The Journey: Greater understanding as discussed in Michael Gow's Away, Richard Kelley's Donnie Darko, Vanessa Carlton's White Houses and Margaret Atwood's Journey to the Interior

The search for self is endless, lifelong. While wrought with distress and obstacles, consequences of a physical journey are self-discovery and inner nourishment. While destination is the short-term goal, it is the physical journey that leads there that causes the growth, transformation and greater understanding of the character. This can be best discussed through critical analyses of award-winner Michael Gow's play Away, Richard Kelley's indie-cum-cult film Donnie Darko, Vanessa Carlton's individually expressive song White Houses …

…'It is good to have an end to journey toward, but it is the journey that matters in the end.' Journeys are a fact of life, many result in pain, but they are undeniably essential to self-understanding, growth and inner nourishment and ultimately lead to a greater understanding of self. Whether lyrical, poetical, visual or dramatic, composers are able to share their visions of life-changing journeys. For what destinations are there, apart from this?