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Teaching the Hero’s Journey with YA and Middle Grades Literature
by Dr. Margaret A. Robbins, PhD
The hero’s journey is a well-regarded and well-established story structure. Many educators and writers tend to associate it more with science fiction, fantasy, and other forms of speculative fiction, or otherworldly fiction. While it fits very neatly with speculative fiction, the hero’s journey can also work well with realistic and historical fiction, though sometimes with slight alterations. The two main texts I have recently used to teach the Hero’s Journey in Grade 7 Humanities are The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson. It’s rewarding to see students apply this plot concept to the specific texts we have read.
The Hunger Games
Of the two novels, The Hunger Games is the one that more traditionally follows this story structure, and it’s encouraging to see Katniss Everdeen and other empowered female protagonists take the lead in dystopian literature, which is a trend I’ve noted in some of my other work over the past ten years. In our class discussions of the novel, my students have pointed out that while Katniss has an “ordinary world” in District 12 and a “call to adventure” at the reaping, she does not fully refuse the call because she volunteers to participate in the Hunger Games to save Prim from a brutal fate. She does, however, show hesitation, particularly when she has to say goodbye to Gale and her family and is forced to board the train, along with Peeta, to the Capitol. The Panem primary city, known as The Capitol, is an extended metaphor for an extreme form of capitalism in which only the very wealthy can succeed and thrive, while many residents in the districts struggle to survive.
As the story progresses, the hero’s journey continues. Katniss and Peeta have a “meeting with the mentor” with Effie Trinkett and Haymitch Abernathy on the train, although Katniss also meets a very crucial mentor, Cinna, a little bit later in the story. When the train parks in the Capital city, Katniss crosses the threshold into a world she’s unfamiliar with and where most of her adventures will take place. Most students agree that Katniss’s “test, allies, and enemies” begin with the tributes being evaluated, when she gets to scope out her competition. The innermost cave is entering the arena itself. Students have had differing perspectives on “The Ordeal” and “The Reward,” but the consensus has been that the ordeal is the games themselves, particularly the final showdown with Cato, and the reward is when Katniss and Peeta finally win the games.
Arguably, the road back is when Katniss prepares to go home, and “the resurrection” is when Katniss tells the stretched truth on national television, which is that she was so madly in love with Peeta that she wasn’t thinking straight with the berries stunt that allowed both her and Peeta to win the Hunger Games, albeit to the dismay of President Snow, Panem’s corrupt leader. The audience seems to buy it, at least for the time being. President Snow seems less convinced, and that’s a plot point that gets more developed in the second novel of the series, Catching Fire. The Return with the Elixir occurs when Katniss and Peeta return to District 12, though they both have to accept the fact that their relationship, along with their relationships with others, will be different.
Arguably, the road back is when Katniss prepares to go home, and “the resurrection” is when Katniss tells the stretched truth on national television, which is that she was so madly in love with Peeta that she wasn’t thinking straight with the berries stunt that allowed both her and Peeta to win the Hunger Games, albeit to the dismay of President Snow, Panem’s corrupt leader. The audience seems to buy it, at least for the time being. President Snow seems less convinced, and that’s a plot point that gets more developed in the second novel of the series, Catching Fire. The Return with the Elixir occurs when Katniss and Peeta return to District 12, though they both have to accept the fact that their relationship, along with their relationships with others, will be different.
Chains
One of the beauties of Laurie Halse Anderson’s novel Chains is that it shakes up the traditional heroes and villains archetypes, at least to a degree. In many writings and stories about the Revolutionary War, American readers often perceive the Patriots as the “good guys” and the Tories/Loyalists as the “bad guys.” However, as a reader, I felt at least some sympathy for some of the Loyalist characters and questioned the motivations of some of the Patriots. I think that is part of what makes Halse Anderson a great writer: Even when writing a novel that follows some traditional elements of the hero’s journey, the reader still questions the good guy vs. bad guy binary, at least in terms of wars and political situations. In a politically polarized moment, it is even more important to question such binaries.
