In the departure phase, there are five components which are realized throughout the journey. The hero in the narrative, lives in the ordinary world, where he is opts to go for an adventure. Despite the hero being reluctant when he is asked to follow the call, he acquires a mentor who helps him throughout the journey. There are five key components of the journey, which are realized by both the main and non-main characters in the case. The five key components of the journey include; the call of the adventure entailing the refusal to call, the supernatural aid, the crossing of the first threshold, and the belly of the whale which are all significantly depicted throughout the journey.
One of the characters established in the journey is Han Hsiang. Han Hsiang is a non-main character in the narration. He is seen to be carrying a basket of the peaches, where a frog’s head rides him. In the journey, the “frog on whose head rides the handsome young immortal, Han Hsiang” who is a little dragon (Campbell 47). From the narration, it is clear that the frog “is the nursery counterpart of the underworld serpent whose head supports the earth and which represents the life-progeniture, demiurgic power of the abyss (Campbell 47). In the departure, the major characters play a huge role in ensuring that the departure is a success. The call to adventure is a major component of the journey since it signifies that destiny has summoned the hero and transferred “the spirituality center of gravity” (Campbell 53). The non-main characters in the journey are very essential in ensuring that the hero can get to the destination.
The second component is the Refusal of the Call, which explains why the hero fails to heed to the call. In the refusal stage, all the non-main characters including Han Hsiang seem and perceive themselves unable to pursue the journey to the final destination. This converts the adventure into its negative form. The reason for the refusal could be attributed to factors such as insecurities, fear, or other issues that make the circumstances in place difficult. The third component, evident in the journey, is the supernatural aid. The supernatural aid could come in various forms such a mentor, teacher, guide, dream, and offers that guides the hero towards achieving the goal of reaching the destination. This is the first indicator that the journey ought to be covered and could appear as mysterious. Some of the non-main characters in this period could include monsters such as cyclopes, trolls, ogres, Harpies, and Medusas.
Crossing the threshold is the components where the hero leaves his ordinary world. This is a very significant period in the journey, where the threshold is almost a physical boundary guarded by symmetries and natural periods. Finally, the belly of the whale serves as a representation of the final separation from the known world of the hero and himself. This is a stage of metamorphosis, which is characterized by a commitment to the journey. During this stage, one could face many challenges. From all these five components, it is evident that there are key characters and non-key characters who are found in the narrative. Han Hsiang is one of the non-main characters, who features in the least parts. However, he plays a huge role in depicting the initial phase of the journey.
