Annotation 5

Summary
After the Normal World and the Call to Adventure we come to two more related points in the hero’s journey, those being The Refusal of the Call and the Meeting with the Mentor. The Refusal is meant to set a point in the journey that sets up the dangers involved with continuing on the journey. There are several types of refusals, for example the hero can give weak excuses, avoid, be willing, refuses persistently or there can be conflicting calls to adventure. Immediately after the refusal, sometimes during it, is the point in the journey when the hero will meet with the mentor. Probably the most important occurrence here is that the mentor usually gives the hero some sort of gift that will help the hero on their journey.
Reaction
There was one category that Vogler mentioned which is the persistent refusal of the call and how this always has to end in tragedy. This makes sense and it seems that it could be the entire story in itself. For example, the result if you are always too cowardly to take a risk. Another interesting aspect from this section was the fact the mentor has to always give something useful. Perhaps in dramatic stories this has to always be true, however, I do not think it has to be in every good story. Although, Vogler had made it clear quite a few times that every aspect of the Hero’s Journey does not have to be present.

Reflection
These two parts of the journey are very easy to spot in famous stories. For example in Star Wars, when Obi Wan initially tries to convince Luke he is met with refusal, even after giving him the gift. Only after the murder of his caretakers did he embark on the journey. In the stories that we have read for class these are not so apparent. In “The Metamorphosis” I would say the hero was willing and therefore did not experience the typical Refusal. He awoke in his strange state and decided that he was going to make do with it and continue about his normal day with this strange state that he was now in.