Which stage signals the hero's return journey?

• A. Reward
• B. The Road Back
• C. Resurrection
• D. Ordinary World

Answer: (B)

The stage being tested is the moment the hero begins to head back toward home with the boon. In the hero’s journey, this is the Road Back—the point where the quest shifts from pursuit and acquisition to returning to the ordinary world and delivering the reward. It signals the commitment to complete the journey by returning with what was learned or won, and often introduces new obstacles or a sense of urgency as the path home is taken.

The other stages don’t mark the return: the reward is the boon won during the initiation phase, Ordinary World is where the journey starts, and Resurrection is the final test that confirms the transformation, not the return journey itself.