...All movies, books and even plays regarding heroic figures use the same archetypes for their characters. An archetype signifies a symbol which connects to literature, art, and real life. In Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, the plot revolves around a group of stranded boys on an island that witness changes in themselves. Throughout the story, each character has an archetypal symbol that connects to a hero’s journey. These archetypes represent the guideline that allows the story to be read through the archetypal literary lens. In literature, the archetypal literary lens allows the reader to read a story by recognizing symbols, character types, and motifs. With this in mind, Golding uses Ralph, Piggy, Simon, and Jack to display the various...
Words: 735 - Pages: 3
...In the stories Percy Jackson The Lightning Thief and “The legend of Perseus”, the Legend of Perseus is modernized in Percy Jackson The Lightning Thief by changing the events, Hero Archetypes, and themes. Have you ever wonder how Roman stories are like today and how they are made modern to meet your expectations? Events are one of the main thing modernized from ¨The legend of Perseus¨ to Percy Jackson the Lightning Thief. The events are modernized through the Hero’s Journey because in “The legend of Perseus” Perseus never meet the mentor and instead journeyed on his own “Perseus bid his mother good-by and set out to search for Medusa” (D'aulaires,117) unlike Percy Jackson who had several mentors Grover, Poseidon, and Chiron (Percy Jackson...
Words: 902 - Pages: 4
...In the movie Mulan, the character Mulan embodies a couple very significant archetypes. One major archetype she embodies is the hero. She is the hero of the movie because she saved china from being taken over. She first started to become a hero when she snuck out of her house the night before her farther was supposed to leave for war. She put on her fathers armor and left for war. The whole time she was in war she convinced the other soldiers that she was a man. When the Huns attacked china Mulan was a hero because she saved all of the soldiers by shooting a cannon into a mountain top creating an avalanche which stopped the Huns. She also becomes a hero at the end of the movie when the Huns return to china and almost overtake the emperor, but Mulan once again saved them all by leading the soldiers to take down Shan Yu and the Huns. The other archetype that Mulan embodies in the movie is the Scapegoat. She is the scapegoat because her father was supposed to got to war with the soldiers even though he was old and hurt. He could hardly walk but was going to suck it up for his country. Mulan couldn’t watch her father go knowing he probably wouldn’t make it back. So she took his responsibility and went to war. She also took his suffering away from his because she ended up getting stabbed and injured. She did it all for her father and that is why she embodies the hero and scapegoat archetypes in the...
Words: 269 - Pages: 2
...The trickster is in all of us. It may seem though we are far from it, but all of us have a little bit of the archetypical trickster and these similarities display themselves in subtle way that we disregard them altogether. Tricksters have been a part of our history for a very long time being handed down from generations to generations either verbally or transcribed to keep records for the future. Archetypes are symbolism of people and how they are perceived by the majority, and a trickster archetype is derived from that. When studying the trickster archetype it is important to explore all of the areas that make the trickster what it is. This includes its characteristics, roles, cultural purpose and evolution. They make up majority of what we now know as the archetypical trickster, an archetype we can all relate to. Tricksters have coinciding characteristics such as being witty, amoral and conniving, but they are said to be also compromised of contradictions and are the third party catalyst of the plot, not engaging fully into the story but just enough to essentially move the story further along. Firstly, “tricksters succeed by outsmarting or outthinking their opponents.” (Trudier)...
Words: 1452 - Pages: 6
...An archetype is a character based on universally shared roles. In East of Eden by John Steinbeck, Adam could be considered a dreamer archetype because of his childlike view of the world, blatant rejection of reality, and his idealized image of the world around him. Adam’s ignorance of reality causes him numerous conflicts throughout the novel, however; these traits humanize him. All individuals have these tendencies which is what makes being a dreamer an archetype. From the beginning of the novel, Adam is portrayed with a childlike innocence to him. This innocence allows him to feel moral and pure while obtaining what he desires. Even when Adam is presented with contradicting evidence that threatens to tear down his reality, he dismisses it. For example, when Charles finds papers that seem to implicate his father acquired their inheritance dubiously, Adam completely rejects this thought. “Can you see that I don’t think our father was a thief? I don’t believe he was a liar...He did not steal it. He couldn’t have stolen it” (Steinbeck 71). Although Adam never loved his father he still defends his character because it supports his ideal reality. Adam sees the...
