Epic Hero in Tibet Through the Red Box

When reading this book, the real question for me was: Who is the epic hero? Is it the father, whose journey is described in this tale, or is it the son, who, through his father, follows his own internal quest? The father's journey in Tibet is a story of an epic hero. He is summoned for his filming ability to teach students and instead is forced into an adventure where he has to get through the mountains and reach the Dalai Lama. Along the way, the father meets many obstacles and finds many helpers. He survives the collapse of the highway, lives through a dangerous snowstorm, surpasses all of the coldness and tiredness of his travels, and tries to overcome loneliness and desperation. At the same time, the father meets people like the monks, the Jingle Bell Boy, and the "Dark Mountain" natives, all who are friendly and helpful, giving the father the energy, hope, and supplies needed for him to complete the journey. In the end, the father reaches the Dalai Lama and is able to accomplish his goal. He tells him of the highway that is coming.
Like the classic epic hero, this man was singled out to come to Tibet for his skills in filming. He was forced into his journey by getting lost in the Tibetian mountains and, through skill, luck, and knowledge, accomplished his task and reached a more enlightened self. One interesting thing is that the father was singled out from the beginning by being the only Czechoslovakian in the group. He was able to speak a different language and knew things about advanced civilization and filming that nobody else knew. Thus, in this way, he was a hero, and, by reaching the Dalai Lama, was able to find his "true self" and become an elightened person.
On the other hand, the story is really an internal struggle as well, both by the father and his son. Peter Sis always thought of his father as a hero whose realistic adventures were magical and extraordinary. He spent most of his childhood imagining his father as a warrior; a man who Peter could be proud of and love. This idolization kept Peter from being upset that his father left him and his family to fend for themselves. Thus, while reading the journal, Peter imagines himself in his father's position. He embodies his father, trying to understand how and why he left and why he came back a different man. Peter's own journey mimics his father's, only his is not real. It is within his mind, but that is also a story of a hero. Peter is the hero in that he learns to accept his father for who he is. He forgives him for not being there when Peter was growing up and that is a feat in itself. When Peter first opens up the red box he says, "The stories I heard as a little boy faded to a hazy dream. It was not until I myself had gone far, far away and received the message from my father that I became interested in the red box again." Peter's internal struggle to understand his father, and in so doing, understand and find himself, is a quest worth noting only to an epic hero. In the end, Peter does finally realize what the box is telling him. He writes, "Only now, after I have visited it through the pages of my father;s diary, do I realize that I should not have wanted him back. Or did he ever completely return? Is he still happy and young somewhere in Tibet?"

According to Wikipedia, a Dalai Lama "is the title given to an individual who is the spiritual and, sometimes, temporal leader of Tibetan Buddhists worldwide. This person is believed to be the current incarnation of a long line of Tulkus, or Buddhist Masters, who have chosen of their own free will to be reborn to this plane in order that they might continue teaching humanity. A Lama (meaning "Teacher") is a title given to many different ranks of Tibetan Buddhist clergy. The modifier "Dalai" has a rough english translation of "Ocean", which would make the full title "Ocean Teacher", meaning a teacher who is spiritually deep as the ocean." The Dalai Lama signals the end of both of their journeys. The Dalai Lama's wisdom, spirituality, and simple power brings both father and son to a sort of tranquility, happiness, and understanding that they could not have ever achieved without their journeys.
Peter's father had to quest through the physical maze of Tibet while his son fumbled through the maze of his mind and his heart.