"The Student" and stage 4 of the hero's journey

 In the stage four of the hero's journey, the hero of the story meets a mentor who provides the hero with wise advises and various forms of guidance. In the case of Anton Chekhov's short story "The Student", I believe this stage of the hero's journey does not exist. Instead of getting help from a mentor, the story's hero Ivan develops his own point of view from his experiences. One may argue that the two widows Vasilisa and Lukerya's reactions affected Ivan make his conclusion, but I believe that these two women were more of a background than actual characters. This story focuses in Ivan and his inner thoughts, leaving no place for a mentor of some kind.

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"Araby" and stage 4 of the hero's journey

  In the stage four of the hero's journey, the hero of the story meets a mentor who provides the hero with wise advises and various forms of guidance. In this particular story of Araby, it is hard to specify a certain character as a mentor. The lesson is learned at the end of the story, and the hero stumbles into it without any guidance or help from other characters.   Still, the absence of a mentor is not a negative element. Instead, it maximizes the whole point of the story. The lamentable parts of life can be learnt only by experience. No mentor could teach it to us before we face it ourselves.
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The Second Bakery Attack, By Haruki Murakami (1981)

 The Second Bakery Attack, By Haruki Murakami (1981) 9/10 Only after re-reading the story one more time to check whether there are any parts I might have missed, I realized that everything that happened in this story is unbelievably illogical. Waking up in the middle of the night in severe hunger is surely possible, but how in the world did that conclude into robbing a McDonalds and taking thirty bigmacs? It’s amazing how the author was able to make the situation seam logical and smooth. It was quite strange how what the couple did was a crime, but is still so humorous. Something about Haruki’s ways of explaining details such as the sleeping customers and paying for the drink makes even the most intense situations feel comical than serious. It gives the whole story a magical atmosphere. My favorite part of the story was how the narrator explains his feelings like floating on the ocean right above a volcano. It was very wholesome when the narrator decides to let the waves take h...
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A Mother, By James Joyce (1914)

 A Mother, By James Joyce (1914) 7/10 It was interesting to see how Joyce tweaked what might have been a very cliché situation. In most situations where a mother protests about her daughter’s rightful. payment, she would seem brave and righteous. However, Mrs. Kearney seemed like the opposite of righteous. This may be because instead of protesting for her daughter, Mrs. Kearney is fighting for her pride. Unlike most good parents, Mrs. Kearney sees her children only as a tool to improve her social value and keep her pride. It was sad to see Kathleen not standing up to her mother, who might have just ruined her one chance of becoming a professional singer. Four guineas are not worth a lifelong job, let alone a dream coming true. This also reminded me about how big are the influence parents have on their children’s life. My favorite part of the story was how Mrs. Kearny blames Mr. Holohan and others. But the real reason she faced such humiliation was her own stubbornness. I rate...
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