Annotated Bibliography 9

Kristy Roseberry 1
November 2, 2008
Professor Robinson
Vogler 197-228 Annotation 9

Citation:
Vogler, Christopher. “The Resurrection”. “Return with the Elixir”. The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers. 3rd Edition. Studio City, CA: Michael Wiese Productions, 2007.

Summary:
The Resurrection is the trickiest passages for the hero and the writer. The Resurrection is the climax and the last and most dangerous meeting with death. Vogler states that a new self must be created for the new world. The Resurrection functions as a cleansing of the heroes smell of death and helps retain the lesson of the ordeal. Vogler states that the Ordeal is like a midterm and the Resurrection is like a final exam. Furthermore, that heroes must be tested one more time to retain the learning from the Ordeal. The meeting with death in the Resurrection is a higher threat, and a threat to the world not just the hero. The stakes are higher for this meeting with death than in the past. Vogler states that the hero can have assistance in acting in the climax, but that it is best for the hero to be the one to perform the decisive action. The Resurrection is the biggest battle of the story and is the showdown. Usually, heroes survive this
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confrontation with death and are Resurrected. Also, usually the villains die or are defeated, sometimes tragic heroes die. The tragic heroes are resurrected in the way that they live on in the memory of the people they gave their life for. A climatic choice that indicates whether or not the hero has truly learned the lesson of change is also a possibility of resurrection. The Resurrection as stated formerly usually represents the climax. Climax in Greek means “ladder”. There can also be a quiet climax, which gives sense that all conflicts have been harmoniously resolved, which usually occurs after the death of a loved one. Stories can also have more than one climax, or a series of rolling climaxes. Climaxes are supposed to provide a feeling of catharis, which means purging in Greek. But in English means a purifying emotional release. Catharis works best Vogler states through physical expression of emotions like laughter or crying. Laughter is the strongest catharis. A catharis is the logical climax of a hero’s character arc. The Resurrection is the hero’s final attempt to make major change in attitude or behavior. The Resurrection can also be a potential misstep for the returning hero. The misstep does not have to be a physical event, but can be a moral or emotional misstep. In fairy tales, there is often a false claimant. Vogler states it is also important to provide proof in the Resurrection stage. Resurrection often calls for a sacrifice from the hero, which in Latin means “making holy”. The Resurrection stage is where the hero can show that they have absorbed and incorporated the lessons of the journey. The Resurrection is important to show an outward sign that the hero has changed.
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The Return with the Elixir is when the hero returns from the Special World and brings something to share with others in the Ordinary World. Returning with the Elixir is using the lessons learned from the adventure. The Return is also called “denouement” which means untying in French. The two approaches to ending the hero’s journey are circular and open-ended. In the circular ending there is a sense of closure and completion and in the open-ended approach there is a sense of unanswered questions. The most popular design is the circular in which the story returns to the starting point, which allows a chance for comparison for the audience. In the open-ended approach the storytelling goes on after the story has ended. A good Return should have some surprise. The Return should have a twist. The Return is where final rewards and punishments are handed out. The elixir can be literal or metaphoric. Love is one of the most powerful elixirs. The elixir changes not only the hero but also the rest of the world. Another common elixir is wider responsibility. When heroes die tragically the audience learns from the heroes mistakes. An epilogue can also complete a story by projecting ahead to some future time to show how the characters turn out. The Return can be abrupt, prolonged, unfocused, unsurprising, or unsatisfying causing pitfalls of the Return. The final function of the Return should be to conclude the story decisively.

Reaction:

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At the point of the Resurrection and the Return with the Elixir the hero’s journey is coming to an end. The hero is showing and incorporating into their lives everything that they have learned from the journey. The hero is also sharing the lessons they have learned with others. The hero is also showing the changes they have gone through since they left the Ordinary World. The Resurrection and the Return with the Elixir are both important steps in the hero’s journey. As usual, Vogler does a good job describing these stages of the hero’s journey.

Questions:
1. Is it necessary in a story to have a Resurrection?
2. Why does there need to be another Climax after the Ordeal?
3.Is it necessary for the hero to incorporate everything they have learned from the journey into their lives and share it with others?