Stage Ten: The Road Back

Vacations, sunsets, great books, delicious meals: we’re told that all good things must come to an end. How disappointing, right? For the hero, even the Special World of the adventure must come to a close eventually. But how does the hero return home? Via the Road Back.

As we’ve looked together at the Hero’s Journey, he or she has made a long and arduous voyage from the Ordinary World, into the Special World of the adventure, and then into the Inmost Cave where the ultimate Ordeal was faced. Phew! That was a lot of work. But now that the hero has enjoyed a few moments to savor the Reward of the battle, it’s time to make a choice: will he or she stay in this Special World or return home?

Why Return?

There are stories in which the hero stays in the world of the adventure, like Ariel in Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” (although her heroism is very doubtful). At the end of the story, she chooses to remain in the human world with Eric, the prince she’s been stalking since the opening credits. However, endings like this aren’t as common; usually, the hero heads back to the starting point. Why is this? I think it’s because we like to feel a sense of completion, of coming “full circle” in a story. If the hero stays in the world of the adventure, we’re left wondering what happened to the folks at home and the problems that were introduced at that stage of the story. Also, a true hero doesn’t usually undergo an adventure for himself alone. Often, he has gone through all this in order to gain something that will rescue the ones he left behind.

Example from C.S. Lewis

In C.S. Lewis’s Prince Caspian, the adventure comes to a close as Aslan offers a way home for the Pevensie children and the foreign Telmarines. The Pevensies are more or less obligated to go, but many of the Telmarines also choose to be returned to the land of their heritage from long ago. Aslan has created a magical door that will transport any who walk through it back to where they belong. Despite the difficult goodbyes (who would ever want to leave Aslan?), this is a quick and simple Road Back.

Another example is in Lewis’s The Magician’s Nephew. Digory and Polly have been tricked into being transported to another world—a newly-created world. While there are definitely dangers in this world, the situation that Digory left behind is actually much worse. He lives with a selfish, conniving uncle and a mother who is dying of an illness. The new world, however, is full of interesting creatures ruled by a kind-hearted cabbie. It could have been tempting for Digory to stay there and savor the safety. However, his greatest wish was to return home and offer some life-giving fruit to his dying mother, which is just what he did. For him, the choice was clear: he took the Road Back even though it would be difficult.

When Return Isn’t Optional

Sometimes the hero doesn’t even have a choice about whether or not to embark on the Road Back. Instead, as Christopher Vogler points out, she may find that the evil which she battled has regrouped and returned. She may be chased out of the Special World by a pursuing band of henchmen or an angry villain. Maybe the world itself starts to fall apart, forcing the hero to flee for her life. No matter the motivation, this scene is vital in propelling the adventure from a momentary lull back up to the energy that brings it home. If, like me, you often find yourself snoozing about two-thirds of the way through a movie, this is the part that should wake you up—should. Or it’s just time to admit that we’re old and can’t start a movie after 7:00 P.M. anymore. Dismal.

Anyway, in order to escape, the hero may need to utilize different allies and tactics. He may try to run faster and fight harder, but he may also choose to hide in disguise or use magical gifts to throw the pursuer off his trail. Regardless of the method of flight, one thing is certain: he has outstayed his welcome in the Special World, and it’s time to head home. 

Example from The Hobbit

Thankfully for poor old Bilbo Baggins, he is not pursued out of the Special World of his adventure. He’s been through enough already, the poor chap. Instead, he finally gets the chance to do what he’s been longing to do since the first moment he set out for the Lonely Mountain: he gets to head back to the Shire. “’Our back is to legends,’” he says, “’and we are coming home.’” [308]

His Road Back is not nearly as quick as Aslan’s magical door. Instead, he travels for a while with the elves, Beorn, and Gandalf. After leaving the elves at their home in Mirkwood, Bilbo and Gandalf accompany Beorn back to his house where the three of them pass a cozy Christmas season. When they’re all rested up, Gandalf escorts Bilbo all the way back to the Shire. The road was long, and Bilbo is ready for some rest. But is he prepared for the next stage of the Journey, that of Resurrection?

Today’s Question: Think of a story in which the hero takes the Road Back. Was the hero forced into it, or did he or she go by choice?

Sources:
Tolkien, J.R.R. The Hobbit. New York: Ballantine Books, 1937.
Vogler, Christopher. The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers, Second Edition. Studio City: Michael Wiese Productions, 1998.