Archetypes in The Metamorphosis

Hi Everyone,

Sorry this post is late - I was home for the weekend and got back WAY later than anticipated.

In my search for a common list of archetypes, I've found such exhaustive information, that I feel like any character you can characterize as "The X,Y,Z" is an archetype (e.g. The Bully, The Teacher's Pet). An element of Franz Kafka's "The Metamorphosis" that I find to be very interesting through our lens is the fact that the archetypes seem to be presented through shifts. This is to say, the characters occupy different archetypal roles as the story progresses. This is apparent as early as the first line in the novella, when Gregor Samsa awakes to find himself "transformed into an enormous pest" (63). Though I interpret that we are to take this transformation to be literal, the words of this line can be picked apart to show many archetypal references. For one, there is the connotation of the word "pest" - as in, parasitic, bothersome, unnecessary, and even something life/people would be better off without. Then there is the word "transformed," which suggests (as we find out is correct throughout the continuation of the story) that Gregor moves from being one who contributes to being one who exploits... though I'd argue that Gregor is forced by his condition to be one who technically "exploits," as in requires the assistance of others. To me it seems that Gregor is now in the role of The Parasite. Though this may not be on a top ten list of archetypes, I feel it is nonetheless a commonly occurring role in a society or group - the one who uses but contributes nothing.

The thing that makes this story so fascinating, though, is that Gregor certainly did not always fill this role. Though he now is confined by his buggy condition to his room or other isolated parts of his home, he was once the primary breadwinner for his family, while his father sat at the kitchen table, seemingly interminably, demanding work and effort from his wife and children, yet contributing no discernible amount himself. Here, Gregor was once The Provider, and his father was The Pest/The Parasite. When Gregor is suddenly forced by his physical state to change his role within his family (=society), no one in his family knows how to react. With his formerly affectionate sister at one point exclaiming " 'It has to go,'... and practically vaulted off her chair, as if she'd rather sacrifice her [mother] than remain in Gregor's vicinity" (94). This pronounced - and devastatingly sad - shift in feeling toward Gregor, essentially for the physical version of a role shift, suggests a deeper issue about society: that one is bound (by expectations, if nothing else) to stick to the role they've established. Any departure from the norm might result in disdain, anger, or even - as Kafka depicts - grotesque horror.

This idea of societal impact on archetypal roles and "role maintenance" seems like an interesting one to explore in teaching this unit. I like that we could take the discussion from the text (e.g. What are the roles played by the family members in the story? How do these roles change?) to the personal OR general (e.g. What are roles in society? How do people come to inhabit their role? Can one ever change the role they assume, and if so - how?), or even the opposite order. I'd like to discuss this element more together in class tomorrow.

Elizabeth

Archetypes, YGB, and Sweat

I know we were trying to compile a list of archetypes. Here are some that I have found:

"The Hero
A larger-than-life character that often goes on some kind of journey or quest. In the course of his journey, the hero demonstrates the qualities and abilities valued by his culture.
King Arthur, Odysseus, Luke Skywalker, Frodo

The Father Figure
The protector and leader
Mufasa from The Lion King

The Mother Figure
The protective nurturer and gentle provider
Ma Joad in The Grapes of Wrath

The Fatal Woman or Temptress
A woman who uses her power (intellect, magic, or most of all, beauty) to make men, especially the Hero, weak
Circe and the Sirens in The Odyssey, Lady Macbeth, Morgan le Fey

The Witch
A woman, often a hag (though she may be disguised as a beautiful young woman), who attempts to trap and destroy the protagonist
The Wicked Stepmother in fairy tales

Monster/Villain
The antagonist, especially in opposition to the hero.
The Big Bad Wolf from Little Red Riding Hood, The Giant in Jack and the Beanstalk

The Innocent
An inexperienced male or female character that is exposed to the evils in the world
Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, Little Red Riding Hood

The Alter Ego or Double
Reveals the dual nature of man
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Helpers ~ Wise Old Woman or Man ~ Wise Animal
Characters that assist or guide the protagonist
Merlin, Yoda and Obi Wan Kenobi in Star Wars, Grandmother Willow in Pocahontas

The Trickster/The Fool
Characters who trick others to get them to do what s/he wants – they can be both virtuous and nefarious.
Puss-in-Boots, Road Runner, Fred & George Weasley

The Underdog."

