Blog Post #8: The Refusal of the Call

What exactly does this stage of the archetypal journey look like?

The hero, hearing the call to the adventure, intially may hesitate, reluctant to leave the comfort and tasks of his/her everyday existence. Why? Perhaps he/she does not see the importance of the call because he/she is engrossed in his/her current life. Perhaps he/she has responsibilities or does not want to leave his/her family.


Ask yourself this: Why are certain steps in the archetypal journey, specifically refusal of the call, significant to contemporary narratives?

SOME POSSIBLE ANSWERS

(So consider if they apply to your novel)

* In your novel, if you have already experienced your hero's call to adventure, and his/her refusal to respond positively to that call, has this refusal frustrated you or the other characters, creating tension in the story?

* The inclusion of the hero's refusal may make him more human and make us further bond with him/her. The refusal may also illustrate the hero's initial frail state, before the transformation occurs in his/her journey.

* The refusal may be linked to an important part of the plot. There may have been some significant conflict (a tragedy or a disturbance) that has occurred. The hero is initially shocked by this, so he/she refuses the call while he/she bargains for some alternative (such as sending someone else).  

YOUR TASK:

Identify the event that represents the refusal of the call in your current novel. Considering the above ideas and reasons, attempt to explain the significance of the event you have identified.  

For your explanation, remember my advice for justifying the importance of an event or character:  simply stating that "if  ____________ would not have been in the story, _______________ would not have happened, or ______________ would not be like this."  This is weak logic and does not show insightful thinking. 

Justify the significance of an element by linking its existence to another element of text (characterization, suspense, reader engagement, plot development, theme etc.)