Adventure of a Hero in Politics, Essay Example

Throughout the course of history, society’s favorite stories are those that emulate the appeal and draw of the hero. The hero has many components that make him or her appealing to society, but one of the most important components described by Joseph Campbell in his novel Hero With a Thousand Faces is the crossing the threshold. Through a series of trials and tribulations, the hero in both myth and reality must rise up to the challenges placed in front of them to ultimately become the hero they are destined to become. Based upon this understanding, it is critical to analyze one small-town hero named Svante Myrick who rose from a childhood of homelessness and poverty to eventually put his name in the history books.

Crossing the Threshold is one of the most important aspects of the Adventure of a Hero that may possibly be the one single event or period of time in the hero’s life that transforms the individual into a hero. Based upon the understanding of Campbell’s novel, crossing the threshold is a period where the hero must undergo an event or challenge in order to pass from the everyday mundane world into the world of adventure. Campbell makes it very clear that through the events of crossing the threshold, these two worlds are clearly distinguished and become easily identifiable components of the hero’s transformation. Without this key event in the Adventure of the Hero, the individual would otherwise be trapped inside the life that is the familiar or mundane and would not be equipped to handle the coming challenges as a hero. In fact, it could also be assumed that without crossing the threshold, the hero could possibly never realize his destiny of becoming a hero at all.

One of the most common real-world examples that today’s society will use to identify local heroes is that of rising up from a troubled past to achieve a major feat. For instance, this could include growing up homeless or poor and “rising out of the ashes” to become a rich successful businessman or politician. There are thousands of stories similar to this example that can be found throughout history, but recently one example stands out as having made national news – Svante Myrick recently became the youngest Mayor to ever hold that elected seat in the city of Ithaca, New York. At the age of 24, Myrick was voted in as the Mayor of this famous college town and his upbringing from an impoverished and often homeless father helped to transform Svante into the man that he is today (HuffingtonPost.com, 2012). However, during Myrick’s political campaign it was a different challenge that could be attributed to him crossing the threshold in to this new world of adventure.

The largest challenge that Myrick had to face during the course of his political campaign was to convince citizens of Ithaca that he was experienced enough to hold such a noteworthy position. While homelessness, poverty and his father’s inability to cope with his drug addiction, Myrick would have to face one final test to become the hero of Ithaca by winning the election and forever setting political history in New York. Svante Myrick’s crossing the threshold event was to prove to the citizens of Ithaca that he was experienced, knowledgeable and devoted enough throughout the course of his political campaign to not only be considered as a viable candidate for Mayor but to eventually win the position in the most recent election. Without taking this final step throughout his political journey, Myrick would not have been able to be viewed as a national success throughout the country nor would he have been considered a hero in any sense of the word. It is clear that winning the election transformed Myrick from a simple 24-year-old college graduate from a troubled background to being a successful politician – even if the only major accomplishment he makes in office is simply having been elected.

Interestingly enough, it was the challenges that Myrick had faced growing up that ultimately catapulted his desire to succeed and created a strong work ethic. Myrick stated in multiple interviews throughout the election that it was his grandparents and mother that taught him the values and work ethic that he holds valuable in his life today (HuffingtonPost.com, 2012). In fact, on Myrick’s own professional political web site his biography credits his family as the source for his desire to help others and be a shining light for everyone around him as a politician (“Website”, n.d.). With this understanding in mind, Myrick’s upbringing and how he has credited his background as a source for his success throughout his political campaign has helped him ultimately cross the threshold. This crossing has taken Myrick from a fairly average life where he was barely known outside of Ithaca to being an instant national political celebrity and inspiring people all over the country to chase their dreams; hence, the adventure world that Campbell (2008) described in his book.

Regardless of Myrick’s future endeavors or his track record as an elected political official, people will continue to consider him a hero to the city of Ithaca and to many citizens throughout the United States. Like many myths, Myrick has become a hero and this is a wonderful story that has the power to inspire others. Crossing the threshold has ultimately enabled Myrick to transform his life and his impact that he has on other people and the society in which he lives – the city of Ithaca, the state of New York and the country of the United States. Myrick is a hero to many and he deserves to be recognized as such.

References

Campbell, J. (2008). The hero with a thousand faces. (3rd edition ed.). Novato, CA: New World Library.

HuffingtonPost.com. (2012, March 01). Svante myrick, ithaca’s youngest-ever mayor, grew up homeless. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/01/svante-myrick-ithacas-you_n_1313080.html

Website for the campaign of svante myrick for mayor of ithaca, ny. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.svantemyrick.com/