At the beginning of the novel, Isabel and her sister Ruth had lived in slavery; their owner was kinder to them than many others. However, they lost both of their parents and did not have their freedom or certainty about what their future held, so they are subjugated. When Mr. Finch, their former owner’s crooked nephew, sells the girls to Mr. and Mrs. Lockton of New York against their will, they are forced on a “call to adventure” they can’t refuse, even after a family friend named Jenny tries to buy them, but can’t afford to outbid the very affluent loyalist Locktons. Additionally, Miss Mary Finch had promised both girls their freedom in her will, but her nephew Robert refuses to acknowledge this and will not allow Isabel or anyone else to see the will.
Isabel has a few figures in the novel who serve as mentors, such as Curzon and Lady Seymour, Mr. Lockton’s kind elderly aunt. Yet Curzon and his owner, Patriot soldier Mr. Bellingham, sometimes cannot keep the promises they make to Isabel for spying on the Locktons, so the reader questions Curzon’s motivations as a mentor figure.
When Isabel and her younger, more naive sister Ruth arrive in New York, they cross the threshold of unfamiliarity. Their main enemy, and the one most strongly disliked by my students, is Madame Lockton. She is cruel and unreasonable to both girls, particularly toward the willful Isabel. Becky Barry is the family’s indentured servant and tries to be their ally. But although she tries to protect the girls from Mrs. Lockton's wrath, she sometimes steps back to avoid conflict, making her role as an ally inconsistent. Mr. Lockton is more rational than his wife in the way he treats the family’s slaves and servants. However, his dangerous secrets, including his involvement in an assassination plan on George Washington, bring danger to everyone who lives in his home, ultimately making him more of an enemy. Additionally, he does not treat his wife well, which adds fuel to the fire.
I would argue that the most trustworthy mentor for Isabel is “Grandfather,” the elderly enslaved Black man at the well who advises her against claiming herself as a “Patriot” or a “Loyalist,” and instead urges her to pursue her own freedom. His metaphor of finding the River Jordan is an important one related to the quest for freedom. Although Madame Lockton is a vile enemy, I would argue that the worst enemy of the book is the institution of slavery.
The innermost cave could arguably be Lockton’s home, and the ordeal is likely when Mrs. Lockton and Isabel have a particularly harsh encounter, and Mrs. Lockton has Isabel branded with the letter “I” for insolence. As is the case with many series novels, the “Road Back,” the “Resurrection,” and the “Return with the Elixir” might not be fully realized until the second or third book. Halse Anderson’s “Seeds of America” series continues with the books Forge and Ashes. At the end of Chains, Isabel escapes with Curzon with the intent of finding Isabel, who was sold down south by Mrs. Lockton. Although the next steps of her journey are unclear at the end of Chains, Isabel makes the empowering last name change from Lockton, forced upon her by Madame Lockton, to Gardener, in honor of her mother, who loved the outdoors, and to claim her freedom by refusing her past names of Finch and Lockton. We, as readers, do not know what is next for Isabel, Curzon, and Ruth, but we do know that Isabel is determined to find her freedom, along with Ruth’s.
Even though the “allies and enemies” in Chains are sometimes questionable and in flux, Isabel has a consistent quest for freedom throughout the story. Perhaps it is good for young adolescents to understand that sometimes, there’s no clear enemy or ally in a story. Sometimes the roles shift, and one has to figure out whom to trust on the journey to self-discovery and freedom. Over time in the first novel, Isabel learns to trust herself first and others second.
Isabel has a few figures in the novel who serve as mentors, such as Curzon and Lady Seymour, Mr. Lockton’s kind elderly aunt. Yet Curzon and his owner, Patriot soldier Mr. Bellingham, sometimes cannot keep the promises they make to Isabel for spying on the Locktons, so the reader questions Curzon’s motivations as a mentor figure.
