Initiation

[Prof. Scarlet Leslie-Lewis]

For your reference, the stages of Initiation are:

~Road of Trials
~Meeting with the Goddess
~Woman as Temptress
~Atonement with the Father
~Apotheosis
~Ultimate Boon

Please include the book, movie, and/or series of the character(s) you choose to discuss!

[Prof. Will Lestrange]

In Ready Player One, the Ultimate Boon for Wade Watts (alias Parzival) is the Easter egg hidden by the deceased businessman James Halliday. The reason this egg was so important was due to the conditions of Halliday's will: whoever was able to retrieve the egg by completing a set of challenges imposed by Halliday would be awarded full control of the "OASIS" (Ontologically Anthropocentric Sensory Immersive Simulation - one of the most important parts of the world in the Ready Player One universe) and shares of stock worth over half a trillion dollars.

Retrieving the egg required finding three different keys in the OASIS, using each of the keys to open a corresponding gate (which also needed to be found - and has an associated challenge of its own when found), combining knowledge of the 80s - Halliday's favorite time period - with video game skills. As such, the Easter egg itself definitely qualifies as an Ultimate Boon!

[Emily Spencer]

The Woman as Temptress can be personified in the form of Ginny Weasley, especially as seen in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling. In my humble opinion, it's all very cliché, but it cannot be discounted nonetheless.

Ironically, it reminds me of the familiar high school quarterback/cheerleader plot in which the coach tells the quarterback to dump the girl because it's affecting his performance on the field. Now, no one tells Harry to dump Ginny; Harry comes to this conclusion all on his own. He feels that his love for Ginny is weakening his resolve to find and destroy Voldemort. It is taking his focus away from duty and placing it on happiness instead. With that in mind, he breaks up with her, both to redirect his focus and to protect her as well. We know he ended up marrying her, so it all worked out in the end!