The path of a hero, from Joseph Campbell’s perspective, is well defined. Campbell, a mythologist, distinguishes a hero as one who “takes off on a series of adventures beyond the ordinary, either to recover what has been lost or to discover some life-giving elixir” (The Power of Myth 123). It is not where the hero ends up, as the journey is “a cycle, a going and a returning” (123). Instead, it is the venture that defines the hero, the expedition of “leaving one condition and finding the source of life to bring you forth into a richer or mature condition” (The Power of Myth 124). Though faced with trials along the way, Campbell’s hero will prevail and “undergo a truly heroic transformation of consciousness” (The Power of Myth 126). Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club completely embodies the ideas of Campbell. Heroism is aplenty in this novel, but the perfect candidate is the character Lindo Jong, mother of Waverly Jong. Her journey into a figurative dark forest starts early. At the young age of twelve, she ventures into this unknown forest, alone and unaided. Lindo was not one to be content with her undesirable circumstances; she interprets her situation and harnesses an inner strength that guides her through the trials

Lindo’s journey was predetermined at the age of two when the village matchmaker paired her up with Tyan-yu Huang, the young son of an influential family. From that moment on, Lindo wasn’t so much a member of her own family as she was of the Huangs. It felt as if her family was “treating [her] as if [she] belonged to somebody else” (45). Already, Lindo was “lost” before she even began her adventure. But it was not long before she had to commence her journey. She was twelve years old when her family’s property was flooded, forcing them to relocate to Wushi. Lindo could not come along with them as she had a marriage obligation to Tyan-yu. Thus, she was sent to live with her future husband and his family, marking the beginning of her heroic passage. Now Lindo had ventured into an entirely different lifestyle, leaving behind the old that was a “childhood in a condition of dependency” (The Power of Myth 124). Learning to cook and clean, among other menial chores, for this new family, Lindo had matured. Her perspective on life was different. She thought of things in an entirely different light that had never crossed her mind before. Lindo had the status equivalent of a servant at the household, and received little respect from Tyan-yu and his mother, Huang Taitai. But, she knew that any act that came across as rebellious or disrespect would dishonor her true family’s name. As time progressed, she increasingly became dutifully more efficient in her household chores and the tasks she did for Huang Taitai. Lindo’s bitter feelings and attitude toward her current state was soon cloaked, partially with her own lies. Her outlook and mind-set adjusted to her new lifestyle. She cam