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Archetypes in American Literature

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Submitted By Amysue420
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This essay will use the mythological criticism approach to compare two stories, “A Story of an Hour,” by Kate Chopin, and “A Rose for Emily,” by William Faulkner by showing that both stories have similar archetypes embedded within their narratives. By definition and according to our text, archetypes are “characters, images and themes that symbolically embody meanings and experiences,” (2059, Meyer). In both of these stories, I see that the main characters are involved in a quest for feminine self-discovery and freedom of the human spirit. In Joseph Campbell’s, “The Hero with a Thousand Faces,” the author discusses the journey we are called to in life, and that some choose to follow that call while others do not. In this case, both female characters choose not to answer the call, and become trapped in their initial wounding. The both feel they have no power to move out of their current state. In Carol Pearson’s book, “The Hero Within: Six Archetypes We Live By,” six major archetypes are discussed. They include the orphan, the innocent, the magician, the wanderer, the warrior and the altruist. All of these archetypes can also have shadow sides, as described by author Pearson. In my opinion, the archetype that best fits Mrs. Mallard, the main character of “A Story of an Hour,” by Chopin and Miss Emily Grierson, the main character of “A Rose for Miss Emily,” by Faulkner, is the orphan archetype and its shadow side.

Mrs. Mallard is a woman trapped in an unhappy marriage. To her, it almost feels like a prison. Characteristic of the orphan archetype, she has low expectations. The archetype of orphan begins with an initial wounding and the ensuing struggle to deal with that wounding. She is simply surviving her life, not living it. Joseph Campbell would say this orphan has heard the call to her journey for healing, but she is frozen. She has handed all her power over to her husband and others. It is not until she receives news that her husband is dead that she begins to feel elation of future possibilities in the outside world. This is symbolized with the quote from the story, “She could see in the open square before her house the tops of trees that were all aquiver with the new spring life” (15, Meyer.) Just as the realization of her newfound freedom is sinking in, the latchkey turns and her husband stands at the door, alive and well. She is so stunned; she dies of shock due to a heart condition. The gift of the orphan if they answer the call to the journey toward reclaiming power in a healthy way is resilience. In an ironic twist, Mrs. Mallard falls over dead on the brink of a new life and discovery. She refuses to reclaim her power in a positive way, either through perhaps divorce or addressing a change in the dynamic between her and her husband. This is the shadow side of orphan, when the person is stuck in life as a victim, frozen in time and using the victim role to manipulate their environment. She did so in the most dramatic way, by dying.

Miss Emily Grierson is a lady from a distinguished Southern family. She cannot live as a normal girl or woman should, as her dominating father scares away potential suitors and friends. "We remembered all the young men her father had driven away, and we knew that with nothing left, she would have to cling to that which had robbed her, as people will" (93, Meyer.) Her call to journey away from her orphan archetype after her father’s wounding is when her father passes away. This could have been a time for Emily to recast the characters and content of her life and choose to ask for and receive help from others. However, she refuses to acknowledge that she is unhappy and lives in a state of self-betrayal. So wounded is she by being abandoned by her father at his death, she keeps his body in the house for several days, initially refusing to have a proper burial. She is frozen in her initial wounding and refuses her call to journey toward normalcy. Instead, she clings to the shadow side of the orphan archetype, and becomes callous and cynical. A sadistic streak in her shows when she poison’s her boyfriend, Homer Barron, killing him. Faulkner demonstrates this shadow side of the orphan archetype in Emily in many ways as she tries to freeze time. She will not pay taxes, she allows the house to decline in its physical condition, and she also keeps Homer Barron’s rotting body in the house with her. She chooses the victim role to manipulate her environment and keep those close to her from ever leaving, caught in her disillusionment.

In conclusion, it is my argument that the two stories, “A Story of an Hour,” by Chopin and “A Rose for Miss Emily,” by Faulkner, both main female characters express a quest for feminist freedom by embracing the shadow side of the orphan archetype. Neither woman chooses to answer the journey to mental health and well-being, instead choosing to stay frozen in a state of victimization.

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY

Campbell, Joseph. The Hero With A Thousand Faces. New York: The World Publishing Co., 1956.
“The Hero with A Thousand Faces,” is a cross-cultural study of comparative mythologies based in folklore, religion, and mythology. Campbell elaborates on the concept of a “monomyth.” The “monomyth” is an attempt to link various stories together, showing variations of a theme that are common in many texts, regardless of origin This book helps the reader see common mythic themes in different stories.
Pearson, C. (1989). The hero within: Six archetypes we live by. New York: Harper and Row.
This book is an important source of perspectives on life's mystery and discovery. This book helped me understand archetypes in general and the intricate ways a person’s choices and life path are woven together.

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