Skip Reardon's Archetypal Quest

646 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Values and morality

Throughout the world today, many people make connections between the outside world and supernatural experiences. In literature, there are a countless number of archetypal situations, characters, and symbols that appear in all genres. The archetypes occurring in literature vary on what form of literature it is. Such as in mythology, many things really happened, while in literature today, a lot of things may not really be happening but are implied through symbols. In Mary Higgins Clark’s Let Me Call You Sweetheart, prosecutor Kerry McGrath undergoes an archetypal quest; in doing so, she becomes a earth-mother by sacrificing herself for the betterment of Skip Reardon, a man sentenced to jail for murder. To begin, in the novel, Let Me Call You …show more content…

Kerry had to put her life into jeopardy many times in order to save Skips future. For instance, reopening the case was putting her job at risk, but she didn’t give up and kept fighting for Skip Reardon’s life. Many of her fellow workers jeered at her and told her it wasn’t possible and that “Skip is nothing but guilty, he deserves to serve for his actions” (Clark 61). Kerry didn’t let the rude remarks and uptight attitudes of the people pester her. Instead, she offered Skip spiritual and emotional nourishment. She took time to visit him at the jail and keep him up to date on the case. During her visit Skip stated, “Ms. McGrath, I shouldn’t be here. Somewhere out there the guy who killed my wife is walking around. And somewhere there has to be something that will prove it” (Clark 85). Skip was looking up to Kerry like a son would do to his father or mother. He was putting all his faith in her, and she knew it was her job to take care of him . Throughout the quest of trying to name Skip innocent, Kerry becomes a earth-mother by being a mother figure to Skip throughout the ongoing

Show More
Related

  • Revenge and Murder, Justified with the Characters in the Short Story, Killings

    1035 Words  | 3 Pages

    Ruth Fowler is Matt’s wife of many years and the mother of their three children: Steve, Cathleen and the now murdered Frank. Ruth cannot come to terms with Frank’s death and is haunted at all times of the day, whether at home or out in the town running errands, “She was at Sunnyhurst today getting cigarettes and aspirin, and there he was. She can’t even go out for cigarettes and aspirin. It’s killing her” (108). This quote is a symbolism of her mental state. The anguish of just seeing her son’s killer on the streets with freedom is more than Ruth can mentally comprehend. Ruth continually applies emotional pressure to her husband with comments and allusions to why the killer is still able to roam freely while their son cannot, “And at nights in bed she would hold Matt and cry, or sometimes she was silent and Matt would touch her tightening arm, her clinched fist” (112).

    Read More

  • Archetypes In A Good Man Is Hard To Find

    142 Words  | 1 Pages

    Flannery O’ Conner’s short story, “A good man is hard to find”, explains emotional reactions, betrayal, and violence. The misfit is an example of a devil figure. This character archetype is best seen when we see the misfit’s true colors shine as he murders the grandmother and her family. O’ Conner uses setting archetypes best when she uses a clear bright sky or an open dirt road, which can mean a variety of outcomes. This helps understand the many plot twists in the story. We best see symbolic archetypes as the three bandits including the misfit. They represent a mock of the holy trinity and represent evil. “The fall” is a good archetype that shows the misfit’s lack of innocence when he betrays the grandmother. This best explains the whole

    Read More

  • Archetypes In The Crucible

    1141 Words  | 3 Pages

    Everyone can relate to an archetype character in a movie, book, or television show. An archetype in literature is a typical character with an action or a situation that seems to represent such universal patterns of human nature. Common archetypes of characters are: a hero, caregiver, rebel, damsel in distressed, lover, villain, or tragic hero. In the play, The Crucible, there are several kinds of characters with archetypes. Tragic hero normally are in tragic plays which also can be called tragedy. “Tragedy is a drama in which a character that is usually a good and noble person of high rank which is brought to a disastrous end in his or her confrontation with a superior force but also comes to understand the meaning of his or her deeds and to

    Read More

  • Symbols and Subversion in 13 Happiness Street

    2163 Words  | 5 Pages

    The subversion of the archetypal symbol takes place within various levels of the narrative, the first being the immediate layer of the narrative itself, and the second being the symbols within the narrative. I shall first discuss how Bei Dao subv...

