A journey is essential to the main characters within a myth. The journey must include something that triggers a desire to fill a specific gap in ones life or an initiation of a journey and end with a completion of that journey which is usually a fulfillment of that original void. In the three myths examined, the Satanic Verses, Siddhartha, and Luke, a main character begins on a journey, by first realizing a certain need in their life, then moving away from home in search of what they are lacking in which they eventually find conflicts either physical or spiritual that lead to transformations of the characters spirituality or physicality. However, transforming is not the final destination because a character can transform several times within his journey. The journey concludes when that character has completed his original goal. .
First, each myth sets forth a single character that must go on a journey. For Luke that character is Jesus, even though it is arguable that John the Baptist must go on a journey as well his journey is greatly overshadowed and his goal is not the focus of the passage. Jesus was brought to Earth by God and they call him a Messiah because he acts the will of God and brings salvation. The gap that exists is that God sees great evils and sinning on Earth and wishes to bring peace to the Israelites and destruction to its foes. However, the initiation of the journey takes a few years, from the time Jesus is born to the time when Jesus found himself in the Temple of Jerusalem asking the Jewish teachers questions. This is common to most myths; they often begin with a question. That common characteristic is perhaps most evident in Siddhartha. Siddhartha begins in an environment where he is greatly appreciated and praised, but he grows discontented. He feels he can't learn anything else from the wise men with whom he debates because they can not answer him on how to achieve Nirvana which is his ultimate goal.