When Isabel and her younger, more naive sister Ruth arrive in New York, they cross the threshold of unfamiliarity. Their main enemy, and the one most strongly disliked by my students, is Madame Lockton. She is cruel and unreasonable to both girls, particularly toward the willful Isabel. Becky Barry is the family’s indentured servant and tries to be their ally. But although she tries to protect the girls from Mrs. Lockton's wrath, she sometimes steps back to avoid conflict, making her role as an ally inconsistent. Mr. Lockton is more rational than his wife in the way he treats the family’s slaves and servants. However, his dangerous secrets, including his involvement in an assassination plan on George Washington, bring danger to everyone who lives in his home, ultimately making him more of an enemy. Additionally, he does not treat his wife well, which adds fuel to the fire.
I would argue that the most trustworthy mentor for Isabel is “Grandfather,” the elderly enslaved Black man at the well who advises her against claiming herself as a “Patriot” or a “Loyalist,” and instead urges her to pursue her own freedom. His metaphor of finding the River Jordan is an important one related to the quest for freedom. Although Madame Lockton is a vile enemy, I would argue that the worst enemy of the book is the institution of slavery.
The innermost cave could arguably be Lockton’s home, and the ordeal is likely when Mrs. Lockton and Isabel have a particularly harsh encounter, and Mrs. Lockton has Isabel branded with the letter “I” for insolence. As is the case with many series novels, the “Road Back,” the “Resurrection,” and the “Return with the Elixir” might not be fully realized until the second or third book. Halse Anderson’s “Seeds of America” series continues with the books Forge and Ashes. At the end of Chains, Isabel escapes with Curzon with the intent of finding Isabel, who was sold down south by Mrs. Lockton. Although the next steps of her journey are unclear at the end of Chains, Isabel makes the empowering last name change from Lockton, forced upon her by Madame Lockton, to Gardener, in honor of her mother, who loved the outdoors, and to claim her freedom by refusing her past names of Finch and Lockton. We, as readers, do not know what is next for Isabel, Curzon, and Ruth, but we do know that Isabel is determined to find her freedom, along with Ruth’s.
Even though the “allies and enemies” in Chains are sometimes questionable and in flux, Isabel has a consistent quest for freedom throughout the story. Perhaps it is good for young adolescents to understand that sometimes, there’s no clear enemy or ally in a story. Sometimes the roles shift, and one has to figure out whom to trust on the journey to self-discovery and freedom. Over time in the first novel, Isabel learns to trust herself first and others second.
Complexities of The Hero's Journey
The Hero’s Journey is not always entirely linear or traditional in fiction. However, Joseph Campbell’s story structure is an important tool for better understanding narrative and plot arcs. For students who do well with visual manipulatives, they can create posters of the hero’s journey and/or the traditional, popular plot diagram and apply it to the stories they read. Analyzing both the hero’s journey and the plot diagram can help students see how plot and characters work together to tell compelling stories. Overall, understanding the hero’s journey is important for better understanding the story arc and how it works with characterization to tell a compelling story. Through writing prompts and discussions, students can also reflect on their own present and potential future hero’s journeys.
References
Anderson, L. H. (2008). Chains. Atheneum Books for Young Readers.
Collins, S. (2008). The hunger games. Scholastic Press.
Docimo, K., & Littlehale, K. (n.d.). Plot diagram: Story structure, examples & templates.
Storyboard That. https://www.storyboardthat.com/articles/e/plot-diagram
Villirilli, D. (2025, October 14). The hero's journey: 12 steps to a classic story structure. Reedsy.
https://reedsy.com/blog/guide/story-structure/heros-journey/
Collins, S. (2008). The hunger games. Scholastic Press.
Docimo, K., & Littlehale, K. (n.d.). Plot diagram: Story structure, examples & templates.
Storyboard That. https://www.storyboardthat.com/articles/e/plot-diagram
Villirilli, D. (2025, October 14). The hero's journey: 12 steps to a classic story structure. Reedsy.
https://reedsy.com/blog/guide/story-structure/heros-journey/
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