Watership Down Heroic Epic Essay
Not Your Typical Superhero Story
Spiderman, Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Cat Woman; when you hear the word hero or heroine that is who you think of. The most famous heroes of all time, as well as the not so famous heroes such as Hazel, fit the archetype of a hero; they are all courageous, resourceful, and strong-willed. Most people don’t notice that almost all action/adventure movies and novels are the same. All of their stories fit the archetypal pattern of a heroic quest. A heroic quest consists of twelve steps that the hero completes throughout his or her journey. In this essay, I will be explaining the parallels between Watership Down by Richard Adams and the archetypal pattern of a heroic quest; as well as the parallels between Hazel and the archetype of a hero.
In the first step of a heroic quest, The Ordinary World, the hero who is uneasy and unaware is introduced in a way that the audience can identify the situation. There is some type of polarity in the hero’s life that is causing stress. Hazel is introduced to the readers as a natural leader. Fiver, his good friend and brother, comes to him in distress. He immediately decides to go talk to the Chief Rabbit, Threarah. This allows the readers to identify that there is danger in the near future and that it is causing Hazel some stress.
The next step is The Call to Adventure, something comes along to shake up the situation, either from an external pressure or something from deep within. The hero must face the beginnings of change. Hazel is called to adventure when Fiver comes to him about a horrible nightmare. Fiver tells him that something terrible is going to happen and they must go tell the Chief Rabbit, Threarah.
The Refusal of the Call; the hero has a fear of the unknown and tries to turn away from the adventure. Alternately, another character expresses the uncertainty and danger the hero may face ahead. When Threarah completely ignores Hazel’s warning, Hazel gives little hesitation and makes
Spiderman, Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Cat Woman; when you hear the word hero or heroine that is who you think of. The most famous heroes of all time, as well as the not so famous heroes such as Hazel, fit the archetype of a hero; they are all courageous, resourceful, and strong-willed. Most people don’t notice that almost all action/adventure movies and novels are the same. All of their stories fit the archetypal pattern of a heroic quest. A heroic quest consists of twelve steps that the hero completes throughout his or her journey. In this essay, I will be explaining the parallels between Watership Down by Richard Adams and the archetypal pattern of a heroic quest; as well as the parallels between Hazel and the archetype of a hero.
In the first step of a heroic quest, The Ordinary World, the hero who is uneasy and unaware is introduced in a way that the audience can identify the situation. There is some type of polarity in the hero’s life that is causing stress. Hazel is introduced to the readers as a natural leader. Fiver, his good friend and brother, comes to him in distress. He immediately decides to go talk to the Chief Rabbit, Threarah. This allows the readers to identify that there is danger in the near future and that it is causing Hazel some stress.
The next step is The Call to Adventure, something comes along to shake up the situation, either from an external pressure or something from deep within. The hero must face the beginnings of change. Hazel is called to adventure when Fiver comes to him about a horrible nightmare. Fiver tells him that something terrible is going to happen and they must go tell the Chief Rabbit, Threarah.
The Refusal of the Call; the hero has a fear of the unknown and tries to turn away from the adventure. Alternately, another character expresses the uncertainty and danger the hero may face ahead. When Threarah completely ignores Hazel’s warning, Hazel gives little hesitation and makes