Analyzing Murdock's Heroine's Journey Template

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I'm sure a lot of you would agree when I say that Schmidt's version of the heroine's journey is easier to follow than Murdock's. Schmidt's model appears much cleaner and more akin to the narratives we're used to seeing in a plot (i.e. normality -> conflict -> false sense of success -> plot twist + setback -> success). However, Schmidt's template—which is supposed to be centered around the female experience—doesn't really have much to do with femininity at all. Looking at the template itself, it honestly just looks like a regular hero's journey that's been annotated to fit with a female main character. That's not to say that Schmidt's version is bad, but rather to say that it doesn't focus on gender as much as Murdock's—which to me is a central part in the definition of a heroine's journey as opposed to just a regular hero's journey.

Murdock's version of the heroine's journey explores vital themes like the intersection of femininity and masculinity, providing insight into the inner conflict many women face when navigating a world that often values traditionally masculine traits over feminine ones. Her model emphasizes a journey of internal reconciliation—where the heroine first rejects the feminine in favor of the masculine, only to later realize the importance of reintegrating the two aspects of herself. This cyclical and introspective process offers a deeply psychological and spiritual roadmap that resonates more authentically with the lived experiences of many women. While it may not follow the familiar beats of conventional storytelling, its emotional depth and emphasis on identity make it a more nuanced and arguably more accurate depiction of what a Heroine's Journey truly entails.

What makes Murdock's heroine's journey particularly intriguing is how it chooses to incorporate masculinity. First, the template delves into the heroine's rejection of femininity in the first "Separation From The Feminine" stage. This stage of the heroine's journey considers the traditional female roles prescribed by society and the struggles of many women to adhere to them. This is quite a basic trope, but it nicely sets up the heroine for her adoption of more masculine traits while simultaneously offering a critique of traditional gender roles. Later on in the journey, however, the heroine realizes her desire to reconnect with her feminine side—something often personified through a mother figure. Murdock's depiction of a return to femininity adds a needed layer of nuance to the heroine's journey, while also underscoring the important fact that feminine traits are not any less useful than masculine ones. 

Take Mulan, for example. A simple enough narrative, but the way it's presented through Murdock's heroine's journey offers a closer look at what exactly the film is trying to say about femininity and masculinity. Mulan initially adopts masculine qualities by secretly joining the military, thinking that masculine traits would get her farther than the feminine ones she was giving up. Later on, she comes to realize that masculine traits aren't all good, and that feminine ones can be equally opportune. By setting the heroine up for an integration of masculine and feminine traits, Murdock's heroine's journey expresses that a hero is most effective when incorporating both masculine and feminine qualities. Such a reading of the heroine's journey serves as a way to properly laud femininity without making the narrative one dimensional.

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