From a very young age, the infamous "quest" has been ingrained into our brains countless times with classic fairy-tales and adventure stories. Children are reminded about what a quest entails when their parents go to tuck them in at night with a bedtime story; the dashing prince on his noble steed, the damsel in distress in a very high tower, the fiery dragon on the cusp on killing our protagonist. See what i mean? However; those classic characters that make up a "fairy-tale" aren't the only thing a quest has to contain. There are five main aspects of a quest; the quester (person seeking the quest), a place to go (the actual place s/he needs to get to), stated reason to go (on a mission for something, but its not always what he gets in the end), challenges and trials along the way, and lastly, the real reason to go (which is usually self knowledge). Applying these five aspects of a quest is easier than it sounds, quests are all around. Everywhere. In Literature and in real life. The best example of a quest that comes to mind would be Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling. Here is the setup of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone connected with the five aspects of a quest.
1.) The Quester: A coming of age, young boy, at a low point in his life. No family. All he has are his resentful, unloving aunt and uncle and his spoiled, plump cousin. Harry, a bright and intelligent boy, doesn't quite fit in and he has no clue why. We only find out later in the book that his mother and father were wizards, some of the best wizards and Harry has some big shoes to fill.
2.) A Place To Go: Following several occurrences that show the powers that Harry possesses, he is sent hundreds of letters that arrive at the Dursley's house. They are all addressed from a school known as Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. This school gives our protagonist a sense of belonging that he has been longing for and hasn't experienced until now.
3.) A Stated Reason To Go There: Harry has been sent hundreds of letters persuading him to attend the school. It is a school for special kids who are talented in magic. The school is aware that Lilly and James Potter were powerful wizards and since their son defeated "he who must not be named" (but for these circumstances will be, Voldemort), Harry has special things in store for him if he gets the chance to unleash his magical potential.
4.) Challenges and Trials: Where do I begin? Our hero undergoes various strange, nerve-racking tasks along with the stress of he first year. Throughout the book, Professor Snape, a professor at Hogwarts, proves to be a challenge to Harry. Snape has a cruel, cold shoulder approach towards Harry. Harry finds that the tight watch Snape has on him makes it increasingly hard to learn about what the Sorcerer's Stone is. Another trial Harry has to overcome takes place during his first Quidditch game. Professor Quirell, who is trying to steal the stone, curses Harry's broomstick. This act nearly knock Harry off of his broom, which proves to be another challenge for Harry. One of the deepest struggles of the road of trials and challenges comes when Harry stumbles upon the Mirror of Erised. Notice anything interesting? Take a long, hard look at the word erised. Did the light bulb go off yet? Erised is desire spelled backwords. Harry being an orphan and not knowing his parents other than in pictures shows what his deepest desire really is, to be love and to meet his parents. Harry sees his mother and father in the mirror with every glance. This is a challenge for Harry, every time he sees them in the mirror he makes the realization that he wishes they were still alive which leaves him stuck in the past and forgetting to live in the present.
5.) The Real Reason To Go: Anywhere in the last four aspects of a quest did I mention that Harry Potter is known as "the boy who lived?" Harry Potter out of Lilly and James Potter, extraordinary wizards, ends up defeating the most powerful dark wizards of that time. Did I mention Harry was only two when that happened? Not only does he defeat him, he survives, unscathed (except for that pesky scar). Throughout the novel we see the struggle Harry goes through with the emptiness of not having parents in his life. This is the real reason for Harry to go on his quest. An atonement for what "he who must not be named" did to his family. Harry is trying to find himself, but is also trying to learn about who his parents were and where his roots originated from. The real reason for Harry to go is the fact his parents didn't die for him in vain. He is looking for self-discovery and making his parents proud for all that they did so that he could survive.
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