My English class started the book Lightning Thief and just barely finished the novel written by Rick Riordan. In many or almost all hero stories the hero follows a pattern that can be applied to modern and old tales ranging from Greek mythology to Star Wars. In the hero's journey the hero receives a call to adventure after being hidden away by a family or having a cover for who they are or the powers they possess. Beginning their quest they face obstacles they must overcome to complete their journey.
The Lightning Thief starts with Percy a twelve year old boy who is in fact a half blood " half human half god"
his father is Poseidon "god of the sea " he lives with his mother a perfectly normal woman who works in a candy shop in Manhattan N.Y with Percy's step father named Gabe. Percy is completely unaware he is a half blood has been put into and kicked out of many boarding school's living the normal life of a boy. This is basically a cover up to keep him safe from mythological creatures and gods. This relates to the first step in the hero's journey pattern. "his mother being a mortal and his father being the god"Poseidon". He has been hidden away for his safety this relates to step two of the hero's journey pattern. "step one relates by his father being a god and his mother a mortal " "the second step relates by him being hidden away for his protection."
In Percy's Boarding school he doesn't have many friends but one named Grover. Most of the people in his school make fun of Grover because he has a limp and antsy personality .Grover turns out to be a satyr "half man half goat" who has been keeping a close eye on Percy for his protection also to find out if Percy is a half blood. Percy's Latin teacher Mr. Brunner also known as Chiron the trainer of hero's is a centaur " half man half horse" in disguise as a human in a wheelchair. As they watch Percy they are unsure of him being a half blood until Percy goes on a Field trip to a history museum. Mrs. Dodds his math teacher transforms into a furry "a female creature with wings enforcers of the gods "and attacks Percy , but by some unknown force Percy wards her of with a blast of water causing her to vaporize. Chiron and Grover now know of Percy's power and reveal themselves later in the story at Half Blood Hill " A camp for hero training ". After his training he is called on a quest to retrieve Zues's stolen master bolt . This relates to step three and step four in the hero's journey pattern "step three relates to his training" "step for relates to the hero's call to adventure" as he is trained by Chiron at Half Blood Hill He receives a magical sword named Riptide to help him on his quest .
Throughout his journey he encounters many mythological creatures and must battle the monsters in the attempt to gain entry into the realm of Hades "god of the underworld" "relating to step five of the hero's journey pattern traveling to the underworld ". when Percy arrives after his efforts he learns that Hades did not take the master bolt. As he continues his journey Percy discovers the truth behind the thievery of the master bolt. A dispute has risen between the gods because of the thievery and may cause an outbreak between the gods.
Ares " the god of war" was hypnotized by Kronos " the Titan lord " to try and cause the gods to create the biggest war in western civilization , Percy fights Ares and triumphs to reveal the truth behind the thievery. This epic battle relates to the sixth step in the hero's journey pattern.
In the end he travels to mount Olympus " home of the gods' and returns Zeus's master bolt resolving the outrage of the gods and stopping the possibility of war. When Percy returns from his quest to Half Blood Hill he is treated as a hero which relates to step seven and eight " step seven usually revolves around a princess or in some way the hero becoming a king" eight being " restoring order and saving the day".
I would recommend this book for readers who enjoy a creative book and an easy read. The Lightning Thief follows the hero's journey pattern in well and gives an slight understanding of Greek mythology. If you are considering reading this book I would recommend that you have a vague idea of Greek mythology to relate and follow the character's of the book.
Rick Riordan wrote a series to the lightning thief if you have or haven't read this book yet , and for those who have read it and enjoyed it i would recommend the series.
Cameron Curtis
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