Quests in Literature Is it just a trip to the store or something more? How to Read Literature Like A Professor by Thomas Foster

What if…  Say there’s a boy named Jimmy. Jimmy’s mother sends him to the store to buy some eggs. On the way to the store, Jimmy runs into some school bullies who are picking on the girl he likes. We’ll call her Betsy. Before he realizes it, Jimmy jumps off his bike and throws himself at the bullies’ leader, Calvin. Jimmy shoves Calvin into the dirt. However, Jimmy’s outnumbered and the group beats him up a bit, but he never backs down. The bullies get frustrated and Betsy is able to get away safely. With a black eye and a bloody lip, Jimmy makes it to the store, and rides home with the eggs.

Elements of a Quest  A Quest consists of 5 main things:  1. A quester  2. A place to go  3. A stated reason to go there  4. Challenges and trials along the way  5. A real reason to go there

A Quester and a Quest  A quester is just a person who goes on a quest.  Hint: He doesn’t need to know about it.  In order to go on a quest, a protagonist must be told to go. In other words: every knight must be told to go in search of the Holy Grail. So, going back to our original story: Say there’s a boy named Jimmy. Jimmy’s mother sends him to the store to buy some eggs. 1. Jimmy= Quester 2. His mother sent him in search of eggs (The Holy Grail)

Challenges and Trials Along the Way  Okay. Here’s the deal. It wouldn’t be a quest if it was easy.  A traditional quest consists of a knight fighting an evil dragon or mystical creature and the ultimate bad guy.  In Sleeping Beauty we saw Maleficent not only be the ultimate bad guy, but she turned into a dragon.  Prince Phillip had to get through her before he could get to Princess Aurora.

In Our Story…  On the way to the store, Jimmy runs into some school bullies who are picking on the girl he likes. We’ll call her Betsy. Before he realizes it, Jimmy jumps off his bike and throws himself at the bullies’ leader, Calvin. Jimmy shoves Calvin into the dirt. However, Jimmy’s outnumbered and the group beats him up a bit, but he never backs down. The bullies get frustrated and Betsy is able to get away safely.  1. Jimmy, our protagonist, meets a metaphorical beast he seemingly can’t beat (the group of bullies);  2. Calvin, the ultimate bad guy, stands between Jimmy and his lady loves’ safety.  3. Before Jimmy can get the eggs, he must defeat the bullies.

Jimmy’s real quest has nothing to do with eggs.  Go figure. The real reason for a quest is educational.  The real reason for a quest is always self-knowledge.  The character needs to learn something about himself. This is why many novels feature questers who are young, immature, inexperienced, or sheltered.  Let’s go back to Jimmy. Did he really need to stop and defeat the bullies? If he had not gone for eggs, would this event have happened?  Here’s the big question: What DID Jimmy learn about himself?

Connection  Sometimes characters just need some eggs. Not everything is a quest. The thing to remember is whether each of the five characteristics are met.  That being said, what we will be asking ourselves as we leave earth and begin chapter 4 in A Wrinkle in Time:  Is this story about a quest?  Who is this quest about?  What is the true reason for the quest?  But first…

Let’s Pratice  Shaun the Sheep: Timmy in a Tizzy  Quester:  DID: Dragon:  Quest:Lesson learned about journey:  Holy Grail:

Wrinkle in Time Essay  Prompt: Could A Wrinkle in Time be considered a quest? Why or Why not?  1-2 pages in length  Use proper citations with MLA formatting  Let’s look at an outline.

Outline for Essay I. Introduction (Restate and Anwer)V. Conclusion A. Thesis 1. Summary of thesis II. Is this story about a quest? A. Reason 1 B. Reason 2 C. Reason 3 III. Who is this quest about? Who is/are the questers? 1. Person 1 2. Person 2 3. Person 3 IV. What is the true reason for this quest? 1. Reason 1 2. Reason 2 3. Reason 3