A Hero Of The Ages Essay, Research Paper

Heroes come from all sorts of places: movies, books, and even everyday life. Jen, a Gelfling, is a hero from the movie The Dark Crystal. Jen’s story is one of prophecy, the never ending fight between good and evil, and love. This composition shall trace Jen’s quest as well as evaluate his success in that quest, his individual self, and finally he shall be compared to one of the Greek heroes.

Jen’s quest can be classified as restoring the good kingdom. During a time of great change in the universe, there was a single dark crystal which held the source of balance and truth. At this time, many years before Jen’s birth, the world was peaceful. However, the crystal was shattered and the world was divided into two groups: the evil Skeksis and the good and just Mystics. Over time, these two groups grew far apart and the Skeksis used the dark crystal for their wicked purposes. Jen was the last of his race, as the Skeksis had destroyed his family, for they knew of the prophecy that said one day a Gelfling would be their ruin. At the time of Jen’s quest, the three suns would soon be converging. If, by the time they had fully aligned, the crystal was not whole again, evil would reign forever. Jen was the one who must stop this from happening and restore the universe to the land of balance and truth that it once had been.

Having been raised by the peaceful Mystics, Jen was well educated and knew much of the world he lived in. He was also aware of many forms of magic that could aid him. His master taught him how to be careful and smart at the same time, and this was a great aid for Jen in his quest. Jen was also helped by a female Gelfling whom he met by chance. This female Gelfling, Kara, had the ability to talk to many different animals, as well as fly. She helped Jen the most in getting to the Skeksis palace and defeating them. Ogra was another aid to Jen. She was an old woman who could foresee the future. Ogra also had the missing shard of the dark crystal in her possession, and she gave it to Jen after he proved worthy. The Mystics gave Jen hope and strong will to overcome his challenges. Unfortunately, Jen is also quite small and could easily be harmed. He is also very unsure of himself at many times.

At the start of his quest, Jen is still with the Mystics. His master, the eldest, had just told him of his journey and soon after passed away. Jen must first find Ogra and obtain the missing shard to complete the dark crystal. At Ogra’s awful monsters sent by the Skeksis try and kill Jen and they destroy Ogra’s home in the process. Ogra is captured and taken to the Skeksis. Meanwhile, having escaped, Jen finds himself in a strange forest where he meets Kara. Both had thought themselves the last of their kind, and soon form a strong bond. Kara takes Jen to her adopted family, the podlings. It is here that the Skeksis’ monsters come once again. They capture some of the podlings and take them to the Skeksis who will drain their life energy and turn them into slaves. During all of this, the eldest Skeksis leader has passed away and his leadership was won by one of the remaining Skeksis. Chamberlain, a horrid scoundrel, had tried in vain for the throne and after his defeat, was exiled. He comes across Jen and Kara and tries to befriend them, but they are quick to learn and flee from him. When Jen and Kara finally reach the Skeksis palace, Chamberlain captures Kara and is welcomed back into the Skeksis family. Jen must now save Kara before her life energy is drained and he must also repair the broken crystal before the suns align. Kara manages to escape and helps Jen complete his quest.

Jen was extremely successful in his quest. Not only did Jen repair the dark crystal and reunite the Skeksis and Mystics back into one and saved the universe from complete evil rule, but he also released all of the podlings from their tortured, enslaved lives. All of their life energy was returned and they were able to safely make it home. Though Kara had sacrificed her life to help Jen, the dark crystal healed her wounds and Jen and Kara were united. In short, he restored the good kingdom, helped the slaves obtain their freedom, and he got the girl.

As previously stated, Jen can be compared to one of the Greek heroes. Jen is most like Theseus. Theseus’ quest is to kill the minotaur and stop the killing of fourteen youths from Athens every nine years. In killing the minotaur, Theseus restores the good kingdom and everyone is happy. In Jen’s case, he must defeat evil. Both Theseus and Jen must overcome puzzles and obstacles which hinder their ability to complete their quests. Also, Theseus and Jen manage to save many people from death. Theseus keeps the fourteen youth sacrifices from being killed by the minotaur and Jen keeps the podlings from spending the rest of their lives wasting away as slaves to the Skeksis. Though Theseus and Jen are aided in their quests, each of them completes their quest on their own. Theseus kills the minotaur without help from anyone or a heavenly deity guiding him, and Jen repairs the crystal without a force guiding his hand. A final similarity between Theseus and Jen is that both heroes deserve their rewards. Theseus becomes king of Athens and Jen is able to share his life with Kara.

Heroes come in all shapes, sizes, and strengths. Some heroes prove their worth through intelligence, while others use their brawn. Jen is a very special hero in that he uses his intelligence and follows his heart to complete his quest. Though he may be small, he is capable of almost anything. A true hero follows their heart and puts everything they can into their duty, such as Jen did in his quest to repair the dark crystal.