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Others that I was thinking about -> light/dark, we discussed color briefly in class on Wednesday and what the colors signify.

One thing I was wondering about archetypes is whether or not setting is an archetype. Because YGB is set in Salem, doesn't the place itself become a symbol? Salem carries many associations... the which trials, religion... Unless these things would fall more under the historical lens. I'm not sure. Salem is definitely a symbol recognized by most people at least for the Salem witch trials. In the Unit, the class could explore what associations each student has with the symbols and archetypes in the story. This has potential to be a great visual activity where the student has to draw an example of an archetype, explain it, and give several example of it like the ones listed at the beginning of the post. The students would enjoy getting to draw and color as well as making text-to-text or even text-to-self and text-to-world connections.

Another Archetype in the story is the "Native" Indians. Talking about how this character is an archetype may also be a good way to talk about stereotypes in the classroom. The Indians in this story are devilish and bad characters. Obviously since not every Indian is a savage, the class could discuss times when they have experiences stereotypes based on a part of their identities. Hopefully this would help them easily catch on to the lens, and teach students that this is a lens (sort of) that people use in their everyday judgment of the people around them. Equating the archetypal lens to stereotyping may help the students get away from stereotypes or at least identify when they are guilty of using them.

For "Sweat," I definitely identified the same archetypes that Rebecca did. Even from the first few paragraphs it is clear that the story is about a husband a wife whose relationship is uneven. He wants to whip her and it is automatically apparent what archetypes they are. He is the abusive, controlling bad husband; she is the permissive wife.

The skillet was an important symbol I found in the story. it is an archetype for women's work, and also strength. It became even more interesting when it actually stops Sykes from hitting Delia. I guess, though it is also saying that women's strength is in it the kitchen, hidden.

Archetypes in "Young Goodman Brown" and "Sweat"

Hi guys! From our reading this week, "Young Goodman Brown" seems to be the perfect story to look at through the archetypal lens. YGB is filled will archetypes that most people would be familiar with (even without much background knowledge on archetypes). Because this story is still complicated in other ways, I would definitely consider using this as one of the first stories in an archetypal unit, but probably with a higher level group or grade.

Just on the first page, there were many archetypes that can easily be connected to other pieces of literature. The dreary road, the traveler, the devil, the clock, the forest, the staff, the snake/serpent, the pious old lady are some of these archetypes. It could be a nice activity for students to take a few of these from YGB and brainstorm other books, TV, movies, etc. where they've seen these symbols, characters, and settings.

YGB would also be an interesting story to study because Hawthorne sets up these well-known archetypes, but then he distorts them as Young Goodman Brown goes deeper and deeper into the forest. Hawthorne uses the preconceptions that come along with the archetype in order to further support his message.

"Sweat" wasn't filled with different archetypes as YGB was, but there was definitely one prominent archetypal situation; that of an abusive husband and submissive wife. However, Hurston gives so much power to Delia because she is able to stand up to Syke, she fights back against the limitations of her gender, and essentially, she also breaks the archetype that she had been stuck in for years.

I think it is pretty interesting how both of these short stories use the archetype as a strategy. By definition, as readers when we encounter an archetype, we assume that we know what to expect. However, Hawthorne and Hurston used archetypes and our assumptions to surprise us when the characters/symbols were not exactly what we thought they would be.

Primordial Symbols & Archetypes

After reading a little more on Jung, it seems the term "primordial" is essential in our exploration of the Archetypal Lens. Primordial means, "existing from the beginning of time." The words "archetype" and "primordial" are nearly interchangeable. This post concerns my search for a list of common archetypes / primordial symbols commonly found in literature. 

One image that serves as a great example is the dark forest. We usually associate this image with danger, obscurity, confusion, the unknown, evil, sin, or death. I think of the jungle in Heart of Darkness or the forest in Hawthorne's "Young Goodman Brown." These types of symbols are external stimuli, but only because they illicit an internal response from the reader, tapping into the mind at an unconscious level. 

