Vogler Annotation pg 107-125

Vogler, Christopher. The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers. 3rd ed. Studio City,

CA: Michael Wiese Productions, 2007. 107-125.

Summary

In the first part of the section, Vogler discusses the Refusal of the Call stage of his journey. This is where the hero hesitates and the audience is shown that there is a risk in taking this call. There are several different characteristics of a refusal. Sometimes the hero will avoid the call as a first reaction. Usually, this is because of a past experience and the hero remembers the trial of that experience. Or the hero will come up with some sort of excuse; they would do it, but they have more pressing matters to attend too. Eventually, the hero is worn down in both circumstances.

Vogler also talks about “looking backward, dwelling in the past, and denying reality” as forms of refusal. If the hero continues to refusal the call, this can sometimes lead to tragedy, like when Lot’s wife refuses God’s call and she is turned into a pillar of salt. The hero may also have more than one call to choose from or a negative call may appear and the hero has to make the right choice. While most heroes refuse the call, some are willing and may even seek it. The Threshold Guardians may also come into play here, as they may enforce fear and doubt in the hero about their call. The hero may also violate any limits that the Guardians enforce.

Next, Vogler talks about the Meeting with the Mentor stage. A hero will typically meet with a person or guide for advice before they take their call. Usually, the mentor is an actually person, but sometimes it may just be a source of wisdom that the hero encounters. Or even multiple people. Vogler tells the writer to make sure their Mentor type isn’t the norm. Too make the audience more interested they need to turn the character “upside-down”. He also mentions that audiences don’t like to be misled. Sometimes the Mentor may turn on the hero or may even be a hero themselves.

Reaction

Vogler continues to get more in-depth while describing his stages. He talks about how the hero may refuse the call, and I think that this mirrors reality quite a bit. We are all afraid to take risks at one point or another. We are all also very good at making excuses! We all sometimes are lost in the past and need to be pulled out by a call. Sometimes this works and sometimes it doesn’t. I think these elements defiantly help the audience connect with the hero and get them pulled into the story. If the audience can easily relate, then the writer has created a good story.

Questions:

1. When have you avoided a call to adventure in your life?

2. Why are some people more hesitant than others?

3. Is a character still a mentor if they trick the hero?