After the hero receives the supernatural aid, he is ready to continue on his journey. Stage 4, Crossing the First Threshold, is where the hero accepts the call with physical action. It is a symbolic act that indicates commitment and change, leaving behind the old self and accepting the new. This is stepping into a bold new world and is often a very …show more content…
The second part of the adventure of the hero, as seen in The Hero with a Thousand Faces, is Initiation. The first stage in this chapter is The Road of Trials, “the beginning of the long and really perilous path of initiatory quests and moments of illumination” (p. 90). In this stage, the hero “moves in a dream landscape of curiously fluid, ambiguous forms” (p. 81) where he must undergo a series of ordeals to begin the transformation. After killing the men, Michael is sent to hide in Sicily while the Corleone family prepares for war with the other mafia families and for a safe return for Michael. His initiation begins with his arrival in Sicily. At first, the place looks beautiful and peaceful, however, Michael faces a few obstacles. The first is the courting of Apollonia with the approval of her father. Later in the film, Sonny is killed in a brutal attack and Michael has to deal with the loss of his brother alone in a foreign country. Also, Michael’s enemies find out that he is in Sicily. Michael realizes that “dragons have now to be slain and surprising barriers passed,” (p. 90) and finally, accepts that his life will never be the same as …show more content…
However, giving in to this urge would prove the hero unworthy. On the other hand, by refusing this, the hero demonstrates himself to be dedicated to his primary goal. In Sicily, Michael falls in love and marries with a woman his bodyguard describes as one who “would tempt the devil himself” (Coppola, 1972). Their marriage is only short-lived, as she is killed in a car bombing meant for him. Although Michael gives in to the temptation and cheats on his girlfriend, Apollonia’s death returns Michael to the correct path. With his safety guaranteed, Michael returns home to resume the life he abruptly