You may have heard about the ‘hero story’, it forms the basis of many big epic stories - the greek myths and legends, more recent examples include Star Wars and Harry Potter. They are everywhere. They are normally based on the adventures of men. The hero story was identified and outlined by Joseph Campbell in The Hero with a Thousand Faces (1949) in which he identifies the pattern of the journey, the story arc of the epic adventure briefly, as follows:
The Ordinary World
At the beginning of the story, the hero has an ordinary life and we learn of their normal routine, habits and the nature of their ordinary days.
The Call to Adventure
Suddenly, our hero faces a challenge, problem, or quest. Their ordinary life can continue no more, they are going to have to act.
Refusal of the Call
There will be resistance from our hero, they do not do want this disruption or they may feel insecure or uncomfortable with this challenge.
Meeting the Mentor
As if by magic, a mentor appears. The mentor or guide who provides something that our hero needs; advice, training, or tools to help them on their journey. The mentor often represents wisdom and experience.
Crossing the Threshold
Our hero is now able to leave their ordinary life behind and begin their quest. This journey will be perilous, with unfamiliar challenges and threats of danger outside their previous experience. There may be new rules to learn and skills to further develop.
Tests, Allies, and Enemies
Our hero now faces a series of tough tests and starts to understand and experience what it is he is facing and will walk on the brink of failure many times, trying not to fall.
Approach to the Inmost Cave
Danger is now near, the toughest challenge is going to be hard work. It may actually involve a literal cave. But not necessarily.
The Ordeal
The hero faces their greatest challenge, which may involve a life-or-death situation, a personal crisis, or a confrontation with their greatest fears. This ordeal is a critical point of transformation.
The Reward
Hooray! It’s reward time - something good will have changed. It may be heightened self-knowledge, new strength or the spoils of victory in some other way.
The Road Back
Just when you thought everything was going to be safe and sound, there may be further challenge in the return - but the hero will overcome.
Resurrection
The hero faces a final test where they must prove their growth and transformation. They emerge from this final challenge reborn or renewed, having learned valuable lessons.
Return with the Elixir
The hero returns to the ordinary world, bringing with them the "elixir," which could be wisdom, insight, or a physical reward. The hero's transformation often benefits others, and they are now ready to live a more enriched life.
An example of how the Hero story matters in our culture
This story is so utterly embedded in our culture. If you think of all of the big epic stories that you can recall (with a male hero), these steps are normally present in one way or another. Does it impact on real life though? Well, given that my argument is that narrative is incredibly important with regard to how we all carry on, organise ourselves, form our beliefs and practices and relate to others - I would answer, yes. And I will give you an example of a man with an orange face.
Trump
Donald Trump is well known for liking a ‘strong man’ and he often proffers himself as a "hero" archetype, particularly in the way he frames his public persona and his political messaging. His public statements, speeches, and actions suggest that he views himself as a kind of hero—especially in the context of his supporters and how he positions himself within American politics. I will expand on this further.
I am the Great Defender
Trump frequently presents himself as a defender of the "forgotten" or "silent" Americans, particularly those he believes have been left behind by the political establishment. Clearly, some elements of the US population do feel like that and he appeals to those who are looking for a defender and champion. He portrays himself as a force on their side of these groups, positioning himself as their voice in the fight against what he often calls the “swamp” or the "corrupt elite" or the "deep state." This aligns with the classic hero role of standing up against dark forces on behalf of the people. We can see that some people find this comforting, empowering, encouraging and supportive. The story is so powerful and welcome to them that they will stand behind him in this quest not matter what he does - as he famously said, he could shoot someone in the street and they would still vote for him.
"I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn't lose any voters, OK?" - Donald Trump
If you watch interviews with Trump supporters, they will not hear a word against him, such is the strength of their allegiance to their champion.
I am your Hero
One of the central elements of Trump’s political identity is his self-styled status as an outsider who came to Washington to "drain the swamp." This narrative fits with the hero's journey, where the hero leaves the ordinary world (in Trump's case, his life as a businessman) to take on a powerful and corrupt system. He often presents himself as someone who is uniquely qualified to take on this battle because of his non-traditional political background. People have been primed, culturally, through the story tradition to look for such a person. They do not seem to mind that he is a billionaire and part of America’s rich elite and has never lived like the outsiders that he claims to advocate for.
