The Step Not Taken Essay Example

and simply offering to listen to his problems. He takes his concerns to outside parties who tell him his actions were the correct response, attempting to sway him from his ultimate realization or epiphany. By this point the protagonist has realized the people are wrong; he knows he should have strayed from the social norm and reached out to offer help to the man just as he wishes someone would do if his own son were found in the same situation.

As a result, he has an epiphany; he should have done what his conscience and morals were telling him to do, not what social convention was dictating. In the third phase the protagonist experiences the return and reintegration. By composing the essay, the narrator shares his epiphany with the world. He hopes the young man somehow sees the realization that he has come to and knows he regrets his lack of action. By doing this he shares his newfound wisdom with others, hopefully leading them to not make similar mistakes.

The essay “The Step Not Taken” follows the classic plot structure of the monomyth with three clearly outlined parts: the separation, the struggle and initiation and the return and reintegration. The protagonist in the story progresses through each stage, beginning with a selfish and uncaring thought process resulting in a refusal to heed the call to adventure, leading to a struggle with regret, and finally resulting in a life altering epiphany about having compassion for others with simple human actions.