The Hero with a Thousand Faces Chapter Summary & Analysis - Part 1: Chapter 2, Section 4 Summary

Part 1: Chapter 2, Section 4 Summary and Analysis

"Atonement with the Father" Campbell begins this chapter with an extensive quote from an American Puritan preacher, Jonathan Edwards, in which he describes to members of his congregation the fate that awaits them if they stray from the true way: the violent wrath of a vengeful, patriarchal God. Campbell then suggests that the image of God expounded by Edwards is, in fact, a manifestation of the archetypal image of the father - more specifically, the ogre-father, the source of mighty power (as opposed to the goddess-mother, the source of compassionate strength). In terms of the Hero's Journey, Campbell suggests that in encountering that mighty power, the Hero's responsibility is to accept that part of himself and indeed become the Father, or face destruction. He cites two examples of young men who attempt to accept the Father-side of themselves - one from American Indian mythology in which his two young sons...
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