The Hero With a Thousand Faces

If you been a fan of mythology and folklore you will like this book. Joseph Campbell pulls tales from many cultures to show how mankind has virtually the same heroic journey tucked away in its subconscious regardless of culture or even time. He also explains the importance of myths, which is something lots of people can’t grasp because they can’t get over the fact the stories aren’t real. Myths were never meant to be facts and would lose their significance if they were. They are meant to be sources of inspiration that a person of flesh can turn to in order to face a harsh reality with courage.

He describes the process of a “hero” and the challenges and obstacles that they go through every day in order to become that person that they want to be. Campbell uses examples from various myths, legends, history and our present society to confirm his theory. Every human is a hero and their identity is shaped by the events they go through and people whom they come across. It is only through this journey that we find out who we really are.
I think Campbell has a very extraordinary idea because this might explain a lot of the emotions that people go through in their lives. “The Hero With A Thousand Faces”—it says it all in the title. Whether if we’re sad, happy, excited or just plain tired, there is always a part of that specific emotion that reflects who we are, if not only for that moment.