What is the Heroine’s Journey?

There are many interpretations of what the Heroine’s Journey is and how it differs from the Hero’s journey, so let’s explore them, starting with the Hero’s Journey since it is the most ubiquitous in our culture.

A quick note on gender: 

Any gender can go on any type of journey. Different problems and quests require different types of solutions. This list is meant to be expansive and inclusive, not limiting. You are free to mix and match them as you see fit!

The Hero’s Journey

The concept of the Hero’s Journey was synthesized and popularized by writer Joseph Campbell in the mid to late twentieth century. He looked at stories from cultures around the world, and proposed that they all follow the same basic structure, which he called a monomyth. 

In the monomyth, the hero begins his journey in the ordinary world, travels to an extraordinary world with unfamiliar challenges, battles and overcomes his enemies, and returns to the ordinary world bearing gifts or insights for his fellow people.

This model became extremely popular in movies and books due to the influence of screenwriter Christopher Vogler. Today, most Hollywood movies follow the structure of the hero’s journey regardless of the gender of the protagonist.

Maureen Murdock’s Model of the Heroine’s Journey

Maureen Murdock, a Jungian psychotherapist, created her model of the heroine’s journey to address the lack of representation of women’s struggles within the hero’s journey framework. She saw the heroine’s journey as a healing, reclaiming, and reintegrating of the wounded feminine within oneself and the culture at large. 

The heroine begins her journey by turning her back on ideal gender roles for women and embracing male roles to gain status in a patriarchal world. After temporary success, this approach backfires, and she goes through a spiritual death, then reconnects with the sacred feminine, integrating both masculine and feminine values in harmony.

Victoria Lynn Schmidt’s Model of the Heroine’s Journey

Victoria Lynn Schmidt’s version is all about learning to accept help from a supportive community. The heroine is not facing her struggles alone.

The heroine begins her journey believing she lives in a perfect world until she experiences a crisis she is unable to cope with. She then searches for external help, and must let go of fears surrounding her new identity. Temporary success follows, but those around her do not accept her, and she cannot sustain her new ways. The heroine must let go of everything and accept support from others. She regains hope and awakens to the truth of the world and herself.

Bonus: The Healing Journey

The healing journey exists in many forms, but this one from A Buddhist Library is particularly relevant.

This journey begins with the injury or illness, and the hero/heroine responds with denial or anger. These coping strategies create larger problems that become unbearable, culminating in a desire to die. They then reach a crossroads and either take the path of death/oblivion or decide to do whatever is necessary to heal. There is often a spark of joy or love that encourages the heroine/hero to choose the healing path. They then go through the process of forgiving others and themselves. The inner conflict is resolved, and they connect to self-compassion, self-understanding, and unconditional love. Wholeness and healing are achieved, regardless of the physical outcome.

My Own Interpretation of the Heroine’s Journey

I see the heroine’s journey as an inner journey to integrate the parts of ourselves that we don’t allow expression for fear we would not be accepted by others. This could be our feminine traits, as in Murdock’s model, or it could be learning that accepting help from supportive others is not a weakness, but an important part of being human, as in Schmidt’s model. It is a healing inner journey toward self-compassion and wholeness that is then expressed in the outer world. I will go into greater detail on the stages of the heroine’s journey in the next post.

I’d love to hear your thoughts. How do you see the heroine’s journey compared to the hero’s journey?

Further Reading:

The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell

The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers by Christopher Vogler

The Heroine’s Journey: Woman’s Quest for Wholeness by Maureen Murdock

45 Master Characters by Victoria Lynn Schmidt

The Healing Journey on A Buddhist Library (via heroinejourneys.com)