When the Lone Ranger rides into town on his beautiful horse Silver, you know the action is about to start. In 1977, Robert Jewett wrote a book with John Shelton Lawrence called The American Monomyth. The book describes a myth that shows up in different forms in lots of American popular culture, from movies about the old West to superhero stories. Basically, the myth features a lone outsider who appears when a community is in trouble, brings back order from chaos (usually using violence), and then leaves after peace is restored. If you think about any story from the Lone Ranger series of TV shows, this is how they work. The same theme shows up in every show from Superman to Star Trek.
How the Monomyth Works
To set the scene for these heroic actions, a threat always begins to change the peace and calm of the community. The plot is constructed so that the people of the community are powerless to fight the criminals and evildoers who are harming them. No one has been able to stop Dr. No or Goldfinger except for James Bond. If not for Superman, Lex Luthor would be king of the world. At the moment when everything looks hopeless, an outsider with some kind of special powers, whether they be simply the fastest gun or superpowers like invulnerability and unbelievable strength, arrives to fight off the enemies of the people and bring peace. The hero then leaves, to the wonder of those he (or she, in rare circumstances) helped.
Still Looking for a Hero
It appears that much of the American public is still seeking out the monomythic hero. When there are threats from other countries, economic problems, or just perceived injustices, many of us expect that we will be able to elect a leader who embodies many of the powers and skills necessary to remove the threat and bring us back to a more perfect world. When that elected leader is found to be only human, and diplomacy or negotiation is required, or the problem continues, then the person in question loses their revered place in our national perspective.
Politicians Aren’t Heroes
Contemporary politicians of all stripes sometimes frame themselves as lone saviors. It is no mistake or coincidence that Donald Trump has made the outrageous claims that he could end the war in Ukraine in one day or that he will get rid of crime in Chicago. “We will solve Chicago within one week, maybe less, but within one week, we will have no crime in Chicago,” Trump told reporters. In a post about crime rate declines in Chicago and Memphis, Trump claimed that he should get the credit for these reductions, and “Only I can save them!” In his rallies, he said, “I am your voice. I alone can fix it. I will restore law and order.” He wants to be the monomythic hero, but he is not. His use of violence against other countries and against his own people by employing the military in cities is the same tactic that a monomyth hero would use, but it isn’t effective outside of a fictional story.
Truth vs. Fiction
In the monomyth, violent evil can only be repelled by violent vigilantism. In the fictional universe of the monolith, it is only the hero who rides in unexpectedly who can quell the disruption. The problem with this outlook is that it isn’t realistic. In the real world, life is complicated and violence often begets violence, or it is punished. The monomyth portrays the world in such a way that democracy and group actions are impotent, so then the only way for society to return to stability is to have a strong outsider come and enforce justice. This just adds to the frustration that many ordinary people feel about our current society: it is complex, confusing, and requires knowledge to navigate effectively. Some buy into this myth after viewing movies or reading stories, and their view of democracy is diminished, along with their patience for the slow wheels of politics to work. No wonder such a small percentage of American citizens vote.
The Other Monomyth
Many readers may recognize some similarities between the American Monomyth described here and the classical monomyth that Joseph Campbell labeled “The Hero’s Journey.” The difference is that while Campbell showed the movement of a hero who left the comforts of home to undergo a trial which was often dangerous and then returned as a person with new knowledge and experience that was totally transforming, the hero in the American Monomyth has no such circular journey. Instead, they show up seemingly out of nowhere, act in ways that are often lawless and violent to restore order, and then leave without any further connection to the community. “Who was that masked man?” is a telling phrase used in nearly every episode of the Lone Ranger.
Going Beyond the Monomyth
Our task in the current environment is to dispel the American Monomyth. No one person can conquer all our problems, and the complexity of our society is such that experts are necessary to put us on a beneficial course in many areas of our lives. The false promise that we can follow one elected official to greatness is a fantastic dream, but it is just a dream — or potentially a nightmare for those who disagree with our current policies. What we need is a movement back toward a true democracy, one that the framers of our Constitution envisioned, with checks and balances that worked. We all need to work to make sure that our voices are heard, and that any violence used in our country is deplored. Join a local service group. Go to a protest. Write a letter to the editor. In that way, we will incrementally move back to a society where “government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”
