Stage Seven & Stage Eight:
Approach to the Inmost Cave & The Ordeal:

Summary:
In this section of the Vogler reading we learn of the steps and ordeals that the hero will face in their approach to the inmost cave. There are many different things that the hero should be prepared for in this part of the journey like the illusions and possibility for a romantic spark and they must figure out the best way of addressing the cave, like a bold approach. The hero will face many thresholds in this part of the journey and they will have to figure out how to get past them and move on in their mission, for example, the hero may find that emotional appeal will help them connect with a threshold guardian. There are many dramatic complications in this section of a story and the audience is often reminded of the higher stakes, most likely danger or fear of death. Once the hero has entered the inmost cave they often find that they are faced with the impossible task of exiting the cave safely and this is when they will ultimately have to deal with a life verses death situation. The death and rebirth of the hero is a key moment in any story and it is essential in creating balance and a complete person at the end of a journey. The crisis can most likely be found in the middle which gives the hero enough time in the second half to deal with the ordeal, or the crisis can be delayed and found in the second part of a story. The hero then goes on to face their greatest fear in an ordeal in which they will need to be balanced in order to come out on top of.

Reaction:
I found this section to be a little overwhelming and scattered in ideas making it hard to follow at parts. I thought the idea that “nothing is wasted, and every challenge of the past strengthens and informs us for the present” is essential in overcoming challenges and becoming the hero you want to be. I also agreed with the idea that heroes must have a balance of confidence and humility in order to go into an adventure in a good state and ready for whatever comes their way. It is also important to recognize that “no one can go through an experience at the edge of death without being changed in some way” and that this is hopefully a change that will better the hero as a person and allow them to move forward in their journey. In stage eight of this reading section is when the information seems to become a bit random moving from the crisis in a story to “The Love that Kills” and “Going Psycho.” It was very unclear to me what these things had to do with each other and their importance.


Reflection:
Vogler talks about being able to tell a story from any of the character’s points of view and this is something that seems important in creating a balanced and all around better story. I would be curious to know what my personal memoir would look like from the perspective of the goddess, mentor, or enemy. Now that we have begun working on writing a research paper I think it is still important to understand the perspective or point of view that each source is being written from. You aren’t understanding the material completely if you cannot determine who the source was written by and what they’re trying to get across to the reader. There also seems to be a certain crisis even in a research paper just like a narrative or short story. The paper builds up with information and then establishes the evidence to support a certain theme or idea and then concludes with a wrap up of the information.


Questions:

1) Do you agree with the idea that you achieve a moment of apotheosis where you are godly and get to play the role of god?
2) How many people feel that because they have overcome an ordeal they have won the respect and approval of their parents which they were lacking before?
3) Has anyone ever felt the power of the Ariadne’s Thread?