Introduction
In his book, Pathway to Bliss, Joseph Campbell talks about the journey that a hero must go through before he or she can be considered to be a true hero. According to Campbell, a hero’s journey is comprised of 12 stages. These stages test the strength, ability and motivation of the hero/heroine and it is only at the final stage that the hero gets rewarded for his struggle and attains ultimate success.
Question 1
In the movie Invictus, the hero is Nelson Mandela. There are several scenes that depict his heroic journey in this movie. Having just been released from, Nelson Mandela faces the daunting task of uniting his country which has been torn apart by several years of apartheid. This particular scene in the film is signatory to Campbell’s second stage of a hero’s journey referred to as “Call to Adventure”. It is the stage where the hero is presented with a challenge, problem or adventure. Another scene that depicts his heroic journey is the scene where the black citizens cheer against their own rugby team because to them, the team made mostly of white players represents apartheid and prejudice. In Campbell’s concept of a heroic journey, this scene signifies the ‘Approach’ stage where the hero is hit with setbacks in his quest. In this case, this setback is that in spite of Mandela’s desire to unite his nation, the blacks are unwilling to recognize their fellow countrymen. What the Invictus film is essentially trying to say is that a hero’s journey is not a smooth affair and there are various setbacks on the way.
Question 2
The climactic scene in the Invictus film is the scene when the Springboks under the support of both the whites and blacks beat the All Blacks of New Zealand in the Rugby World Cup final. This scene adds immensely to my understanding of the heroic’s journey because it signifies the final aspect of the hero’s journey and this is the new life or hope that the hero brings to the general public or the people that he had previously left behind.
Question 3
Seeing that the film Invictus vividly brings into light the stages of a hero’s journey in accordance to those noted down by Joseph Campbell, one plausible hypothesis for the final paper could be; there are several stages in hero’s journey to his ultimate success and the film Invictus is a perfect illustration of these stages of a hero’s journey.
Question 4
After applying Campbell’s concept of a heroic journey to the film Invictus, I realized that just as Campbell stipulates, a hero’s journey is comprised of several ups and downs and one can only be called a hero after passing the final stage of the journey and coming up with something to show for it. Nelson Mandela had a great vision of uniting his nation and he realized that he could do this through sports particularly through an upcoming Rugby World Cup that was being held in his country. He faced several setbacks but at the end, he emerged victorious and came up with something to show for it and that was the union of whites and blacks in supporting their home team as well as a renewed hope for the future.
Works Cited
Campbell, J. (2004).Pathways to bliss: Mythology and personal transformation. Novato, California: New World Library.
