Stout identifies five basic, recurring patterns of the journey narrative: exploration and escape; homeseeking; return; heroic quest; and wandering. Discussion of these patterns is based on considerations such as the direction of the journey, its motivation, and reference to historical precedents. Stout considers works that demonstrate the complex and interwoven patterns of the journey narrative. The more complex the work, the more intricately interwoven these patterns are. To illustrate the all-inclusiveness of the journey motif in American literature Stout pursues the theme into the realm of poetry and relates the fictional journey narrative to the American historical experience.
