An Analysis of Clarissa Pinkola Estés Theory of ‘the Underground Forest Consciousness’’The case of Hayao Miyazaki’s Howl's Moving Castle (2005)

Joseph Campbell's "monomyth" or its adaptation in Vogler's book The Writer's Journey is a common known framework of a hero's journey among all contemporary writers and screenwriters, and there are a great number of works which are written based on this structure and can be argued that the writer had, instinctively and unbeknownst to himself, followed this model. The purpose of this essay is to analyze and pinpoint the deficiencies and shortcomings of Campbell's monomyth in regard to the female heroin and her journey, explaining that according to female psychologists and feminist theorists how this structure ignores women and their quests for wholeness and growth, to introduce and study different theories regarding the "Heroin's Journey" and explore Clarissa Pincola Estes' "La Selva Subterránea: Initiation in the Underground Forest" theory in order to analyze Hayao Miyazaki's Howl's Moving Castle (2004) according to Estes' structure and insight. Following the comparison of Joseph Campbell's monomyth and Estes' wild woman archetype, this essay strives to answer questions about these theories superficial and semantic differences, the diversity between their distinct approaches in defining the world and women's role and position in these worlds. As this essay is a descriptive-analytical essay, it argues that Howl's Moving Castle heroine journey follows Estes' "La Selva Subterránea Initiation in the Underground Forest" theory. The heroine of the story, Sophie, goes through all the stages which consists of the bargain without knowing, the dismemberment, the wandering, finding love in the underworld, the harrowing of the soul, the realm of the wild woman, and the wild bride and bridegroom.  These stages are depicted in her transition from a dull and depressed girl with no desire to a wild woman who acknowledges her power and beauty, breaks her own and her friends’ curse, rescues the king and finally finds her true love. Miyazaki with his unique storytelling had moved beyond Estes' King's journey in her "La Selva Subterránea: Initiation in the Underground Forest" theory and changes the path of Howl or King of the underworld in Estes' theory. It is discussed that in his change of narrative during the adaptation process, from Dianna Wynne Jones novel to his animation script, Miyazaki has combined Estes' king's Journey with Joseph Campbell's monomyth and thus has enriched and deepened Howl's Journey. Miyazaki's Howl goes through the three main stages of the monomyth (the departure or separation, the initiation and the return), and with Sophie as the one who calls him to adventure, the one who is his mentor, ally, goddess, they put an end to an aimless war and find true love. Additionally, Howl returns with the elixir, and becomes the wild bridegroom, which is connected to Sophie’s journey. He is a groom that has followed his love and after enduring so much hardships and escaping from the clutches of the natural predator of the psyche has become a man worthy of his wild bride. Thus Miyazaki, creates a new narrative structure and tells a story which is more complicated than his western counterparts, with more powerful and deeper characters that transform and evolve in a different and more beautiful way.