He enters the separation stage when he first encounters the other man in the elevator and witnesses him breaking down in sorrow. He progresses into the struggle and initiation stage when he is deliberating what he should do while this person is in obvious disarray and ultimately chooses nothing. He finally enters the return and integration stage when he regrets not doing anything to comfort the man and ultimately seeks forgiveness through the epiphany in realizing that the right thing to have done was to help others in the time of need. The narrator progresses through the stages of the monomyth archetype from beginning to end and this essay will explain in detail of how A Step not Taken fits in these stages. The separation stage is characteristic of the protagonist entering a stage of adventure even though they may not be cognisant of this is about to occur.
The hero is called to the adventure when he encounters a young well-dressed man individual in the elevator. At that point the hero is unaware of how the following event will change his life. “Nothing about him seemed unusual, nothing at all”. But when the young man “suddenly drops and burst into tears” the hero refuses his call, steps out of the elevator and leaves the young man behind. By refusing to help the man, the hero now faces “a combination of guilt and uncertainty”.
Once Cole finally does open up to him with the iconic line “I see dead people”, Malcolm feels a crushing sense of defeat and a fear that Cole needs to be institutionalized. This would mean that he wasn’t able to help him, like he hadn’t been able to help the patient who had met a tragic end. However, through further scrutiny of old interviews with the patient, Dr. Crowe realizes that the spirits the man claimed to be around were actually speaking to him. With this newfound belief, Malcolm and Cole set out to help Cole face his fears, and help the lost spirits as well. In the end, Cole ends up helping Malcolm just as much as Malcolm had helped Cole, if not more.
The reading shows that D’Angelo decided to ignore the man and not provide assistance in his time of need, he chose to leave and continue on his way once his elevator stopped at his floor. This is where the separation stage takes effect. D’ Angelo could have helped the man and comforted him yet he didn’t, fear of the crying mans reaction prevented D’Angelo from assisting him in his time of need. Most times in archetypal stories during this stage of separation there would be a guide or some type of being to assist the hero. D’Angelo mentions within the story that if there was someone else in the elevator with him he might have been more willing to assist the crying man.
At this point, the hero begins to go through the three phases of the monomyth archetype. The first phase of the monomyth archetype is separation, or the call to adventure, and it happens when the younger businessman begins to suddenly cry. The hero realizes that something is happening and must choose whether or not he should take action and help the crying man or if he should continue to mind his own business. The hero then continues into the second phase of the monomyth archetype, struggle or initiation, when the hero
In his daze, he burnt his manuscript, occasionally working up the resolve to aid the police but then hesitating; maybe he was scared of seeing Yolonda and going through his nightmare again. But, after losing
He was still wiping his foul mouth as he walked out on to the tarmac and climbed the trembling metal steps.” He knew what he was doing was wrong, and because of that his stomach turned and he was feeling ill. Regardless to how he was feeling, he wiped his mouth after throwing up and was able to continue to his cruel mission. He denies having feelings towards what is going on, until Amis says, “Muhammad Atta had decided that romantic and religious ardour came from contiguous parts of the human being: the parts he didn't have.” This pretty much shows that Atta has no feelings, and doesn’t believe in love and he just can‘t feel the love or sorrow or anyone in the world. “They were called the 'bravest', accurately, in his view” Atta believes that the firemen where brave to risk their lives for the people, and in a way believed he was doing it for Allah and wanted to stay loyal to his fellow those in his country that were expecting them to attack; he didn’t want to back down. “Muhammad Atta had studied architecture and engineering.” He was planned for what he was doing.
The protagonist starts in the first stage of separation, then transitions to struggle or initiation, and finally to the return and reintegration stage. In the separation stage, which is the first stage, the narrator is faced with an adventure when he steps onto the elevator at work. It’s only when the man next to him burst into tears, that he would be presented with an opportunity that would ultimately transform him forever. “I stood in the hallway, a bundle of mixed emotions, wondering what to do. A combination of guilt and uncertainty washed over me.” (D’Angelo).
When that is finished he also decides to quit using magic by throwing all his books into the water and freed his elemental servant which had given him power of the elements. Another trait Prospero had was the calmness and empathy that is shown, even though Prospero looked stone faced and cold he was a empathetic being as that was the person on the inside. An example of this was when Prospero was angry and vengeful when he causes the storm when the king’s ship is near, Miranda pleads for mercy for the men’s lives and even though he is really angry with his vengefulness he still gracefully abides with Miranda’s wish and stops the storm. Miranda The character strengths that portray Miranda are nearly the opposite of her father’s characters traits, Miranda shows traits of compassion and she expresses her emotions out loud which Prospero does not. She hates watching people suffer for example when Porspero is controlling the storm Miranda pleads as she does not want the men on the boat to suffer as the ship begun wreck.
Andrew Wolff IB English Mrs. Singer Act 3 Commentary Hamlet’s soliloquy in Act 3, the “To Be or Not To Be,” portrays Hamlet as a very confused man. He is very unsure of himself and his thoughts often shift between two extremes. In the monologue, he contemplates whether or not he should continue to live, or if he should end his own life. Also, he considers seeking revenge for his father’s death. However, unlike Hamlet’s first two major soliloquies, this one seems to be governed by reason and not frenzied emotion.