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast The Devil And Tom Walker And Rip Van Winkle

    984 Words  | 2 Pages

    Many times in our lives we are compared to our siblings. On many occasions, I am compared to my brother. People say that we have the same physique facial features, and height. Although these traits run in the family, I truly only want to be my own person. Just the other day someone called me “Michael.” The burn from my anger showed on my face. “I am NOT Michael,” I screamed; I am my own person. Just as we see similarities in family members, people also see similarities in stories written by the same author. In “The Devil and Tom Walker” and “Rip Van Winkle” we see similarities in setting, male protagonist, a female antagonist, and a mystic character.

    Read More

  • Killings: The Price of Vigilante Justice

    901 Words  | 2 Pages

    Through her emotional breakdowns and extensive grief, Ruth Fowler provokes her husband into committing homicide in order to appease her. During the weeks after the death of their son, Matt Fowler sees the pain and torment his wife goes through dealing with the fact that their son’s killer still walked the streets not persecuted for his crime. When talking to his friend Willis Trottier about his family after a night of poker, Matt Fowlers affirms, “She can’t even go out for cigarettes and aspirin. It’s killing her. […] Every day since he got out. I didn’t think about bail. I thought I wouldn’t have to worry about him for years. She sees him all the time. It makes her cry” (Dubus 2). In Matt Fowler’s recount, he describes his wife as being perpetually afflicted by the presence of their son’s killer, and he even goes further to claim that Richard Strout’s existence is resulting in the deterioration of Ruth Fowler’s health and wellbeing. Although it is too late for Matt Fowler to protect his own son, he feels obligated to guard his wife from the suffering inflicted by presence of their son’s murderer. Because of this marital responsibility brought about by Ruth Fowler’s teary performances, Matt Fowler kills Richard Strout in an effort to end his wife’s emo...

    Read More

  • Good Country People

    856 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Flannery O’Connor’s stories, “Good Country People”, “Everything that Rises Must Converge”, ”A Good Man is Hard to Find”, and “The Life You Save May Be Your Own”, there are many similar characters and situations. Few, if any of the characters are likeable, and most of them are grotesque. Two of the stories have characters that view themselves as superior in one way or another to those around them, and in some cases these characters experience a downfall, illustrating the old proverb, “Pride goeth before a fall” (King James Bible ,Proverbs 16:18). Two of the stories include a character that has some type of disability, three of the stories showcase a very turbulent relationship between a parent and child, and three of the stories contain a character that could easily be described as evil.

    Read More

  • Archetypes In Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?

    787 Words  | 2 Pages

    One of the most useful in advancing this story is the typical, powerful character. Whether it be supernatural or cunning this character always comes out on top in the situation and holds the most control over others and their actions. The “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” , “Leda and the Swan”, and “Harrison Bergeron” all utilize an archetypical powerful character to create tension from how each character uses their power.

    Read More

  • Archetypes In Trifles By Susan Glasspell And El Santo Americano

    807 Words  | 2 Pages

    Generally you would have stories that usually have a character, situation or symbol that appears so often in a work that has a deep universal meaning or a response; like how the color red represents passion or blood, three would represent trinity or mind, body, spirit; and wilderness is danger. This literary device is called an archetype. Numerous stories have the same archetype such as Trifles by Susan Glasspell and El Santo Americano by Edward Bok Lee. Both these two play writers use the victim archetype in these two works. The victim archetype is when a character is hurt by someone or lives in fear that someone will hurt him or her.

    Read More

  • Analysis of Killings by Andre Dubus

    877 Words  | 2 Pages

    However, Matt Fowler had different reasoning for his actions. After burying his twenty-one year-old son who was just on the cusp of graduating college, he finds that Strout, his son’s murderer, has been released on bail pending trial and until then he has resumed his normal life. Watching his wife not only mourning the loss of their son, but also having to see the killer in daily activities, has caused a mental and emotional strain on their life. The affect on Fowler’s family that Strout is walking around free and seemingly unconcerned is one of the main reasoning that is posed when Fowler and his friend Willis T...

