Reading Focus: Archetypes (not archy-types) in Literature

Archetypes in Literature

“A dragon is fear of the natural world,” Freak says. “An archetype of the unknown.”

I go, “What’s an archy-type?” and Freak sighs and shakes his head and reaches into his knapsack for his dictionary... Freak takes the dictionary and he goes, “I was referring to the second definition, which is much more interesting. A universal symbol or idea in the psyche” (45-47).

This excerpt from Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick is a good introduction to what an archetype is. An archetype can be found in all fiction and nonfiction, in literature, film, folklore, fairy tales, dreams, artwork, religion, and in human life in general, regardless of time or place. It is part of what Carl Jung, a well-known psychiatrist, calls a “collective unconscious”, a memory or experience shared by all members of the human species.

An archetype can be a character, symbol, theme, or setting. Recognizing archetypes in the texts we read helps us more deeply understand and connect to the texts.

Character Archetypes:

The Hero/Heroine: the protagonist of a story who displays courage, self-sacrifice, endures hardship, learns lessons, and is changed. He/she is good and noble and often helps others.

a.     Some types of heroes:

1. Warrior - faces physical challenge: Ex.
2. Lover - motivated by love to complete a task: Ex. Prince Charming
3. Feminist - female hero: Ex.
4. Anti-hero - often fails and is humorous: Ex.
5. Superhero - has supernatural powers; someone who doesn’t quite belong but is needed by society: Ex.
6. Wide-eyed innocent hero – a young hero who matures and displays courage in the end: Ex.
7. Reluctant hero - at first refuses the adventure and denies his own ability: Ex.
8. Tragic hero - goes through a journey that ends in a tragedy due to the hero's flaws: Ex.

b.    Stages in the Hero's Journey:

1. The Quest: what hero must accomplish to restore peace, order, and normalcy to a troubled land (Ex. For Wilbur, to be loved)
2. The Task: the feat the hero must perform to accomplish his quest (Ex. Wilbur must transfer Charlotte's egg sac back to the farm in his mouth)
3. The Journey: the beginning, middle, and end of the quest
4. Departure: hero is called to adventure although he is reluctant to accept
5. Initiation: hero crosses a threshold into a new, more dangerous world, gaining a more mature perspective
6. Road of Trials: hero is given aid, endures tests of strength, resourcefulness, and endurance
7. Innermost Cave: hero descends into the innermost cave, an underworld, or some other place of great trial. Sometimes this place can be within hero’s own mind. Through this experience, the hero changes internally.
8. Return and Reintegration with Society: hero uses his new wisdom to restore fertility and order to the land

c.     Different types of Quests:

1. quest for identity
2. quest to save others
3. quest for knowledge
4. quest for vengeance
5. quest for love and acceptance

d. Other Character Archetypes:

	Examples from texts you have read:
1.    The Mentor: character who aids or trains the hero, usually someone wise (Ex. in Charlotte's Web: Charlotte)
2.    Mother Figure: comforts and directs child, gives guidance (Ex. also Charlotte, )
3.    Threshold Guardian:the threshold is the jumping off point for the adventure; the guardian is the person or situation that blocks the passage until the hero is truly ready to meet the challenge (Ex. Fern)
4.    Herald: announces the challenge which begins the hero on his story journey; the person or piece of information which starts the adventure (Ex. the Zuckermans)
5.    Shapeshifter: changes role or personality, and is hard to understand; alliances are uncertain and sincerity of his claims is questionable; brings suspense to story (Ex. Snape in Harry Potter)
6.    Shadow: negative figure who we don’t like and would like to eliminate; usually the antagonist (Ex. Darth Vader)
7.    Trickster: a clown and/or mischief maker; provides comic relief (Ex. Anansi the Spider)
8.    The Fairy Godmother: This female character, usually portrayed as old and pleasant looking, has magical powers to directly grant all the protagonist's wishes. Fairy godmothers mostly appear to and aid young, abandoned female protagonists. (Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Glinda in The Wizard of Oz)  http://englit.org/eiland_shared/critical/mythicons.htm
9.    The Scapegoat: This character is chosen by a society to be sacrificed for the good of society. Scapegoats in more modern material tend to be people unjustly accused or blamed for some crime and are often minority gender, religious, legal or ethnic status.
10. Star-crossed lovers: two characters whose love is ill-fated and destined to end in tragedy due to disapproval by society, family, or religion (Romeo and Juliet)

For further reading:

The Hero's Journey: http://www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/smc/journey/ref/summary.html

Hero's Journey in Star Wars: http://moongadget.com/origins/myth.html

Harry Potter: http://www.mythichero.com/harry_potter.htm

Common Archetypes and Symbols in Literature: 

http://school.judsonisd.org/webpages/pdonahue/files/archetypes%20for%20lit%20gen%20summer%20assignment.pdf