Literary Archetypes

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Literary Archetypes

• Characters that youre going to meet, that you
  already know!

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So what are they?
Definition
An archetype is a pattern from which copies can
be made. That is, it is a universal theme that
manifests itself differently on an individual
basis Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung believed that
these archetypes were the result of a collective
unconscious. This collective unconscious was not
directly knowable and is a product of the shared
experiences of our ancestors. Jung believed it
was primordial and universal.
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Translation...
Theyre familiar character or situation types
that are used over and over in myths, legends,
books, and movies.
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What you really want to know!

• The most common character archetypes are

The Hero
The Outcast
The Scapegoat
The lovers
The Shrew
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The Hero
He/She is exactly who you expect. Its the
courageous figure the one who's always running
in and saving the day. This character is normally
the protagonist and can actually have many
motivators.
Hero types vary by motivation, but usually
theyre the easiest character to identify. While
characters like Dartagnon (Three Musketeers) are
flamboyant, some are suave (Mel Gibson in
Maverick), analytical (Robin Williams in
Flubber), or tragic (Oedipus in Oedipus Rex.)
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The Outcast
The outcast is just that. He or she has been cast
out of society or has left it on a voluntary
basis. The outcast figure can oftentimes also be
considered as a Christ figure. Example Piggy
from William Golding's "The Lord of the Flies"
While we normally think of the Hero as the main
character of a story, often the main character
has aspects of both the Hero and the Outcast.
This combo usually is what gives us a Christ
figure. Think of Super Man..
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The Scapegoat
The scapegoat figure is the one who gets blamed
for everything, regardless of whether he or she
is actually at fault. Example Snowball from
George Orwell's "Animal Farm."
The Scapegoat character is used differently to
create either a comic or tragic effect.
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The Lovers
Usually referred to as star-crossed, this is
the young couple joined by love but unexpectedly
parted by fate.
As with the Scapegoat, the Lovers act or end up
differently depending on if it is a comedy or
tragedy.
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The Shrew
This is that nagging, bothersome character that
is always battering others with verbal abuse.
Example Zeena from Edith Wharton's "Ethan Frome"
While this is technically thought of as a nagging
wife character, any female character with a
particularly nasty tongue could play the part.
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The Villain
Just plain evil, right? Usually the antagonist
in the story, like the Hero, the Villain can have
many different ways or reasons for being evil.
Truly well written Villains walk the line of
being a lunatic and an evil genius, a sadist or a
fanatic, although Villains usually show strong
motivators for their actions.
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Symbols and Situations
When reading a story its important to understand
that many of these character archetypes can be
mixed and matched, added to are taken away from.
Fortunately, there are also situational
archetypes that help us understand whats going
on.
They include...
A Quest
A Task
Initiation
Loss of Innocence
Earth, Water, and Fire
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A Task
A situation in which a character, or group of
characters, is driven to complete some duty of
monstrous proportion. Example Frodo's task to
keep the ring safe in J. R. R. Tolkein's "The
Lord of the Rings" trilogy
Usually the character learns and grows and
reaches maturity upon completion of the task.
However, failure to complete the task can lead to
either comedy or tragedy.
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A Quest
Here, the character(s) are searching for
something, whether consciously or unconsciously.
Their actions, thoughts, and feelings center
around the goal fo completing this quest.
Example Christian's quest for salvation in John
Bunyan's "The Pilgrim's Progress"
Like the Task, characters usually develop from
their Quest, but it doesnt usually matter
whether it was achieved or not.
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Loss of Innocence
This is, as the name implies, a loss of innocence
through sexual experience, violence, or any other
means. Example Val's loss of innocence after
settling down at the mercantile store in
Tennessee William's "Orpheus Descending."
Hint these situations are easily detectable when
characters focus on one main event that is either
about to happen or has already happened.
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The Initiation
This is the process by which a character is
brought into another sphere of influence, usually
(in literature) into adulthood. Example Ayla's
initiation both into the Clan and into adulthood
in Jean Auel's "The Clan of the Cave Bear or
Uncas in The Last of the Mohicans.
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Water
Water is a symbol of life, cleansing, and
rebirth. It is a strong life force, and is often
depicted as a living, reasoning force. Example
Edna learns to swim in Kate Chopin's "The
Awakening."
Earthly elements like water, earth, and fire are
often used to make a symbolic point. While water
usually represents life, fire usually represents
death, and earth can represent either life or
death, family or independence.
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Remember!
While archetypes make it easier to understand
what you read in books or see in movies, you must
remember that these are simple molds for
situations or characters.
Be ready to modify as needed!
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References

• Cowdin, Tami. Archetypes. 2005.
  http//www.tamicowden.com/archetypes.htm.
  8/10/2006
• PageWise, Inc. Understanding Literary
  Archetypes. 2002. http//tn.essortment.com/litera
  ryarchety_rabl.htm. 8/10/2006.