At the heart of every story is a confrontation with death. If the Hero doesn’t face actual death, then there is the threat of death or symbolic death in the form of a high-stakes game, love affair, or adventure in which the Hero may succeed (live) or fail (die).

Heroes show us how to deal with death.

Vogler, C. (2007). The writer’s journey: mythic structure for writers (3rd ed.). Studio City, CA: Michael Wiese Productions. Page 32.