GROUP-ORIENTED HEROES
Another distinction must be made about Heroes with respect to their orientation to society. Like the first storytellers, the earliest humans who went out hunting and gathering on the plains of Africa, most Heroes are group-oriented: They are part of a society at the beginning of the story, and their journey takes them to an unknown land far from home. When we first meet them, they are part of a clan, tribe, village, town, or family. Their story is one of separation from that group (Act One); lone adventure in the wilderness away from the group (Act Two); and usually, eventual reintegration with the group (Act Three).
Group-oriented Heroes often face a choice between returning to the Ordinary World of the first act, or remaining in the Special World of the second act. Heroes who choose to remain in the Special World are rare in Western culture but fairly common in classic Asian and Indian tales.
LONER HEROES
In contrast to the group-oriented Hero is the loner Western Hero such as Shane, Clint Eastwood's Man with No Name, John Wayne s Ethan in The Searchers, or The Lone Ranger. With this Hero type, the stories begin with the Heroes estranged from society. Their natural habitat is the wilderness, their natural state is solitude. Their journey is one of re-entry into the group (Act One); adventure within the group, on the group's normal turf (Act Two); and return to isolation in the wilderness (Act Three). For them the Special World of Act Two is the tribe or village, which they visit briefly but in which they are always uncomfortable. The wonderful shot of John Wayne at the end of The Searchers sums up the energy of this Hero type. Wayne is framed in a cabin doorway as an outsider forever cut off from the joys and comforts of the family. This kind of Hero need not be limited to Westerns. It can be used effectively in dramas or action movies where a loner detective is tempted back into adventure, where a hermit or retired person is called back into society, or where an emotionally isolated person is challenged to re-enter the world of relationships.
As with group-oriented Heroes, the loner Heroes have the final choice of returning to their initial state (solitude), or remaining in the Special World of Act Two. Some Heroes begin as loners and end as group-oriented Heroes who elect to stay with the group.
CATALYST HEROES
A certain class of Hero is an exception to the rule that the Hero is usually the character who undergoes the most change. These are catalyst Heroes, central figures who may act heroically, but who do not change much themselves because their main function is to bring about transformation in others. Like a true catalyst in chemistry, they bring about a change in a system without being changed themselves.
A good example is Eddie Murphy's character Axel Foley from Beverly Hills Cop. His personality is already fully formed and distinctive at the story's beginning. He doesn't have much of a character arc because he has nowhere to go. He doesn't learn or change much in the course of the story, but he does bring about change in his Beverly Hills cop buddies, Taggart and Rosewood. By comparison they have relatively strong character arcs, from being uptight and by-the-book to being hip and streetwise, thanks to Axel's influence. In fact, although Axel is the central figure, the villains main opponent, and the character with the best lines and the most screen time, it could be argued that he is not the true Hero, but the Mentor of the piece, while young Rosewood (Judge Reinhold) is the actual Hero because he learns the most.
Catalyst Heroes are especially useful in continuing stories such as episodic TV shows and sequels. Like The Lone Ranger or Superman, these Heroes undergo few internal changes, but primarily act to help others or guide them in their growth. Of course it's a good idea once in a while to give even these characters some moments of growth and change to help keep them fresh and believable.
THE ROAD OF HEROES
Heroes are symbols of the soul in transformation, and of the journey each person takes through life. The stages of that progression, the natural stages of life and growth, make up the Hero's Journey. The Hero archetype is a rich field for exploration by writers and spiritual seekers. Carol S. Pearson's book Awakening the Heroes Within further breaks down the idea of the Hero into useful archetypes (Innocent, Orphan, Martyr, Wanderer, Warrior, Caregiver, Seeker, Lover, Destroyer, Creator, Ruler, Magician, Sage, and Fool) and graphs the emotional progress of each. It's a good guide to a deeper psychological understanding of the Hero in its many facets. The special avenues traveled by some female heroes are described in The Heroine's Journey: Woman's Quest for Wholeness by Maureen Murdock.
An archetype found frequently in dreams, myths, and stories is the Mentor, usually a positive figure who aids or trains the hero. Campbells name for this force is the Wise Old Man or Wise Old Woman. This archetype is expressed in all those characters who teach and protect heroes and give them gifts. Whether it s God walking with Adam in the Garden of Eden, Merlin guiding King Arthur, the Fairy Godmother helping Cinderella, or a veteran sergeant giving advice to a rookie cop, the relationship between hero and Mentor is one of the richest sources of entertainment in literature and film.
The word "Mentor" comes to us from The Odyssey. A character named Mentor guides the young hero, Telemachus, on his Hero's Journey. In fact it's the goddess Athena who helps Telemachus, by assuming the form of Mentor. (See Chapter 4 in book two for a fuller discussion of Mentor's role.) Mentors often speak in the voice of a god, or are inspired by divine wisdom. Good teachers and Mentors are enthused, in the original sense of the word. "Enthusiasm" is from the Greek en theos, meaning god-inspired, having a god in you, or being in the presence of a god.
PSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTION
In the anatomy of the human psyche, Mentors represent the Self, the god within us, the aspect of personality that is connected with all things. This higher Self is the wiser, nobler, more godlike part of us. Like Jiminy Cricket in the Disney version of Pinocchio, the Self acts as a conscience to guide us on the road of life when no Blue Fairy or kindly Gepetto is there to protect us and tell us right from wrong.
Mentor figures, whether encountered in dreams, fairy tales, myths, or screenplays, stand for the hero's highest aspirations. They are what the hero may become if she persists on the Road of Heroes. Mentors are often former heroes who have survived life's early trials and are now passing on the gift of their knowledge and wisdom.
The Mentor archetype is closely related to the image of the parent. The fairy godmother in stories such as "Cinderella" can be interpreted as the protecting spirit of the girl's dead mother. Merlin is a surrogate parent to the young King Arthur, whose father is dead. Many heroes seek out Mentors because their own parents are inadequate role models.
DRAMATIC FUNCTIONS TEACHING
Just as learning is an important function of the hero, teaching or training is a key function of the Mentor. Training sergeants, drill instructors, professors, trail bosses, parents, grandparents, crusty old boxing coaches, and all those who teach a hero the ropes, are manifesting this archetype. Of course the teaching can go both ways. Anyone who has taught knows that you learn as much from your students as they do from you.