Every trip is a quest

Literary Tools
These ideas are inspired by How To Read Literature Like A Professor.
I am going to try and cover a different tool each day.
I. Every trip is a Quest (except when it's not)
1. quester
2. a stated place to go
3. a stated reason to go
4. challenges and trials along the way
5. the "real" reason for the trip (self knowledge)

I can think of very few novels or movies that do not revolve around a quest. There are obvious ones like Finding Nemo to less obvious ones like Oedipus Rex.

When deciding whether or not a story is a quest you can compare it to the old knights of the round table going in search of an object, but really discovering their need for humility and forgiveness. A quest can be successful if the character grows and matures by learning about themselves. A quest is only a failure if the self-knowledge is not found. The stated place and reason don't have to be met, but knowledge of self is critical to the success of the quest.

One of my favorite quest stories is Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen. The main quester is Cole. He is given a choice between jail and a deserted island as his stated place to go. He chooses the island the first time because he thinks he can escape. He almost dies in the attempt, but still doesn't acquire the self knowledge needed to finish his quest. It takes him actually hovering on the brink of death in a comma, a lot of physical labor, and the spiritual discoveries about the need for forgiveness and the need for reconciliation before his quest reaches its successful conclusion.