Christopher Vogler The Writers Journey
equipment.
Mentors spring up in amazing variety and frequency because they are so use
ful to storytellers. T h e y reflect the reality that we all have to learn the lessons of life
from someone or something. W h e t h e r embodied as a person, a tradition, or a code
of ethics, the energy of the archetype is present in almost every story, to get things
rolling with gifts, encouragement, guidance, or wisdom.
THEWIZARDOFOZ
Dorothy, like many heroes, encounters a series of Mentors of varying shades. She learns
something from almost everyone she meets, and all the characters from whom she learns are
in a sense Mentors.
Professor Marvel is the Mentor who reminds her that she is loved, and sends her on her quest
for "home," a term that means far more than a Kansas farmhouse. Dorothy has to learn to