part of Kafka that we read last week. Gregor is trying to get out of bed, go to work, and perform his call to duty but he is unable to. He is a willing hero who is unable to respond to his call of duty and perhaps this was a positive refusal because of his feeling of dread when Gregor thinks about work. It is also interesting to think about whom Gregor’s mentor might be in the story if he is actually a giant cockroach. Or perhaps he has not faced his call to adventure yet and he will meet a fellow cockroach to be his teacher in all things that a roach needs to know in the big city. The idea of a mentor and hero having a relationship in which the mentor passes information and knowledge on to the next generation is a universal idea that is extremely important. Stories have been kept alive for centuries because of the passing from one generation to the next and the same goes for knowledge.

1) What is the significance of the artist as hero? Is this implying that you have to be an artist in order to have both an inner and external that are conflicting?
2) How does a mentor not being able to let go of the hero relate to parents and college freshman?
3) What are some examples of movies or stories in which the Mentor turns out to be a bad character that makes the hero’s life into one of crime or deceit?