|
|
This is only a preview of the paper
Click here to register and get the full text.
Existing members click here to login
|
|
|
In A Hero’s Adventure, Joseph Campbell vividly describes the characteristics and deeds of a hero. His description is parallel to An-mei Hsu’s mother, a character of the novel, The Joy Luck Club, written by Amy Tan. Campbell believes that a hero is one that is able to overcome the “dark forest” and interpret their downfall in order to sacrifice themselves for someone else. An-Mei’s mother’s fall into darkness allows her to evaluate herself and in so, open a new world for An-mei. An-Mei’s mother takes the tragedy of being raped and turns it into a new life for her daughter by making the ultimate sacrifice of taking her own life. In Campbell’s definition, An-Mei Hsu’s mother’s journey truly defines her as a hero. Every journey has a point of departure; for An-Mei’s mother, the departure is the start of her fall into darkness. Tricked into being raped by Wu Tsing, she becomes shunned by her family and is forced to “move out of the society that would have protected [her], and into the dark forest.” (Campbell) She also has to leave An-Mei behind because she is told that “if [she] take[s] [her] daughter, she will become like [her]. No face. Never able to lift up her head.” (46) An-Mei’s mother is no longer safe within her home, but now must face trials and tribulations set on her. Here, her state of mind is even weaker than it was after the death of her loving husband. She is put through too much and like any other human being, she is lost within herself, unable to connect where she wants to be with where she is.
Approximate Word count = 1032
Approximate Pages = 4.1
(250 words per page double spaced)
|
|
|
|
|
|