The Heroine's Journey

[Steerpike]

Campbell was looking back at particular types of stories, myths, that emerged from patriarchal cultures that often associated the feminine with mystery, magic, fertility, and the like. Because the myths take place in that context, the feminine aspects take on a great symbolic significance in the journey that is separate from that of the hero. I don't think that means the hero's journey cannot be taken by a woman--it certainly can. But the fact that women take on a symbolic meaning separate and apart from the 'hero' makes some people interpret it exclusively, as though Campbell was relegating women to that symbolic role in the cycle. I don't think he was--he was just pointing out how the commonalities play out in the mythology.

 

[Solusandra]

I'm not a woman, but I have long been bothered by the "strong independent woman" thing. Not that I dislike women who are strong and independent. Many of my favorite characters are woman who are strong and independent. But by making the SIW a template, I always feel like being strong and independent is made a prerequisite for any female character to have value as a person.

Which actually does not just apply to female characters. Male characters are also considered to be flawed if they are not strong or independent and either have to change that or become casualties to the narrative. While I always identified as "male", I never identified with "masculinity". It just has zero appeal to me and I don't remember ever having any desire to dominate or impress. Fiction does not really seem to grasp this idea.
I worked on my main character concept for a very long time to create a person who does not need to excellent, successful, or influential to interesting, admirable, and sympathetic. There is a big space for unassuming people without ambitions for power to have a happy and rewarding life full of interesting and exciting things, but western fiction does not appear to understand that this is possible. Even Harry Potter has to be chosen one.

You should get into westerns then. A lot of them aren't particularly ambitious, they're not out to impress people, they're heroes because when it comes down to the wire they're willing to stand up for what they believe in. The typical western's hero aspires to a quite life on a farm/ranch with his familie and his hobbies.

 

[Kevin Zagar]

The Hero's Journey is more than an archetype, or storytelling troupe. As someone already mentioned, we have Joseph Campbell to thank for, who studied myths and legends throughout the world and came to discover this concept. He found that in nearly every tradition, from some small tribe in Africa to the grandest of ancient civilizations like the Mayans, there are similarities in the way they formed their myths and the way they told their stories. Campbell quickly realized that this was no coincidence and that there was something larger at work here. It is the way life works, really.
Think of the first time you went to school or college. You were embarking into a whole new adventure, leaving your home and the known comfortable life behind you. At first it was daunting, with many new challenges you never faced before. Making friends, passing tests, learning the social dynamics of your school, etc. There were highs and there were lows, moments of struggle and growth, where you studied hard for a test or had to confront either a bully or a crush, and there were moments of peace and reflection, when you passed the test and when your crush said 'yes'. And when you graduated and finished school, you slew the dragon.
What I'm trying to say is that you can view your whole life as a Hero's Journey. That's why the archetype worked so well for all those ancient cultures and why it works so well today (khm, Star Wars). It's because it clicks somewhere deep inside with all of us. We all want to be the hero in our own life and if we can't, then we at least want to see someone else doing it, in a book or a movie.
That being said, the Hero's Journey is only one of many ways there are to tell the story. It's not something you MUST use, it's something you CAN use if it works for you. And there is absolutely no reason why the hero couldn't be a woman. Granted, there are probably going to be some differences between how men and women go about their Hero's Journey, but these differences are not big (the ladies can be a better judge here, I only know it from the man's experience ).

 

[Solusandra]

And there is absolutely no reason why the hero couldn't be a woman. Granted, there are probably going to be some differences between how men and women go about their Hero's Journey, but these differences are not big (the ladies can be a better judge here, I only know it from the man's experience ).

Women CAN undertake the heroes journey, but there's some rather significant differences to how the archetype would play out normally. Men and women value things in a fundamentally different way, after all.

For men, being valued is all about protecting and or providing. Being a utility for others. The heroes journey reflects this with the man going out into the unknown to retrieve the elixer, save the Kingdom from itself and slay the dragon.

For women though, the journey and the goal are irrelevant. Whats important are the relationships formed along the way, and their utility to US. You can see this reflected in the works of female writers and what sells well with female audiences. EVERYTHING revolves around interpersonal relationships. If there's a plot or heroes journey, it's a background element to bring characters in and out of focus, never itself the focus. Instead of a dragon, there's a dramatic revelation if a deeply personal nature to the characters involved.

There's also a difference in what's considered the highest form of crime. Male stories by male authors, it's the slaughter of those under the heroes care. Female stories by female authors, it's betrayal and abandonment of the MC.

Something they amusingly hold in common though, is rebellion against the constraining father, often to the point of striking him down as a necessary element of the story.

 

[Kevin Zagar]

Women CAN undertake the heroes journey, but there's some rather significant differences to how the archetype would play out normally. Men and women value things in a fundamentally different way, after all.

For men, being valued is all about protecting and or providing. Being a utility for others. The heroes journey reflects this with the man going out into the unknown to retrieve the elixer, save the Kingdom from itself and slay the dragon.

For women though, the journey and the goal are irrelevant. Whats important are the relationships formed along the way, and their utility to US. You can see this reflected in the works of female writers and what sells well with female audiences. EVERYTHING revolves around interpersonal relationships. If there's a plot or heroes journey, it's a background element to bring characters in and out of focus, never itself the focus. Instead of a dragon, there's a dramatic revelation if a deeply personal nature to the characters involved.

There's also a difference in what's considered the highest form of crime. Male stories by male authors, it's the slaughter of those under the heroes care. Female stories by female authors, it's betrayal and abandonment of the MC.

Something they amusingly hold in common though, is rebellion against the constraining father, often to the point of striking him down as a necessary element of the story.

What I meant with little differences was not to say that men and women want the same things; there are no two people alive that want exactly the same thing. And I was referring more to life's journeys we all take, rather then what is most commonly used in fiction. I agree with you what you said about men's view and thank you for shedding some light from the feminine perspective. The 'grail' and the 'dragon' are of course metaphors that can be replaced with anything. The grail can be both a treasure of gold or that perfect relationship, the dragon can be both an actual dragon, a rival for the throne, or that difficult conversation with the father. The end result or goal is different, but the underlying mechanism used to get to it is the same. Both hero and heroine want something, they go through struggles, face challenges and low points and come out stronger. The psychology and emotion behind it is similar, only the physical circumstances differ.

 

[Solusandra]

The psychology and emotion behind it is similar, only the physical circumstances differ.

I'd say you should reverse that thought, but I agree with the rest.