The following is a short list of primordial symbols commonly found in literature:

• river (the passage of time)
• overcast sky (gloom, depression, despair)
• lamb (innocence, vulnerability)
• violent storm ( wrath, inconsolable grief)
• flowers (delicacy, perishability, beauty) 
• mountain (obstacle, challenge) 
• eagle (majesty, freedom) 
• the color white (purity, innocence) 
• the color red (anger, passion, war, blood)
• the color green (new life, hope) 
• water (birth or rebirth) 
• autumn (old age)
• winter (death)

One specific symbol that I came across while reading was the poison apple in Snow White. Many Western students familiar with Christian mythology would recognize this as a symbol of temptation or sin. We think of the forbidden fruit in Genesis and the implications this might contain. The salient point here is that the best primordial symbols are those which are deeply rooted in a culture's identity (religion, mythology, literature).    

Perhaps the most effective way of teaching literary theory to adolescents is through an exploration of fairy tales. These types of stories are rich with culture, allowing students to identify patterns. Because the content is familiar and simplified, more attention can be paid to the application of a lens, allowing for a balanced approach to studying literature through multiple perspectives. However, we should always remember that our students may come from a diverse range of cultural backgrounds and might not share the same ability as their peers to identify patterns which are culture-specific. 

Finally, it is important to note the importance of primordial symbols, but also to understand that the Archetypal Lens is not limited to symbolic imagery. For example, archetypal characters like "Femme Fatale" (a female character who causes catastrophic events) are equally important in our understanding of the lens.  There are also narrative archetypes like "The Journey" (where the protagonist must overcome a series of obstacles before reaching a goal). These three components - primordial symbols, archetypal narratives, and character types - help us to broaden our scope of the Archetypal Lens.  

 

hi

The Archetypal Lens in Appleman

Hey gals,

Here is what Appleman has to say about The Archetypal Lens / Perspective / Criticism. Since our first blog post concerns the lens itself, this might be a good place to start, although outside sources and information should prove helpful as well!



The Archetypal Perspective (141-2)

In literary criticism, the word archetype signifies a recognizable pattern or model. It can be used to describe story designs, character types, or images that can be found in a wide variety of works of literature. It can also be applied to myths, dreams, and social rituals. The archetypal similarities between texts and behaviors are thought to reflect a set of universal, even primitive, ways of seeing the world. When we find them in literary works, they evoke strong responses from readers. Archetypal themes include the heroic journey and the search for a father figure. Archetypal images include the opposition of heaven and hell, the river as a sign of life and movement, and mountains or other high places as sources of enlightenment. Characters can be archetypal as well; some examples are the rebel-hero, the scapegoat, the villain, and the goddess.

Archetypal Perspective (145)

In criticism, archetype signifies narrative designs, character types, or images, which are said to be identifiable in a wide variety of works of literature, as well as in myths, dreams, and even ritualized modes of social behavior. The archetypal similarities within these diverse phenomena are held to reflect a set of universal, primitive, and elemental patterns, whose effective embodiment in a literary work evokes a profound response from the reader. The death-rebirth theme is often said to be the archetype of archetypes. Other archetypal themes are the journey underground, the heavenly ascent, the search for the father, the heaven/hell image, the Promethean rebel-hero, the scapegoat, the earth goddess, and the femme fatale.


Archetypal Criticism - Literary Theory Card (150).

Assumptions
   
   1. Meaning cannot exist solely on the page of a work, nor can that work be treated as in independent entity.
   2. Humankind has a "collective unconscious," a kind of universal psyche, which is manifested in dreams and myths and which harbors themes and images that are hard-wired in all of us.
   3. These recurring myths, symbols, and character types appear and reappear in literary works.

Strategies


   1. Consider the genre of the work (e.g., comedy, romance, tragedy, irony) and how it affects the meaning.
   2. Look for story patterns and symbolic associations, such as black hats, springtime settings, evil    stepmothers, and so forth, from other texts you've read.
   3. Consider your associations with these symbols as you construct meaning from the text.