Popularized by Joseph Campbell in "The Hero with a Thousand Faces", the concept of the Hero's Journey or Monomyth suggests a hidden structure to the obstacles that every hero must face. Out of curiosity, how well does Barack Obama fare?

To be fair, the Hero's Journey is hardly comprehensive criteria for heroism. It's most appropriate usage is in storytelling, so let's not fool ourselves into thinking that we're dissecting the content of a man's character, merely how well that character is packaged. Still, using Campbell's original 17-step (17-meme?) path as our guide, here's how the presumptive next president of the United States rates against other classic hero archetypes like Luke Skywalker, Neo, and—hell—let's throw in Baby from Dirty Dancing:

1. The Call to Adventure

It begins simply enough with our hero, typically an orphan, trapped in a mundane existence with a longing to be more than they are. Luke wants to join the Rebellion, Neo is pricked by the question "what is the Matrix?", and Baby attends her first dance lesson.

BarackObama.com's Meet the Candidate page begins with:

Barack Obama was raised by a single mother and his grandparents. They didn't have much money, but they taught him values from the Kansas heartland where they grew up. He took out loans to put himself through school.

Orphan? Sort of. Mundane? Check. Longing? Not explicitly, maybe it's implied by "the Kansas heartland"... or maybe that's just my own inference having grown up in Indiana.

2. Refusal of the Call

Heroes have to be selfless, so typically they reject the first call to adventure. They cite their obligations to family or community. Luke tells Obi-Wan he has to help his uncle with the harvest, Neo comes in from the ledge and is captured by Agents, and Baby declines the invitation to dance.

BarackObama.com again:

Obama turned down lucrative job offers after law school to return to Chicago, leading a successful voter registration drive. He joined a small law firm, taught constitutional law and, guided by his Christian faith, stayed active in his community.

Refusal? Check. Responsibilities to community? Check.

3. Supernatural Aid

Once the call is accepted the hero receives aid from an older and vaguely mythic mentor, who will be their guide through the dangerous hidden world and help the hero achieve what they never could. For Luke this is obviously Obi-Wan, for Neo it's Morpheus, and for Baby it's Johnny.

Obama's website doesn't mention any figure specifically, though—and here begins a criticism of how the McCain campaign has played into the Hero's Journey more than once—one could imagine McCain's characterization of the counsel Obama received early in his career from William Ayers to be of this nature. From a McCain press release:

...highlights Barack Obama's long-standing relationship with unrepentant domestic terrorist Bill Ayers. From his political introduction at Bill Ayers' house in 1995 to their service together on two boards...

Again, we're not talking about reality, just the story being told.

Older and wiser? Check. Introduction to a hidden world? Check. Achieve what he never could? Check.

4. Crossing of the First Threshold

The deliberate decision to enter the hidden world is the first true act the hero makes on his/her own. It typically requires a great deal of either courage or faith, as there's no going back. Luke sells his landspeeder and books passage off of Tatooine, Neo takes the red pill, and Baby agrees to fill in for Penny.

BarackObama.com again:

...Barack had come to realize that in order to truly improve the lives of people in that community and other communities, it would take not just a change at the local level, but a change in our laws and in our politics.

From there he would go to Harvard Law and on to the State Senate, politics at last.

Deliberate decision? Check. Faith/courage? Not mentioned explicitly. No going back? Not mentioned explicitly, though the commitment is there.

5. The Belly of the Whale

As crossing the threshold is a death of the hero's former life, a rebirth is required. It typically involves the symbol of water and an emergence into a new body. For Luke, he is submerged and emerges from the garbage aboard the Death Star, Neo emerges from a pod of goo as a human battery, and Baby emerges from a lake onto Johnny's outstretched arms.

BarackObama.com again:

Instead of being consumed by partisan politics, Senator Obama rose above it, emerging from the slime as—

Just kidding. This one's way too specific. Nothing really comparable.

6. The Road of Trials

If a new edition of Campbell's book were to come out today, this step would be renamed, "The Montage." Here's where the hero puts in time and effort to learn the skills of the hidden world. Luke put in his time on Dagobah with Yoda, Neo learned kung fu and practiced it with Morpheus, and Baby danced up endless flights of stairs to "Wipe Out".

BarackObama.com again:

It has been the rich and varied experiences of Barack Obama's life - growing up in different places with people who had differing ideas - that have animated his political journey. Amid the partisanship and bickering of today's public debate, he still believes in the ability to unite people around a politics of purpose...

Road as metaphor? Check. Time and energy? Not really, it's more about holding true to the original reason he got into politics than learning the game. The Obama camp probably feels like they have to do this in order to not appear tainted by politics, since they're running on change, but I think that's unnecessary. Most folks would recognize that you can gain experience without compromising.

