ann. bib. # 9

Vogler, Christopher. “The Resurrection”, “Return with the Elixir”. The Writer's Journey : Mythic Structure for Writers Third Edition. Studio City, CA: Michael Wiese Productions, 2007.
Summary
This is the stage where the hero has their last encounter with death, and it is also suppose to be the most dangerous encounter. The hero must once again change and go through a “rebirth” before reentering the ordinary world. This “new” hero should have all the good characteristics of their old self, as well as, their lessons they have learned throughout their journey. This also serves as a function of “cleansing the hero of the smell of death”. In this stage, the trouble is usually not directed just at the hero, but there is some threat to the entire world. It is the best scenario when the hero acts alone in this challenge, and does not have to be rescued by an ally. In Westerns, this is generally represented by a shootout. In some cases the hero dies at this stage (known as the tragic hero), but in the majority of cases it is the villain. Another challenge is the hero having to choose between choices to see if the hero sticks to their values. There are two different classifications for the climax, the rolling climax and the quiet climax. This stage is ultimately the last chance for the character to change their ways.
The return with the elixir stage is the stage where the heroes return to the place they were at at the beginning of their journey. During this stage all the loose ends are wrapped up. There are two story forms, the circular form and the open-ended form. The circular style is also known as the closed form, and it is the most popular story form. This story lets you see how far the hero has come. Happy endings are very popular in Hollywood movies. In the open-ended form, questions are intentionally left at the end of the hero’s journey for the audience to decide for themselves. This is the part of the story that many writers mess up. It shares many similarities with the Reward stage. A good version of the return stage should connect all the plot lines but also have some aspects of surprise. Another function of this stage is to dish out the last rewards and punishments to the characters. Tragedy, responsibility, and love are all examples of common elixirs the hero brings back from their journey. There are many different pitfalls during this stage of the story. Unresolved subplots, too many endings, abrupt endings, and an out of focus end are all common pitfalls the befall this stage.
Reaction
Overall these sections of the book were good. He explained the different aspects well, and did not write about a lot of common knowledge. I did not agree with his stance on how the hero should not be rescued in the road back stage; I think in some instances a hero coming to the aid helps.
Questions
1)What is an example of a movie where the hero was rescued by an ally in the road back and it worked well?
2)Do you prefer an open-ended ending or a circular format in a story and why?
3)Do you think a tragic hero is effective at teaching the audience a lesson?