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.