Ann. Bib. #8

Vogler, Christopher. “Reward“, “The Road Back”. The Writer's Journey : Mythic Structure for Writers Third Edition. Studio City, CA: Michael Wiese Productions, 2007.
Summary
The Reward stage takes place right after the ordeal, and it is when the hero gets what they’ve been seeking. They can either win it, be given it, or steal it. The reward has a variety of shapes. It can be a celebration which provides the hero with time for rest before returning to normal world. It can be a campfire scene which gives the hero the chance to recap their adventure and allows the audience to look back on what has happened. It can also be a love scene. They usually get new perceptions when they reach the reward stage. They can gain better ability at seeing through deception, gain clairvoyance, gain a better self-realization, and have an epiphany. Another result could be the hero gaining too much of an ego and as a result have a distorted perception. Either way, the hero gains something during this stage.
The Road Back stage takes place after the Reward stage. It is during this stage that the hero makes the decision to stay in the special world or return to the ordinary world. Most of the time the hero returns to the ordinary world. Usually during this stage the hero discovers that the villain is not really dead, and the villain comes after the hero for revenge. Chase scenes are common, and in fairytales they are referred to as magic flight. The hero could also be running from admirers or chasing a villain that has escaped. Finally, the hero can experience set backs during this stage to test their resolve.
Reaction
I think Vogler did a good job explaining these two sections, and he used a better variety of movies then he did in the previous required reading. Still, I only recognized a few of the movie examples. I didn’t realize there where so many reward variations. I also did not realize that a chase scene was so common in the Road Back stage.
Questions
1)Can a story end after the reward stage?
2)Can you name a hero in a movie that decided to stay in the special world?
3)Do heroes realize that they have changed in the reward stage or does it just occur?