Words: 568 - Pages: 3
...In Snow White and the Huntsman there are many archetypes: Snow White being the hero, Queen Ravenna is the devil figure and then there is Eric who is also known as the huntsman is the shadow but many other things as well. You are able to see Eric’s shadow from the very beginning and we are shown just how bad his shadow has gotten to him. Even though he is in an extremely dark place throughout the journey with Snow White, Eric does many things that make it easy to see he wasn’t always as bitter as he lets off to be. He starts out the journey by hunting Snow White for the queen, but when he captures her he hesitates to hand her over because he doesn’t have what he was promised, his wife. With the Queen’s powers she said she was able to bring people back from the dead and Eric ended up believing her with how easy she made it seem. Even though he doesn’t hand her over for his own selfish reasons he starts to ask what the Queen wants with her making his shadow lighten for a...
Words: 808 - Pages: 4
...The presence of archetypes is an essential element of the quest storyline, both in American and foreign literature. Pioneers of the archetype concept include scholars Joseph Campbell, Christopher Vogler, and Carl Jung, whose notions of archetypal literature developed into what most academics accept as the characteristic blueprint for a quest story today. Though these archetypes were first described just over a hundred years ago, they have persisted throughout literary and visual art for millennia. The most important archetype that Vogler describes in his Memo That Started It All is The Hero. He describes Hero characters as the central figures of stories that often make influential accomplishments on behalf of their respective civilizations...
Words: 948 - Pages: 4
...THE WYRD SISTERS ARCHETYPES Archetypes in the mythical works of Terry Pratchett’s novel Wyrd Sisters, are symbolized by clear and simply characteristic that follow the same arrangement of conduct and perform in an unpretentious, upfront and anticipated manner. Such characters are, for instance, old maid, a mother, a narrator, a hero or an old heroine. It is quite obvious that this novel, Pratchett usages of a very similar method to arrange his characters as described above. The archetype bases of his characters are quite apparent. However, Pratchett surpasses the borders of archetypes by evolving his characters further on; he provides them with extra features and abilities. His characters do not follow the formal behavior that the original archetypes do, they become more engaged than the traditional way in the novel. The three witch, are Magrat Garlick, Nanny Ogg, and Granny Weatherwax. Pratchett symbolizes each of them differently in which they represent three different archetypes. In this paper we will analyze the archetypes within the story and their commitment...
Words: 1396 - Pages: 6
...Archetypes in Die Linkshändige Frau Throughout history, humans have tried to explain the phenomena of this world. Whether through pure imagination or actual quantified observation, various explanations of why we are here, why things happen to us and where punishments and blessings are written in a culture’s story. Many of these explanations have passed into myths and legends, stored forever in the heroic epics of lore. They follow similar patterns that reverberate throughout the ages and across cultures. These archetypes help us to reflect on our own experience and sojourn here on Earth. As Erich Fromm stated: “Both dreams and myths are important communications from ourselves to ourselves. If we do not understand the language in which they are written, we miss a great deal of what we know and tell ourselves in those hours when we are not busy manipulating the outside world.” In his chapter on Mythic and Archetypal Criticism, Bruce W. Young explains how Carl Jung had a similar idea. Paraphrased, Jung believed that archetypes, or patterns in myths and legend, have distinctive character, something akin to a primordial figure. He postulates that as we study these archetypes or myths, “it is as though chords in us were struck” and we “feel a sense of realease” (Cowles 64). In short, Jung believes that myths help us resolve issues in our own life by experiencing the dreams, aspirations and answers found in myths. Humanity as a whole has similar dreams, aspirations, experiences...
Words: 1224 - Pages: 5
...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...
Words: 1001 - Pages: 5
...Carl Jung has famous theory which is “Collective Unconscious”. It is existing in the depths of a person’s unconscious mind, and it is inborn universal unconscious. From his theory, he said that human being also has “archetype” which is meaning for “image pattern”. People have archetype, and it is using for our common understanding between people. For example, when we see a clay figure embracing a plump body shape woman, we say that it looks like mother, because we are imaging for “Mother’s Archetype”, on the other hand, when we image of a wise man who teaches strictly, you might be imaging about father. In this case we are based on “Father’s Archetype”. How about movie characters? I think that the most popular kinds of archetype of character...
