Monomyth or Misadventure? Characterization in I Am the Cheese Anonymous 9th Grade

“Who is to say who is the villain and who is the hero? Probably the dictionary.” - Joss Whedon

Although the line between what makes a hero can become blurred, the basic traits of a hero remain the same for the most part, as proposed by Joseph Campbell’s monomyth. This theory has proven to be essential in the ingredients to a great story. Robert Cormier's I Am the Cheese can be considered a monomyth due to its depiction of a hero, shadow, mentor, and other classic figures in literature. At first glance, Adam Farmer appears to be anything but a hero, with Amy Hertz running the show. However throughout his epic journey to find his true identity, he proves the roles to be reversed.

At the start of his story Adam has no idea that he is truly Paul Delmonte in clever disguise. He is your average student; he is shy, slightly awkward, but he cares fiercely for those he loves the most. When he first discovers that something is amiss in the sheltered bubble of his life, he refuses to ignore the urges to find the truth. When Adam first discovers a strange, sealed envelope in his father’s desk drawer he feels an unrelenting need to open it. He tells himself that the situation was “crazy, this was ridiculous. It could all be explained...