annotation 10/20/08

Alot goes on in stage seven of Vogler's text. It is in this stage that the hero approaches the inner most cave, which almost always occurs after the hero has entered through into the new world. It is during this time that the hero makes plans and observes the enemy he or she is to face. Along with observations, this is often a time of romance or "courtship" for the hero to experience. Within a story there are several paths a hero can choose when approaching, the hero can approach it bravely and strong or he/she may be unsure and a bit frightful. There will be a high probability that the hero will have to over come several obstacles in order to make it to the end of their journey to the cave. It may seem unfair, but the hero has to work for what they want and earn what they get. During this time the hero may change his/her mind or the path they have chosen to take, but in the end one must face their fears. The ordeal, which can be mistaken for the climax, is a crisis stage. In this stage the hero faces death in some form, this doesn't always have to be physically. The hero them self does not have to die, they could be a witness to a death or cause one, or it could even be a certain ego of the hero that dies.

I think that the innermost cave creates for an interesting destination in the story. In many fairytales, the ending is the reaching of the innermost cave, a castle or a great land. Also it seems to me that the ordeal doesn't always have to be a stage of crisis, that the ordeal is everything in the journey that leads up to the climax point in the story. Lastly, i don't think that every hero should have to face a death, why can't a hero just conquer without death being a factor? It would be much more peaceful for the villian or enemy to simply disappear rather than to have to die.

1.What is your innermost cave
2.What do you think an ordeal in a story is
3. Can you think of any hero's journey where there is no inner most cave?