Words: 382 - Pages: 2
...Literary Criticism Review Paradigm: a framework containing your basic assumptions, ways of thinking and methodology about how something should be done, made or thought about. Cognitive dissonance (psychology): the excessive mental stress and discomfort experienced by the individual who: * Holds 2+ contradictory beliefs, ideas, of values simultaneously * Is confronted by new info that conflicts with existing BIV Is/ought dilemma: us aging -> the world as we wish to be OR the world as it actually is HISTORICAL LENS/NEW HISTORICAL LENS Historical criticism -> insisted we need to know a literary piece, that we need to know authors bio, social background, ideas during that time, cultural milieu (environment) New historicism New Historicism: seeks to find meaning in a text by considering the work within framework of prevailing ideas/assumptions of its era. *All about paying close attention to historical context of literary works (e.g: poems, novels, plays) GOALS: 1) Study how a work of literature reflects its historical/sociocultural context 2) Understand how literary works comments on and relates to its context Therefore, approach is interdisciplinary Example of this lens: Always by Erasure MARXIST LENS (Karl Heinrich Marx + Friedrich Engles) * A form of critique for interrogating all societies and their texts in terms of certain specific issues like race, class, and the attitudes shared within a given culture (see terms) * Marxist critique may...
Words: 2697 - Pages: 11
...fairytales contain character archetypes, but they also include situational archetypes such as quests, impossible tasks, or the triumphs of the poor. Although all fairytales have different plots, they are all extremely similar to each other due to the common motifs and archetypes that are present in all fairytale stories. To determine whether a story is a fairytale or not is incredibly easy because one can easily discover numbers of motifs and archetypes that are exhibited throughout the story. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum is a story about a girl named Dorothy who is sent to fulfill arduous tasks and lengthy quests in order to find her way back home. As she tries to find her return home, she has many rough encounters with evil but is assisted by various characters and eventually returns home safely. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz would be considered a fairytale because of the common motifs and archetypes that are present and consistent throughout the story. The motifs and archetypes in the story are the hero, the trickster, the talking animals or objects, the glorified human strength of kindness, and the guardian. The hero archetype in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz proves that this story is a fairytale and is evident through the actions of Dorothy. Dorothy is a little girl from Kansas that is taken away from her homeland by a cyclone that took her and her house into a wonderful country known as the Land of Oz. Dorothy is considered the hero archetype because the story revolves...
Words: 1682 - Pages: 7
...Ladee Calhoun Hamilton British Literature 1 October 2015 The Ruler After the fall of Roman Empire was the rise of a new religion, Christianity. The Christianity religion was the doctrine or belief that there is only one god which differ the Roman culture. The poet as historian is known as the scop in the Anglo-Saxon culture. To understand culture, one has to understand the belief set. The hero is the most dominant archetype in Beowulf because it deals with the fraternity warrior’s culture. Although the pluralism of Anglo-Saxon culture is very similar to our American culture, the archetype of The Ruler takes place in America today because everyone wants to take control and have power over their own lives and others around. In Literature, an Archetype is a typical character, an action or a situation that seems to represent such universal pattern or human nature. There are many set archetypes; The Innocent, The Lover, and The Rebel. However, the one that dominates the most in Anglo-Saxon culture is the Hero. “I’ve never known fear, as a youth I fought in endless battles. I am old, now, but will fight again, seek fame still, if the dragon hiding in his tower dares to face me” (Beowulf’s Last Battle 607-610). In Anglo-Saxon culture being boastful and prideful is praised because it is a characteristic of a Hero. The poem itself was named after Beowulf to show that he was the dominant hero, the one who stood in the spotlight. “Then he stepped to another still body, clutched at...
Words: 966 - Pages: 4
...The Politically Correct Private Investigator: Not Much Different From The Old Guys People who read detective/Private Investigator (P.I) fiction do so because they are attracted to certain elements that they can expect and enjoy from this genre. Indeed, it seems de rigueur that the hero should have certain character traits and face certain problems in certain ways. In a chapter titled “The Private Investigator,” in fact, we read that a typical investigator will be, male, hard-boiled, an expert on the city, a loner, streetwise, tough, physical, and a mixture of an idealist and cynic. In, however, “Lost Polars,” we see that the author wants to add the novelty of a female character, while maintaining the integrity of the detective genre. Therefore, in Shelley Singer’s depiction of Barrett Lake, the salient and correlative aspects of the archetypal qualities of a private investigator are not tainted with progressive, feminist values. Even though Lake is a woman, she still typifies the noir, solitary hero who stands up for justice even in the face of circumstances that would break the morale of anyone else. This is Singer’s big trick on the audience. We see, for instance, Lake’s intuition, coupled with her quick-thinking, which assured her successful investigation into Judy Garbman’s murder. She’s a woman who does this, but there’s nothing really “feminine” about this process. Her willingness to calm and collectively rationalize and reason, while the rest of her reunion...
Words: 1422 - Pages: 6
