Archetypes In The Vow

In Homers epic poem “The Odyssey” there are many archetypes, many of which were the origin of the archetype. An archetype is a character type, place, or symbol, every culture shares. In “The Odyssey” Homer uses archetypes to evoke meaning to the story. Some examples of archetypes in “The Odyssey” are the temptress, and the father-son conflict.

Throughout the movie O Brother, Where Art Thou, classic storytelling through archetypes is reworked into a more modern time in order to create the unique gem that it is. Archetypes are a general persona of a character that is repeated many times through films and literature, they define the character and give meaning to their roles. Archetypes have been used ever since stories were made, from the Odyssey to even Percy Jackson. Archetypes tend to set the stage for the story, and get revealed throughout the story adding more life and energy to it. Three examples of archetypes expressed very well through characters in the movie are the hero, the alter ego, and the temptress.

In your daily life, different people are different roles and deciphering then determining who plays what archetype can alter your own journey. This is similar to literature where characters affect the hero’s journey and represent archetypes. Each character in literature serves as an archetype that will change the outcome of the journey the hero takes. In the film the Princess Bride directed by Rob Reiner, various characters represent archetypes like evil adversary, loyal companion, and damsel in distress who affect the hero, Wesley’s journey.

Rudolfo Anaya, author of “Bless Me, Ultima”, uses an analogy of a lake during one of his interviews. He states that the top of the lake is the story and as you go deeper into it, you discover several important symbols and archetypes. The archetypes he uses connects the audience to the “the collective memory” and “connects us to every human being who has ever existed”. Archetypes help authors develop their stories and/or novels with characters that symbolize something meaningful. People often can relate to certain books because of author ’s uses of archetypes.

With every corner we turn in today’s culture, we become more and more aware of the archetypes that surround us. Archetypes are the works of a typical character, situation, setting, or symbol that can be found in fantasy and reality. An example would be the renowned medieval story Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by Pearl Poet. The author permeates the story with situational, symbolic, and character archetypes that illustrate the profound life of Sir Gawain. Sir Gawain was apprehensive of his journey at first, but as time passes, he began to make choices that unveils to the audience the true flawed knight that he was.

     An archetype is a universal symbol. It is also a term from the criticism that accepts Jung’s idea of recurring patterns of situation, character, or symbol existing universally and instinctively in the collective unconscious of man.

Archetypes are defined as “a typical character, an action or a situation that seems to represent such universal patterns of human nature.” (“Archetype”) The short story “On the Rainy River” by Tim O’Brien is about the internal struggle and the journey he faces after he is drafted to serve the army. The classical hero’s journey archetype is similar to Tim O’Brien’s journey in his short story, “On the Rainy River,” with the exception of the arc length and depth of transformation.

An archetype is defined as an image, story-pattern, character, setting, symbol, or situation that recurs frequently in literature and in life. It demonstrates universal human experiences and associates strongly with readers through a subconscious understanding. In the Epic of Gilgamesh the main character, Gilgamesh, is an example of a superheroic archetypal hero. He took on an epic quest for everlasting life by following the archetypal steps of a hero’s journey. Through suffering due to tragedy, realizing the nature of his quest, seeking help from a mentor, experiencing failure, and returning home with a companion, Gilgamesh’s story followed the situational archetype of a hero’s journey.

An archetypal journey is a journey that someone goes on to find something bigger and better. Many stories are told as an archetypal journey. It is a way to keep a story on track with a focus and a meaning for it. It is a way to show the reader how a group of people can change from on simple journey or experience. For example, the story As I Lay Dying written by William Faulkner is a story about how a family is trying to get their mother to Jefferson in order to bury her. They go through many different challenges and end up learning more about themselves than they would have ever imagined. It is similar to the movie Little Miss Sunshine written by Michael Arndt. This movie is a good interpretation of a modern version of an archetypal journey

An archetypal hero must have specific characteristics before embarking on a quest. For example many heroes, experience some sort of traumatic event during childhood. In the movie Star Wars IV: A New Hope the archetypal hero Luke Skywalker experiences the

Archetype refers to a generic version of a personality. Archetypes are continually present in folklore and literature for thousands of years, including prehistoric artwork. The identification of archetypes in literature is to primarily find the behaviors and characteristics of the main protagonist, it is important to discover the ambiguity of how the traits change and develop throughout the rising

The traditions of storytelling have long been used as a means to impart wisdom and life lessons to others. One of the most effective ways in which this is done is through the use of archetypes. While it is possible to look at these images in a general way, one may also focus an analysis on a single tale. In this way it is possible to explore the particular images used and their significance in a given situation, (often a coming of age rite of

Michael Sucsy’s “The Vow” is a true story written by Abby Kohn and Mark Silverstein which is about a married couple who get into an unfortunate car accident. Paige, the lead role, loses 5 years of memory prior to the accident and is unable to remember who her husband is, Leo's greatest challenge is to win back his wife. This movie has been adapted from the book by Kim and Krickitt Carpenter, they are the real life couple that has been through these obstacles due to their accident. The adaptation that came to life on screen quite frankly couldn’t get any better. The connection between the couple is evident and the chemistry between the two is constantly tested. The vows are continually brought back into several scenes, the vows they have promised

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is a charming story about a man who ages in reverse. I will be taking an archetypal approach to this movie; an archetype is a typical character, an action or a situation that represents such universal patterns of human nature. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button by F. Scott Fitzgerald when looked at from an archetypal approach I’ve noticed many patterns, not all are typical. I will be looking at Daisy and how her character traits are typical, the love story between Benjamin and Daisy, and how Benjamin is not a universal pattern of human nature.

Archetypes are used in literature to portray a certain meaning, that helps create a better and more meaningful story. The archetypes used can be embedded in the characters, symbols, or even rituals involved in a story. These archetypes can help give deeper meaning to the story by giving a underlying reference to concepts that are used over and over again in literature throughout history. When an author uses an archetype in his or her writing, they link it to many other stories that use that same archetype. Some do this for a reason, to give an underlying meaning, to symbolized something of importance, or even just to make their story more interesting. Many readers may not notice the underlying archetype, but sometimes the author uses them because he or she knows that the reader will.