I have to fight against dark forces
Trump frequently frames himself as a victim of unfair attacks by the media “fake news”, political opponents, and institutions like the FBI or the judicial system. He claims the convictions that he has are politically motivated and now he has experienced two assassination attempts, his case is even stronger. In this way, he casts himself as a heroic figure who is constantly under siege but persists for the sake of his supporters and his vision for America. Trump the hero fights on - think of that image of him getting up of the floor, pumping his fist in the air and saying ‘fight, fight, fight’. In his story, he is fighting insurmountable forces but his battle will goes on.
I will save you
Trump often uses language that suggests he sees himself as a kind of saviour. He claims that when there are international troubles, he could resolve them in a day, sometimes he will say five minutes.
"I alone can fix it"
(from his 2016 Republican National Convention speech) imply that he views himself as uniquely capable of solving the problems facing the nation. This echoes the role of a hero who believes that they possess a special destiny or role in restoring order and balance. This is powerful stuff and people go for it, they believe it.
Everything will be great
Then, of course, there is MAGA. Trump's "Make America Great Again" slogan reflects a nostalgic hero narrative, he says it is a great phrase that no one can disagree with - he asks who does not want to make America Great. Only enemies of America, surely. This is where he presents himself as the leader who will restore a lost golden age. In order to do this, he does claim that America is a failing nation (in the last 3.5 years) which clearly is not true - America is still the biggest wealthy nation in the World. However, some people do not feel like that and to them, he casts himself as a hero returning the country to its former glory, battling forces (globalism, immigration, political correctness) that he believes have diminished America’s greatness. Latterly, the battle seems also to have turned somewhat against women - which is not just a message supported by men either, there are groups of women who support it. There has been the rise of the trad wife, the evangelical right and the rise of patriarchy 2.0 where childless cat ladies are dismissed as not fit for office.
So, to fit this in to our hero’s journey - here is the hero story, Trump style:
Call to Adventure:
There he was, sitting in Trump Towers taking care of his property empire and appearing on his reality TV show, rubbing shoulders with the rich and influential and then he had a call to enter into politics as a response to the call to "save America" from decline. His narrative implies that, while others failed or sold out the country, he was called to restore it.
Crossing the Threshold:
His 2016 election could be seen as his moment of crossing into the strange and challenging world of politics as President and begins his fight against the establishment.
Tests and Enemies
Trump regularly frames his presidency and post-presidency as a series of battles against enemies—both internal (Democrats, the media, the "deep state") and external (China, illegal immigration, foreign powers).
Ordeal and Reward
He often presents his failures - policy failures or lost court cases, such as impeachments or ongoing investigations, as ordeals that test his resilience. In his narrative, surviving these battles only strengthens his position as a leader. The MAGA fans believe it, it is the deep state that is against them and Donald will fight it. He is now talking about how he is going to imprison his enemies and may take away the broadcasting licence of the TV channel that hosted his debate against Harris, again, claiming that they were biased and acting as a force against him.
His followers do seem to perceive him as fighting a righteous battle against corrupt or misguided forces. This framing, along with his tendency to embrace a narrative of victimhood and triumph over opposition, mirrors many aspects of the hero archetype. He claims to have ‘won’ the debate against Kamala Harris - which his supporters seem to accept - despite commentators, even Fox News, saying the opposite.
So, the narrative is strong for those that go along with it. A selfless hero, though, Trump is not. He is well known for lying, dividing, cheating and stoking trouble. Hence he is a divisive figure - splitting the US voters down the middle with one side believing that his election would be wonderful and the other side that it would be an unmitigated disaster. The hero story is emotive. It is not a rational choice but one based on belief and emotion as a result of knowing these stories and recognising them from culture and then applying them to a complex issue.
The stories we tell ourselves and the narratives we follow make a difference.
More on hero stories to come - particularly on where women fit into the hero narrative.