The Boy Who Lived: An Examination of the Hero's Journey in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter Series

Author

Victoria Laine Applewhite

Date of Award

2010

Document Type

Undergraduate Thesis

Department

English

First Advisor

Natalie Schroeder

Relational Format

Dissertation/Thesis

Abstract

The prevalence of the mythic hero’s journey in J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series was investigated in order to determine how an archaic mythic form manifests itself in a contemporary literary series. Joseph Campbell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces was consulted for a detailed account of the mythic hero’s journey, and several scholarly analyses were consulted for a closer examination of Rowling’s series. The journey of Harry Potter closely correlated with the majority of the components of Campbell’s mythic hero’s journey: unusual birth, call to adventure, crossing of the threshold, aid from a protective figure, a series of tests, helpers, atonement with the father figure, apotheosis, the final battle, magic flight, return, and mastery of the two worlds. After examining the series, it was determined not only that Harry’s personal transformation is a direct result of his heroic journey, but that, like the monomyth, his struggle mirrors the personal struggle within us all.

Recommended Citation

Applewhite, Victoria Laine, "The Boy Who Lived: An Examination of the Hero's Journey in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter Series" (2010). Honors Theses. 2289.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/hon_thesis/2289

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