How we cite our quotes: (Page.Paragraph)
Quote #4
The mythological figure of the Universal Mother imputes to the cosmos the feminine attributes of the first, nourishing and protecting presence. The fantasy is primarily spontaneous; for there exists a close and obvious correspondence between the attitude of the young child toward its mother and that of the adult toward the surrounding material world. (103.3)
Time for some Freud! Campbell is arguing here that we gain our identity in part by the reactions of the world around us, and since our mother is the first interaction we have with the world, she's kind of the big warm-up. Also, pay attention to the way Campbell connects the personal ("Mom, you made me soup!") with the universal ("It's a big world out there just full of soup. I can have it whenever I want!")
Quote #5
The mystical marriage with the queen goddess of the world represents the hero's total mastery of life; for the woman is life, the hero its knower and master. And the testings of the hero, which were preliminary to his ultimate experience and deed, were symbolical of those crises of realization by means of which his consciousness came to be amplified and made capable of enduring the full possession of the mother-destroyer, his inevitable bride. With that he knows that he and the father are one: he is in the father's place. (111.1)
We're back to Freud here, and it's heavy duty Freud too. Killing your father and marrying your mother: whoa there. But actually, the idea's a little simpler than that. When we become adults, we take on adult responsibilities, making us like our fathers. The wisdom that that brings – the way it shows us what's really important – helps us attain the things we need from the world.
Quote #6
The ease with which the adventure is here accomplished signifies that the hero is a superior man, a born king. (159.3)
This comes toward the end of the Hero's Journey, as the hero is heading home with the goodies. Because he's learned so much in the intervening time, the tasks of these last steps seem much easier… in part because he knows who he is. (Our favorite modern example of this comes at the end of The Matrix … and notice that it's a woman's kiss that delivers this final push to the finish line.)