A Comparison of Heroes

At this point in the semester, I feel that we have read enough novels following the hero's journey described by Joseph Campbell that we may begin to divide them into sub-categories. Two such categories present themselves to me, with two of the books we've covered thus far in each. One, the "epic" hero's journey, describes The Odyssey and A Lesson Before Dying, and the other, the "personal" hero's journey, can be seen in the plots of As I Lay Dying and Room. Comparing and contrasting these two sub-categories, I believe, will help us better understand both genres as they relate to the overarching paradigm described by The Hero with a Thousand Faces.

Let's start with the epic hero's journey. These stories are told from an outsider's perspective, and as a result individual introspection is downplayed in favor of public actions and deeds. The outcome is known from the start, as an epic hero's journey is meant to be told and retold through generations. This narrative arc is most obvious in The Odyssey: the epic was literally sung by bards for hundreds of years, and the first two or three stanzas explain the majority of the plot, taking away all suspense for the audience. Although A Lesson Before Dying doesn't fit this mold quite so cleanly, the hero (Jefferson in my opinion, although some may disagree) only narrates one chapter of the novel, and his execution is set from the very first chapter. Jefferson denies his humanity until the end of the book, and the focus is more on his external reactions to Grant's lessons than his private internal monologue.

The personal hero's journey is very different, In these stories, the hero is also the narrator, and the journey is more about their thoughts than their actions. The outcome is less well known, as most if not all heroism takes place in the hero's mind without leaving any sort of legacy behind. As I Lay Dying is a perfect example of this, as the Bundrens are only remembered as "queer" or worse by the various townsfolk they encounter, and as a result developments such as Darl's burning of the barn are not broadcasted to the audience at the beginning (there's no framework of other people retelling the story). As I Lay Dying also focuses on how each member of the family copes with their grief over Addie's death rather than the details of her burial, emphasizing the internal aspects of their journey. Room, like A Lesson Before Dying, is less clear-cut, but the most important parts of Jack's journey are more mental than physical. Although he appears to exhibit some classic heroism in his execution of Plan B, he has far more difficulty communicating with Officer Oh than getting out of Rug. Furthermore, his physical heroism occurs less than halfway through Room, and the emerging struggle in the chapter "After" is a purely mental one. Jack has never been outside Room before, and learning to cope with the fastness of the world is a huge obstacle to his personal growth. I expect that his Supreme Ordeal has yet to come, and when it finally arrives it will revolve around his psychological development rather than anything more external.

I'm curious to hear what all of you think about this hypothesis. Should A Lesson Before Dying be considered an epic hero's journey, or a personal one? How about Room? Do the sub-categories need to reworked, or should they be considered as a spectrum instead? Where do the other hero's journeys you enjoy fit in to this model?