Vogler, Memo From the Story Department:
The hero feels the fear of the unknown and tries to turn away from the adventure, however briefly. Alternately, another character may express the uncertainty and danger ahead.
Sometimes the hero experiences hesitation in answering the call to adventure or he or she outright refuses. In this case, some other influence–a change in circumstances, a further offense against the natural order of things, or some encouragement from a mentor–is needed to get the hero past their initial reluctance and fear. (Gilbo, [https://www.savannahgilbo.com/blog/plotting-hero's-journey](https://www.savannahgilbo.com/blog/plotting-hero's-journey))
Batty - Movies That Move Us:
Physically, the protagonist displays reluctance to commit to the journey called upon. Leaving the Ordinary World for promises or mere suggestions is difficult, so temporarily he holds onto the world that he knows. He expresses a deep fear of the unknown; leaving the physicality of the Ordinary World is a gamble, where new rules, regulations and people will present challenges. As such, the positive momentum of the Call is suspended, and negative attitudes about the Special World are physicalised through action and dialogue.
Vogler, Memo From the Story Department:
Fear and Resistance to change are the natural reactions to facing the unknown; the hero may be momentarily paralyzed or in denial. Good intentions may be undermined by doubt (Refusal of the Call). (Vogler)
Palmer - http://www.crackingyarns.com.au/2011/04/04/a-new-character-driven-heros-journey-2/
Step 3: Resistant (Refusal of the Call)
In the Refusal of the Call sequence, the Hero – or those around them – are going to be resistant to the invitation to adventure.
If the hero doesn’t want the call, they might rationalise their refusal by saying that they can’t afford to go, that this person is totally wrong for them, or that the goal is impossible, crazy or both. But, basically, they’re just afraid and the audience empathises with that because fear is something that we all understand.
Luke Skywalker is too busy doing chores to save the Rebel Alliance, Bridget Jones is too blinded by Daniel Cleaver’s obvious charms to appreciate the subtler satisfactions of Mark Darcy, and Richard would rather stay at home and preach about his 9-step Refuse-to-Lose program than take his daughter to Redondo Beach for the finals of Little Miss Sunshine.
If the hero does want the call, others will express the fear for them. Eduardo in The Social Network questions Mark Zuckerberg on the wisdom of comparing Harvard women to farm animals, Loretta’s father in Moonstruck tells her that she’s marrying an idiot, and Zack’s alcoholic whore-chasing father in An Officer and a Gentleman tells his son that he’ll never be either.
But, regardless of whether the hero wants the call or not, the emotion that needs to be conveyed to the audience at this stage of the Journey is “Resistance”.