Is As I Lay Dying a Hero's Journey novel?
I think it is possible for a Hero’s Journey narrative to exist even in the oddly constructed framework of As I Lay Dying . Although traditional linear storytelling lends itself to the Hero’s Journey template better, the steps of the Hero’s Journey are still present in As I Lay Dying . In other books/movies we’ve discussed in class, it’s been possible for a few steps to be out of order or left out of the narrative entirely, and we still managed to classify them as Hero’s Journey stories. Due to the confusing narations present in the book, the steps of the Hero’s Journey aren’t always perfectly in order, but I think there is still enough evidence to analyze As I Lay Dying as a Hero’s Journey novel. The novel begins with about 100 pages of story that happens before the Hero’s Journey starts; although this isn’t especially common, there were a lot of scenes in Star Wars before the Hero’s Journey in that ...