'the Step Not Taken' - the Monomyth

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In the essay, ‘The Step Not Taken’ by Paul D’Angelo, the author depicts a story of a man caught between doing what he feels is the right thing, and doing what makes him comfortable. By analyzing the archetypal structure of the story, the reader clearly sees how the man in the elevator experiences the cycle of the monomyth. The first stage is the separation – upon seeing the other man in the elevator break down in tears, the narrator refuses to rise to the occasion and offer his help. During the struggle, or initiation, the narrator realizes that what he has done by walking away from the elevator without saying a word was the wrong thing to do. And finally, throughout the return and reintegration, the narrator realizes his mistake, and refuses to go back to being the way he was previously. The monomythical structure of this essay is clearly defined by the actions and thoughts of the protagonist figure. During the separation in this story, the narrator tells how he has seen a man in the elevator at work have some kind of emotional breakdown. He explains how he did his best not to look at the other man, or make any indication that he had seen the man collapse on the floor, wracked with sobs. Because this isn’t a fairy tale, and there is no actual ‘adventure’ taking place, this can be viewed as the protagonist refusing to take on the quest he is being presented. Realizing this allows the reader to understand that the story is then moving on to the second stage – the struggle, or initiation. Usually during the struggle/initiation of a monomyth archetype structure in a story, the hero figure being presented is exploring their unconscious self, and realizing their deepest fears and concerns. In ‘The Step Not Taken’, the narrator expressed that he is haunted with a sense of regret for not doing anything to help the man in the elevator. In his own way, this is him
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