Refusal Of The Call

By Alek Eshnaur & Maddie Krowe

Why would a hero refuse the call to

adventure?In a world of big things and events they see them selves an insignificant piece of the puzzle or unwilling to risk their life for the sake of adventure. For example:

Odysseus

The Greek King, ruler of Ithaca was summoned by Agamemnonto aid in the recovery of Helen, Agamemnon’s wife, who had been kidnapped by Paris of Troy.Not wanting to leave his wife and son, so he feigned lunacy to avoid participating in the Trojan War.

Bilbo Baggins

The diminutive hero of the Hobbit, though nominated by Gandalf for inclusion in the dwarves quest to the lonely mountain, he refuses seeing no advantage he could bring to the company and doesn’t wish to leave the comforts of home.

Rand Al’Thor

The reluctant hero of Robert Jordan’s 14 volume Wheel Of Time series. Sees both himself and his friends as ordinary rural youth living in a small village. He can’t grasp that he is in fact the “Dragon Reborn” a mythical hero that will save the world from evil.

What is holding a hero back?

The significant people in the hero’s life, perhaps unintentionally, exert undo influence. In some cases, the internal moral code, the hero lives by, blocks his acceptance of the quest.

Does every hero refuse the call?

Why or why not?

Yes and no, some heroes like Galahad, Achilles, and General Custer willing undertook dangerous quests knowing the outcome was in doubt. Others like Odysseus, Bilbo, and Rand tried unsuccessfully to avoid the quests. In the end acceptance is necessary or there is simply no story to tell.

Examples of things that would make the hero refuse

the call.

Refusing the call out of fear, insecurities, terror of the unknown, and the fear of losing what they already have.

Bibliography

• Google Images• The Hobbit - J.R.R Tolkien• The Iliad - Homer • The Wheel of Time series – Robert Jordan• Wikipedia