A MENTOR CASE STUDY: GANDALF OF THE LORD OF THE RINGS

Gandalf plays the role of a mentor in all three of JRR Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings novels. Of the three main types of mentors, Gandalf falls into the Wise Men category.

Gandalf enters into Frodo’s life suddenly, as he often does, when he comes to attend Bilbo’s birthday party. When things go awry, Gandalf explains to Frodo that he has been given the One Ring of power. He then proceeds to introduce Frodo to the horrors that lie in wait outside of the Shire. The news that Gandalf brings to Frodo set the hobbit on a journey to destroy the Ring. It’s a journey that will change Frodo forever.

And true to his role, Gandalf is extremely old and incredibly wise, being one of the Istari sent to aid the people of Middle Earth as Sauron’s power grew.

✓ 1. THEY CAN GIVE YOUR HERO WISDOM. Gandalf tells Frodo that he would not be safe with the Ring in the Shire and that he must take the Ring to Rivendell. ✓ 2. THEY CAN SAVE THE HERO WHEN THEY ARE IN TROUBLE. Gandalf, along with Aragorn, leads an army against the Black Gate so that Frodo can have a chance to destroy the ring. 3. THEY CAN MEDIATE WITH THE VILLAIN. ✓ 4. THEY CAN PROVE THE VILLAIN’S EVIL. Gandalf proves Sauron’s evil to Frodo by relaying the history of Sauron and the One Ring. ✓ 5. THEY CAN SERVE AS A ROLE MODEL FOR THE HERO. Gandalf is someone that Frodo had looked up to all his life. ✓ 6. THEY CAN GUIDE THE HERO PHYSICALLY. Gandalf physically guides Frodo and the Fellowship as they set out from Rivendell. 7. THEY CAN TEACH THE HERO NEW SKILLS. ✓ 8. THEY CAN HUMBLE THE HERO WHEN THEY BECOME HAUGHTY. ✓ 9. THEY CAN ENCOURAGE THE HERO WHEN THEY BECOME DEPRESSED. Gandalf encourages Frodo when he laments that such evil has come in his time. ✓ 10. THEY CAN SACRIFICE THEMSELVES FOR THE SAKE OF THE HERO. Gandalf sacrifices himself for Frodo when he fights the Balrog in the mines of Moria.

http://shesnovel.com !1 A MENTOR CASE STUDY: HAYMITCH OF THE HUNGER GAMES

Haymitch Abernathy plays the role of a mentor in Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games. Of the three main types of mentors, Haymitch falls into the Teacher category.

Haymitch is assigned to teach Peeta and Katniss how to prepare for their roles in the Hunger Games. Though it’s a position that Haymitch loathes, he still does his best to see the two tributes succeed. Haymitch doesn’t try to hide the horror of the games, but frankly tells Katniss and Peeta what it will take to survive.

Though Haymitch is often blunt and abrasive, his unbending nature actually does help Peeta and Katniss make it out of the games alive.

✓ 1. THEY CAN GIVE YOUR HERO WISDOM. Haymitch encourages Katniss to remember who the true enemy is once she reaches the arena. ✓ 2. THEY CAN SAVE THE HERO WHEN THEY ARE IN TROUBLE. Haymitch provides Katniss with a life- saving salve after she is burned in the arena. 3. THEY CAN MEDIATE WITH THE VILLAIN. ✓ 4. THEY CAN PROVE THE VILLAIN’S EVIL. Though he doesn’t directly prove the villain’s evil, Haymitch’s intoxicated lifestyle serves as proof of how the games can destroy one’s life. 5. THEY CAN SERVE AS A ROLE MODEL FOR THE HERO. ✓ 6. THEY CAN GUIDE THE HERO PHYSICALLY. Haymitch essentially guides Katniss to a nearby river by refusing to send her the water she desperately needs. ✓ 7. THEY CAN TEACH THE HERO NEW SKILLS. Though he doesn’t directly teach the skills, Haymitch informs Katniss and Peeta of exactly what skills they should learn in the training center. ✓ 8. THEY CAN HUMBLE THE HERO WHEN THEY BECOME HAUGHTY. Haymitch is constantly informing Katniss of how her stubborn nature makes her foolish. 9. THEY CAN ENCOURAGE THE HERO WHEN THEY BECOME DEPRESSED. 10. THEY CAN SACRIFICE THEMSELVES FOR THE SAKE OF THE HERO.

http://shesnovel.com !2 GIVING YOUR MENTOR PURPOSE A CHECKLIST FOR AUTHORS

CHARACTER: ______TYPE: ______

WHAT ROLES DOES YOUR MENTOR FULFILL?

1. THEY CAN GIVE YOUR HERO WISDOM. ______2. THEY CAN SAVE THE HERO WHEN THEY ARE IN TROUBLE. ______3. THEY CAN MEDIATE WITH THE VILLAIN. ______4. THEY CAN PROVE THE VILLAIN’S EVIL. ______5. THEY CAN SERVE AS A ROLE MODEL FOR THE HERO. ______6. THEY CAN GUIDE THE HERO PHYSICALLY. ______7. THEY CAN TEACH THE HERO NEW SKILLS. ______8. THEY CAN HUMBLE THE HERO WHEN THEY BECOME HAUGHTY. ______9. THEY CAN ENCOURAGE THE HERO WHEN THEY BECOME DEPRESSED. ______10.THEY CAN SACRIFICE THEMSELVES FOR THE SAKE OF THE HERO. ______

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