The Sixth Stage Of The Hero's Journey

The sixth stage of the hero’s journey is the Approach. The hero is at at location where danger lies ahead or faced with an inner conflict. The hero also encounters The Belly of the Whale, “[...] the hero, instead of conquering or conciliating the power of the threshold, is swallowed into the unknown [...]” (Campbell 74). Susanna being in the hospital and with the other patients has caused her to have a battle with her identity. Susanna enters the belly of the whale, in not believing in her psychosis making it more difficult for her to listen to herself. Susanna is ambitious for her freedom however she is restrained from the hospital: “[...] We had nothing more to lose. Our privacy, our liberty, our dignity: All of this was gone and we were stripped down to the bare bones of our selves” (Kaysen 94). She puts herself in denial to in her psychosis and not believing that she is ill. She is not able to determine if her actions are right or
The ordeal may be a physical test or a deep inner crisis that the Hero must face in order to survive. Whether it be facing his or her greatest fear or a impact of a death; the hero must shows all of his or her skills and experiences gathered upon the path. Susanna experienced many ordeals that pushed her back in accepting her diagnosis. One of them is Daisy. Daisy’s death impacts Susann negatively in accepting her psychosis. When Lisa and Susanna went to Daisy’s room to trade valium for laxatives she had chicken carcasses in her room (Kaysen 34). They know Daisy is one of the severely ill patients among the rest of the patients since she arrives at Thanksgiving year and leaves end of Christmas. Susanna is reluctant in what to believe about the hospital. The disparity between the patients gives doubts to Susanna about her treatment. Daisy was not able to be treated properly which her actions led her to pain and suffering which negatively impacts Susanna form being treated