7. Meeting with the Goddess
8. Woman as the Temptress

Often combined in modern storytelling, steps seven and eight regard the Jungian archetypes Anima and Animus. That is, the male and female opposites within the self. While the (typically male) hero initially may wish to surrender their burdens to the female, destiny requires that these two halves be reconciled, so that a single self both male and female can continue the journey. Luke must transcend Leia as temptation, in a slight twist Trinity must admit her love for Neo in order for him to ascend, and Baby unites with Johnny (despite the deadly role sex has played in the film) to gain his strength.

I hope I don't have to spell this one out for you. Let's see, when has Barack Obama had to face a female version of himself and then unite both his male and her female identities to create one stronger self?

Big check.

9. Atonement with the Father

This step is about the hero confronting and redefining the system that has confined him/her up to this point. The father is often literal, but symbolically represents authority in all forms. Luke squares against Vader (a battle for which he has been preparing without even realizing this relationship), Neo faces his fears of authority in Agent Smith, Baby literally reconciles with her father ("You let me down too, Daddy.").

This is "present day" for Senator Obama's journey. He is, right at this moment, facing off against the symbol of the system as it currently exists.

Here again, the McCain campaign is playing right into the monomyth. Whether it's sarcastically calling him "the one" or disparagingly "that one", all of McCain's negative campaigning is reinforcing the idea that this election is about Barack Obama as protagonist overcoming John McCain—not actually running against him as a peer. A loss will mean "the system" has won and the hero failed. "Country First" underscores that further, implying that Obama is running against America!

Father figure representing authority? Check. Redefining the system? Not yet, but it's certainly the campaign promise.

Speaking of campaign promises, let's run through some of the rest of these with an eye on foreshadowing. Afterall, merely suggesting that the following things are still to come supports the concept of Obama as hero.

10. Apotheosis
11. The Ultimate Boon

These steps are about ultimate self-sacrifice in order to achieve their personal destiny and retrieve something to benefit the community that the hero left behind so long ago. Luke throws himself from the tower instead of submit to the Dark Side, Neo dies but is reborn with the ability to change the Matrix as he sees fit, and Baby reveals her hidden world (dancing) to her family and stops being afraid.

Certainly any apotheosis for Barack Obama's journey would coincide with a victorious election. I'm drawing a blank on any implications of outstanding self-sacrifice. This may be another "Belly of the Whale".

12. Refusal of the Return
13. The Magic Flight
14. Rescue from Without

The new powers of the hero are so intoxicating, he/she nearly forgets that the boon was acquired for others and wants to stay in the hidden world forever. Soon they remember or are rescued by a third party and race back to the mundane world, just in time. Luke is nabbed by the Millennium Falcon as it flees Cloud City, Neo must be reminded to answer the ringing phone before Trinity can stop the robots destroying the ship, and Baby enjoys one last "time of her life" on stage.

With the "Rescue from Without" step, we're beginning to touch on the Obama campaign again. Afterall, the quote featured most prominently on his website is:

I'm asking you to believe. Not just in my ability to bring about real change to Washington ... I'm asking you to believe in yours.

This request does suggest that a President Obama would not be able to fulfill all of the promises made without help from those who have not undergone the same transformative journey that he has but nonetheless have a vital role to play.

15. Crossing of the Return Threshold
16. Master of Two Worlds
17. Freedom to Live

The final three steps involve the hero learning to co-exist in both the hidden and mundane world, then sharing their gift with everyone—who are transformed or freed from the dangers that set the hero in motion back in step one. Luke becomes a Jedi and parties with Ewoks, Neo tells the Agents "I'm going to show these people what you don't want them to see. ... A world where anything is possible." and Baby gets the whole room a-dirty dancin'.

Is this the ultimate promise of the Obama campaign? A world where "anything is possible" and driven by what we, as a people, want to create? Perhaps. He closed his acceptance of the Democratic nomination for president declaring:

[I]n America, our destiny is inextricably linked. That together, our dreams can be one. ... America, we cannot turn back. We cannot walk alone. At this moment, in this election, we must pledge once more to march into the future.

Sounds like Neo to me.

Conclusion

While certainly fun, have we learned anything today? Do I mean to imply that the Obama campaign is subtly using Joseph Campbell's monomyth to warp your brain into thinking their candidate is the hero we've been waiting for? Not really. Much more likely, our brains are already warped and describing a journey of any magnitude allows for such comparison. Perhaps the 17-step path is woven into the fabric of the universe, or perhaps we've just watched a lot of movies and the pattern feels comfortable to us.

Why not ask the candidate himself?

Oh, okay. Clearly he prefers the Superman/Christ myth. For Jor-El so loved the world that he gave his one and only son.

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