45 Master Characters (62 page)

Once this stage is figured out, you may need to go back to Act I and filter in more elements of the theme of his journey.

Use his assets to help him to victory or his flaws to bring him failure.

Externalize his feelings. Think about his reactions to events around him.

Use his fears against him.

Stage 8: Awaken or Rebel

John knows in his heart that he wants to continue to the top of the mountain. He also wants to honor his fallen friend by taking his friend's scarf with him. He ties it around his arm and continues on his journey upward, a little less cocky than before.

He tells the others what happened when he reaches them, and they agree to stay together to make sure they all make it.

If the hero ends the last stage able to face death, he moves toward awakening in this stage. If the hero chooses to rage against death, he moves toward rebellion in this stage.

Awakening and Growth

The hero learns from his experience. He faces his flaws and his fears. He looks back on all he's done and realizes what his true purpose in life is. He's no longer a slave to what society says he must do, but the active creator of what he truly wants for himself. If he hasn't been active enough this is where he truly acts and says “no” to what he doesn't want, just as the feminine hero does in Act I of her journey. He sees beyond the illusion of what everyone else is telling him he should do, and he figures out he has some soul-searching to do. He's no longer in a revenge mode.

The hero may:

Remember what he wanted to do for a living as a boy.

Reflect on how much time he's lost with his family.

Ask forgiveness for the wrongs he has done in the past or on his journey. Stories of redemption fall here.

Decide to leave a relationship or job that's abusive to him.

Come to terms with his flaws and failures.

See his greater connection to the whole and no longer fear death.

Decide that he hasn't been doing all he can to reach his goal and put forth more effort. He may have been afraid to stand up to his boss.

Rebellion and Stagnation

In this choice the hero becomes more like a villain. The hero doesn't learn from his experience. He doesn't face his flaws or admit his fears. And he certainly doesn't look back on all he's done to realize his true purpose in life. He's blinded by his fear of death and failure. His goal may change to include some way for him to prove his superiority over life and death itself. He wants the elixir that will resurrect him from death's grasp, and he'll give up his original goal to get it.

The hero usually remains the same throughout the story even though he reaches the goal in the end. He doesn't examine himself, his beliefs or his motivation.

He may:

Get more guns and fire power.