The novel Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, written by JK Rowling is the first book in a seven-part series. Harry Potter's heroic journey through the Muggle world to the wizarding world shows growth in himself and his mind. Potter follows the steps introduced by Joseph Campbell's Monomyth, learning new magical abilities and testing himself. Harry demonstrates the three phases; separation, initiation and return, which are then divided into seventeen steps. Harry Potter's heroic journey can be retraced by readers throughout the novel. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayThe first stage of Joseph Cambell's seventeen-stage monomyth is separation, with five steps: call to adventure, rejection of the call, supernatural aid, crossing the threshold, and belly of the whale. The call to adventure is the original alarm given to the hero, taking him from normality to an unknown journey. Harry Potter lives with his uncle, aunt and cousin who hide from Harry that he is a wizard. His uncle, Mr. Dursley, displays characteristics of the ruler archetype by trying to have the most successful family. He shows his strength through Potter's constant annoyance. Dursley takes drastic measures to keep letters that Harry has been admitted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry unopened, such as moving the family of four to a secret barrack. The first two steps of Joseph Cambell's monomyth are actually reversed because, strangely, the rejection of the call is not made by Potter himself, but by his own uncle before the call to adventure. Refusal of the call occurs when the hero opposes the undertaking. Fortunately, Mr. Durley was unable to keep the mail a secret, and Potter ends up receiving a letter informing him that he is accepted into Hogwarts school. Harry seems excited and ready to explore the wizarding world. A supernatural aid is often a figure who guides the hero on his new journey. Harry's supernatural help is a “giant man” who delivers the letter on Potter's eleventh birthday, Rubeus Hagrid (Rowling 46). Hagrid can be classified as an explorer according to the twelve common archetypes. The motto displayed by the explorer is “don't close me down” (Gold 3). Throughout the book he likes to live alone and barbarically as a caretaker of the land. Hagrid first introduces Harry to the world of magic and helps him and his friends decipher the Philosopher's Stone. In the next phase Harry crosses the threshold leaving behind his world of normality for a foreign experience. This is done by Potter at the “famous” Leaky Cauldron with Hagrid (Rowling 68). Potter is greeted with "chairs scraping" of excitement and immediately "...shakes hands with everyone in the Leaky Cauldron" (69). He will then cross another threshold into Diagon Alley where he will encounter the "dragon liver" and "Gringotts" (72). The last threshold crossed is on Platform 9 ¾ with another wizarding family called the Weasleys in the wizarding world. This is when Harry meets a boy named Ronald, a pureblood. Harry and Ronald are descended from both parents' magic that causes them to bond on the eleven o'clock train to Hogwarts. The fifth and final step of the first phase is the belly of the whale. The belly of the whale is the hero's last step before embarking on his true vocation; it is depicted in the novel when Harry is confronted by the Sorting Hat. He is nervous that he might be sorted into Slytherin house, the house of evil. Inside his head he sings "not Slytherin, not Slytherin" in which the hat responds by giving in to his choice (121). Finally choosing Gryffindor, the room gave"the loudest applause yet" (121). This proves his test of character and at this point Harry leaves the Muggle world and enters the unknown. The second stage of Joseph Cambell's seventeen-stage monomyth is initiation with seven steps: the road of trials, the encounter with the idea, temptation, atonement with the father, apostasis, the ultimate advantage, and the refusal to return. This is usually the longest, most eventful and entertaining phase of the Cambell monomyth. The Road of Trials are trials given to the hero to complete in order to transform. Harry faces many minor problems during his first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, but one of his major trials is an evil, "stinky" troll (174). Inexperienced in magic, he nevertheless uses it to save his friend whom he accidentally trapped, Hermione. It is then that he becomes close to Ron and Hermione and a long friendship blossoms. Another thinks that Professor Snape is the thief behind the Philosopher's Stone. By focusing on Professor Snape, Harry overlooks the true traitor of Hogwarts. The meeting with the goddess influences the hero making him feel eternal love. This passage is sometimes represented by a maternal figure. Lily, Harry's mother, sacrificed her life for her son against Lord Voldemort. Even after his death he continues to protect his son with the scar left on him as a child. Whenever Voldemort is near, the scar burns as a warning. During the battle against Quirrell and Lord Voldemort, Quirrell could not touch Harry, his hands "seemed burnt, raw, red and shiny", due to Harry's mother's love (295). Lily died to save him. Temptations are defined as an object given to the hero to distance himself from his goal. An invisible cloak, given to him by his father, allows Harry to travel around school without being seen. One night during winter break he locates the Mirror of Erised, an ancient mirror that shows viewers “'the deepest and most desperate longing of our hearts'” (213). While looking in the mirror, Harry sees people who are not in the room. A woman who has “dark red hair” and eyes just like him peers through the mirror alongside other familiar faces (208). Potter realizes that these people are his dead family. This image he desires makes him return to the mirror every night for about a week. The Mirror of Erised is known as Harry's temptation because the visits distract him from his goal of finding out who stole the Philosopher's Stone. The father's atonement occurs when the hero faces the object that holds the greatest power over his life. Although Voldemort is not a father figure, Harry must defeat him to turn a new stone in his life. Voldemort can be classified as a ruler within the twelve common archetypes because he believes that power is the only aspect of life. With Voldemort defeated, Harry discovers the corrupt world. Apostate is when the hero dies a death, physically or in spirit, and takes him beyond basic knowledge. This is represented when a hero enters a divine phase. During the last chapter, Potter wakes up in a hospital bed, not knowing where the stone is. Dumbledore assures him that the stone “has been destroyed” (297). Now he knows what it means to be a good wizard because he has experienced and handled danger. A weight has been lifted from his shoulders as he prepares for the end of year party. The final payoff in the novel actually occurs before the apostate. The final benefit is achieving the goal. Lord Voldemort, Quirrell and Harry fight for the philosopher's stone. Potter wants to preserve the stone while Voldemort wants to use it to his advantage to gain a body and be separated from Quirrell. All of Harry's training led up to this battle. The.