Journey

Myths, as part of human's life since ancient times, continue to be depicted in novels, movies, and TV series with the advent of technology. The dystopian theme much favored in the book market receiving international attention and appreciation is present in a large number of novels for the adult and the adolescent. Dystopia, as a sub-genre of science fiction, has strongly affected young adult (YA) literature. The Maze Runner trilogy (2009-2011), written by James Dashner, is a popular dystopian fiction with almost all-male supporting heroes. In the present paper, quest in Dashner’s trilogy is investigated in order to analyze the adventure in terms of Joseph Campbell’s views of hero’s journey, including the steps from the very first volume to the third in order to explore the archetype of journey in an adventure taking place in the future fictional world. Characters in this trilogy go through many difficulties to survive, and they pass through the rite of the passage each facing a crisis. A major conclusion the research arrives at is that there is more of an inner change in the young characters than an instant effect on their environment; however, they will be ready for the future. 

In Mysticism, traveling and journeys are considered the essentials for self-knowledge, evolution, and theology. This research with a descriptive-analytical method tries to analyze the life, writings, and the legacy of Rumi - as one of the most prominent and influential mystics of history - in order to shed light on the concept, the roots, and the results of the journey from his point of view. In Rumi’s mysticism, the journey can be evaluated from a physical or spiritual aspect, and this term is usually accompanied by the concepts of separation and distance in his poetry. Rumi sometimes considers the journey as the reason behind this separation, while he sometimes considers it as its solution. The concepts of ‘whirling’ and ‘returning to one’s origins’ are among the other themes intermingled with the journey in his mysticism. These concepts can still be observed after hundreds of years in the ‘Sama Dance’ rituals in Konya. In general, Rumi considers movement, journey, and transformation as the basis for evolution and the transcendence of the human soul.