Motherhood: The Heroic Deed

Natalie Witherell

Adv. World Lit

9/9/13

            The author of numerous books, including "The Hero with a Thousand Faces," Joseph Cambell, was interviewed about his idea of heroism. Cambell was explaining how a mother became a hero when she gives birth. "Motherhood has lost it's novelty, you might say." (Joseph Cambell). What Cambell means by this, motherhood is a common thing, and now it can be found anywhere. Teenagers get pregnant just to become a star on a television show. But, for the maidens that are married and are ready to become mothers, the heroic deed seems to have dimmed down. In most interpretations, the hero must undergo a change before they actually become a hero. There are two changes, both mentally and physically. Physically, the mothers body changes for 9 months. Mentally, they change from a maiden, to a mother in child birth. It's a wonderful image, a mother as a hero. But since motherhood can be found anywhere, the importance and heroic deeds seem to have dimmed down a whole lot. Motherhood is an entity that has become invisible to the everyday eye.