Barack Obama and Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey: An Appraisal (Part II)
Monday, November 17th, 2008
Welcome to part II of the Barack Obama and Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey: An Appraisal. This took some time to post - for the reason that I’m moving house these days and I don’t have access to the internet yet. I can’t begin to tell you how grueling it is not to have broadband: it’s like half of my arm is cut off. Ouch! Anyway, without much ado and whining, here’s part II.
To recap, last time we talked about section I of Joseph Campbell’s heroic journey, called “Departure” (1). We left our hero right when he was in the “belly of the whale”, but by now he’s out of it and ready to proceed to the next major section of his adventure.
II. Initiation
- Road of Trials – succession of obstacles
- The Meeting with the Goddess – marriage between the hero and a queenlike or mother-like figure
Barack Obama has encountered a number of obstacles or hurdles that he has surpassed in political ascendancy. The first was the candidature for the Illinois State Senate in 1996, when he had to eliminate better titled candidates as Gha-is Askia and his mentor Alice Palmer. He succeeded, albeit using what some critics said as being unfair tactics – he successfully challenged the voting campaign of both candidates who were hence legally suspended from the contest (2).
The second obstacle was his failed candidacy to US House of Representatives in 2000, when he was defeated by incumbent Bobby Rush by two to one. This was a sore defeat, the only time when he considered giving up politics altogether (3). He didn’t, and Obama learned many useful aspects of campaigning from this attempt.
In 2004, he successfully run his candidacy for US Senate. Finally, in 2007, he obtained the endorsement of the Democrats for Presidency against the better titled Hillary Clinton.
In 1988, Obama met Michelle Robinson, a fellow Harvard Law graduate, when he was doing a summer internship at law firm Sidley Austin. He married her in 1992 and has two children with her. Obama is deeply admirative of his wife, whom he called “his rock”. He speaks of her, “There’s something about her that projects such honesty and strength. It’s what makes her such an unbelievable professional, and partner, and mother, and wife” (4).
