A Short Walk Through a Wide World

The puzzle ball symbolizes the mythic call to adventure, as discussed by Joseph Campbell in his concept of the hero’s journey. In The Hero With a Thousand Faces (1949), Campbell argues that heroic narratives from many cultures adhere to a similar pattern, of which the call to adventure is one element. The call to adventure is the moment when the protagonist/hero is presented with a task, problem, or quest that will take them far from home and place them in significant danger, during which they will learn something important about themselves or the world. In almost all cases, the hero initially refuses the call, ignoring or rejecting the task until something forces them to face it head-on.

The puzzle ball represents Aubry’s call to adventure. It magically appears before her when she is nine years old. She does not understand its importance and ignores it, going on her way. Then, the puzzle ball seemingly follows her home, demanding her attention. Again, she ignores it, until it finally appears inside her bookbag, at which point she accepts it as a mysterious gift meant specifically for her. Aubry thus follows the established heroic pattern of first refusing the call to adventure and then finally accepting it.