    Read More

  • Flannery O'Connor's A Good Man Is Hard to Find and Revelation

    1421 Words  | 3 Pages

    O’Connor powerfully made the reader realize that having an epiphany opens up our mind to a clearer insight, and this was seen with the grandmother in “A Good Man is Hard to Find” and Mrs. Turpin in “Revelation.” Nonetheless, O’Connor also created characters that obtained a certain type of violence deep within their personality to show the importance of real life experiences within our society. These two short stories show a great amount of emotion and life lessons towards the reader, and O’Connor successfully conveyed her point while using her powerful Southern gothic writing technique.

    Read More

  • Hotel On The Corner Of Bitter And Sweet Essay

    731 Words  | 2 Pages

    The two, both dealing with the loss of someone tremendously important and close to them, would be better off supporting each other, but instead they break away from their bond and deal with the pain alone. Since “[Henry] and Marty hadn’t talked much since the funeral,” (Ford 9), “it made the hole in Henry’s life that much larger,” (Ford 9). Not too many years after Ethel’s death, and after awkward and unfamiliar encounters between father and son, Marty introduces his father to Samantha, Marty’s fiancée. Henry is overjoyed that Marty wants to show him a part of his life, and the three start to uncover Henry’s past, bringing them all closer. Finally restoring their bond, Marty and Henry find that it’s easier to cope with their loss of Ethel than to ignore the grief like they had

    Read More

  • Symbolism in The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas and Sur by Guin

    1510 Words  | 4 Pages

    Symbolism is commonly used by authors that make short stories. Guin is a prime example of how much symbolism is used in short stories such as “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” and “Sur.” In both of these stories Guin uses symbolism to show hidden meanings and ideas. In “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” there is a perfect Utopian city, yet in this perfect city there is a child locked in a broom closet and it is never let out. A few people leave the city when they find out about the child, but most people stay. Furthermore, in “Sur” there is a group of girls that travel to the South Pole and reach it before anyone else, yet they leave no sign or marker at the South Pole. Guin’s stories are very farfetched and use many symbols. Both “Sur” and “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” have many symbols such as colors, characters, objects, and weather. The four types of symbols that Guin uses help the readers understand the themes in her short stories. Although her stories are farfetched, they need symbolism in them or the reader would not understand the theme; therefore the symbols make Guin’s stories much more enjoyable.

    Read More

  • Theme Analysis of D.H. Lawrence's The Horse Dealer's Daughter

    1188 Words  | 3 Pages

    In “The Horse Dealer’s Daughter,” symbols are used to fulfill the quest of happiness and love. This love story has many symbols, which show hidden meaning. One can fully understand a story, if one can point out certain symbols. Symbols create ideas and images for the reader to better understand the story. (Symbol)Mabel, one of the two main characters in this story, is depressed and suicidal. After her mother died, she feels like there is nothing to live for. Her mother was the love and joy in her life; without her, she is lost. All she has left is her house, which she is extremely proud of, and her brother, which she seems not to care for. She decides to release herself from her troubles by drowning herself in a pond. The other main character, Dr. Fergusson, sees her and tries to save her life. This pond is a strong symbol with many meanings. It is a start of a new experience, and a change of two people’s lives.

    Read More

  • Symbolism In Katherine Mansfield's 'Prelude'

    1437 Words  | 3 Pages

    Katherine Mansfield was a prominent author from New Zealand whose short stories are widely regarded as a significant contribution to the modernist period of English literature. Her unique style of writing, which revolutionized the short story form, is distinctive for the vivid use of symbols and imagery. Although the plot of the story appears to be simple, in fact its meaning goes deeper and is enriched with symbols and images portraying deep insights into characters' psyche. As a result, Mansfield allows various levels of understanding the meaning of the text. Symbols of the aloe, ship or the bird are main examples which can be found in “Prelude”. They reflect the quality of mind of Linda Burnell, one of the main characters within a story, and depict her problem of rebellion against traditional feminine role. Through the employment of the these literary techniques, Mansfield successfully evokes Linda's emotions and clearly illustrates her fears and desires.

    Read More

More about Skip Reardon's Archetypal Quest

Open Document