This is known as the “hero’s journey.” This is a set of steps or a sequence that one or more stories you know may follow. The steps are as follows: Ordinary world Call to adventure; Refusal of call; Meeting the mentor; Crossing the threshold; Tests, enemies, allies; The approach; Ordeal, Death, Rebirth; Reward; The road back; Resurrection; and The Elixir. If you too these steps and paired them with your favorite hero novel you’d find some surprising results.

 Take for example, Odysseus. He follows the journey perfectly. Sailing to new lands conquering some and fleeing others, ultimately finding his way home. But what if the other stories are the same? Disregarding the time and setting, think of another hero with the same events. In Earth Sea: The Other Wind, Alder begins his journey with night terrors getting worse even after trying to write them off as him  trying to get over his wife’s death (LeGuin, 18). This would seem is applies to the hero’s journey Steps one through three as he starts at home is called to leave to find a cure for his nightmares after being burned in one but before that he had rejected that his nightmares would get worse and denied said call (LeGuin, 19-20). 

This may be familiar to your from a plot stand point rather than a character standpoint. They handle the problem almost the same way though. Island hopping from one to the next looking for a way to fix their problems. Odysseus is trying to get home and keeps getting lost, while Alder is trying to find someone to cure him.

So, why then do creators keep writing in this same pattern and why do we keep purchasing their works? Is it because it's an addicting structure and were drawn to it? Or simply because of the changes in characters and setting? For whatever the reason one thing is certain. It is not ignore.