My Hero's Journey Essay Example

When learning about heroes and their journeys, many of my classmates had important people in mind, like Superman, Gilgamesh, or George Washington. As soon as i learned about the hero's journey, the first hero that popped into my head was the one and only Marlin, from Finding Nemo. He went through a whole ordeal of tasks and challenges that made it possible for him to reunite with the most important fish in his life, his son. When Nemo gets taken by the mysterious scuba diver, that is Marlin's official call to adventure. He does not know exactly where he is going, but he does know that setting off on this journey is the one way he will be able to see Nemo again. Marlin's journey will then include his encounter with Dory, the infamous short term memory loss queen, or, fish. Although Marlin suggests for Dory to leave, she sticks with him, and we are all very glad she did that. She does not only supply Marlin with headaches, but she provides company and helpful information. Dory was able to read what a scuba diver's mask and it was an amazing moment for Marlin, for the mask held the address to where his son was being held captive at. After picking up Dory, Marlin does something he has never done before, he sets out into the big open ocean to look for Nemo. Of course Marlin wouldn't be a hero if he did not do some kind of great accomplishment. He did several actually, but a pretty well-known one was his encounter with the sharks that claimed that "fish are friends, not food". When they first meet up with them, the sharks made up false promises that they were safe with them. That all changed when Dory accidentally gets a cut and bleeds, making the blood go to the shark's nose and turning on its hunger like a switch. Marlin and Dory quickly and fearfully run through sunken ships and debris to do anything to get away from the sharks. They cleverly get away and continue their journey trying to be a bit more careful. Amongst their challenge, they come across a turtle named Crush. Marlin is picked up by Crush when he sees he’s unconscious and puts him on his shell. Marlin wakes up and lets Crush know he needs to get to the East Australian Current. Crush being the icon he is, lets Marlin ride on his shell through the EAC, helping his get one step closer to his son. Marlin then goes through what was the most important yet difficult part of his whole journey, getting out of the water to get his son. They encounter a pelican who takes Marlin and Dory to the fish tank where Nemo was. To their disappointment and surprise, Marlin finds out that Nemo has been flushed, not knowing it was part of his son's escape plan. Marlin and Dory return to the sea empty handed, when Nemo goes rushing to his dad's fins, finally reuniting. Marlin is overwhelmed and lets Nemo know that he loves him very much and will never let anything like that happen to him. Marlin and Nemo then return to their home, the Great Barrier Reef safe and sound with their new best friend, Dory. Marlin returns with many stories of his adventure and with a new found wisdom about parenting. This is one hero story with a definite happy ever after.