The Hero’s Journey Archetype in Sing Unburied Sing (Essay Sample)

The romance archetype is a broad and overarching term. One subcategory of the archetype is the hero's journey. The hero’s journey is a form of storytelling that has lasted many generations. This is because of how broad and versatile it is. In Sing Unburied Sing by Jesmyn Ward, classic elements of the hero’s journey such as the abyss and the known and unknown world are present, but Ward departs from the Romance archetype in her depiction of the mentor.

Ward uses literary elements to portray the character Pop as the mentor, but, he is declared the mentor earlier in the text than usual and does not join Jojo on his journey to Parchman, When Jojo is about to leave and begin his journey to Parchmen he and Pop share an embrace, “To Pat him once, twice, on his back with my fingertips and let him go. He's my pop, I thought, He's my pop. ‘You a man you hear?’ he said. I nodded. He squeezed again. .. he told me what he said without words I love you boy I love you.” ( Ward 61). This shows that Pop is established as a mentor earlier on in the story then the classic hero’s journey archetype. To elaborate, this conversation occurred before Jojo left the known world. Also, unlike the typical hero’s journey, Pop does not join Jojo and the family on the trip to Parchmen. Instead, he stays back with Mam. That is how Ward adjusts the mentor aspect of the Hero’s journey to fit the story.

One of the elements Ward shows in the text is the known and unknown world. This is prevalent when Jojo and his family just got into the car to head to Parchman. Leonie tells Jojo, “We taking back roads all the way there. Leonie threw the atlas in my lap when I got in the backseat behind her … ‘read it’ she’s marked the route with a pen; it scrawls north up a tangle of two main highways… the pen marks are dark it's so hard for me to read the route names, the letters and numbers are shadowed,” (62-63). This serves as the figurative exit of the known world and entrance into the unknown world. It occurs at the proper time in the story when comparing other hero’s journey stories. Also, the fact that Leonie had to mark up the route conveys the notion that there is some sort of unknown element ahead. Towards the end of the quote, Jojo thinks that many of the words and number of the route markers are unclear. This also adds to the mysterious element of the trip ahead. That is how Ward depicts the known and unknown world aspect of the hero's journey archetype.

Ward also portrays the abyss that Jojo faces in the case of his interactions with the police officer.When held at gunpoint after he gets stopped by the police on the way home from Parchman. Jojo thinks to himself, “Maybe I wouldn't cry. Maybe my heart wouldn't feel like it was a bird, ricocheting off a car mid flight, stunned and reeling. But then the cop has his gun out, pointing at me, kicking me” (170). This, like the known and unknown world, also occurs at around the correct time to fit the archetype. The simile involving the bird symbolizes how Jojo is facing a low point and is the farthest possible from the known world. The phrase stunned and reeling is also an example of the shock and terror that is often associated with the abyss. Furthermore, Jojo establishes himself as a romance hero by going through this life threatening experience. That is how Ward included the abyss throughout Jojo’s hero’s journey.

Ward uses literary elements to portray the character Pop as the mentor, but he is declared the mentor earlier in the text than usual and does not join Jojo on his journey to Parchman. This is conveyed when Jojo is about to leave and begin his journey to Parchmen he and Pop share an embrace, “To Pat him once, twice, on his back with my fingertips and let him go. He's my pop, I thought, He's my pop. ‘You a man you hear?’ he said. I nodded. He squeezed again. .. he told me what he said without words I love you boy I love you.” (Ward 61). This shows that Pop is established as a mentor earlier on in the story then the classic hero’s journey archetype. To elaborate, this conversation occurred before Jojo left the known world. Also, unlike the typical hero’s journey, Pop does not join Jojo and the family on the trip to Parchmen. Instead, he stays back with Mam. That is how Ward adjusts the mentor aspect of the Hero’s journey to fit the story.

Overall, Ward’s novel portrays classic elements of the hero’s journey such as the abyss and the known and unknown worlds; she also makes adjustments in the case of Pop being the mentor. It allowed Jojo to grow as a character. The hero's journey continues to have an influence on many stories today. Also, authors are able to make adjustments to the overall structure of the archetype.