Is choosing the wrong path to find the real you a bad thing? In a story generally the
protagonist pulls on different types of archetypes to learn from their mistakes and be different
with those strengths. In the novel, Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson, the protagonist, Tyler
needs to go through phases in order to ultimately achieve the goal of self-identity that not
necessarily he wants but the society accepts. So the journey begins, with Tyler in the front seat,
searching for a person he could be, he uses his friends, friends of friends, his physical
surroundings, to be one person in all of his obstacles.
Tyler establishes in the beginning of the novel, his ordinary world. The first incident that
happens in the novel shows the foundation of his want to change. Phil Sullivan, explains, “The
mythic story of the questing hero is a metaphor of the inward journey to self-knowledge, that
nebulous goal of almost all education”. Interpreting this way, one is to believe all
wanders wander for a cause, and that cause is ultimately education. We wander because the
world is unknown, one tries to be the best but if one does not know whats out there then one not
ought to know. Tyler at this point of the novel does graffiti on the school property because he
wants to not be nerdy kid in the classroom invisible and not living per say. He does not know
anything besides school books and everyone tells him to be this or that but no one tells him how.
“Everybody told me to be a man. Nobody told me how” (Blurb, Anderson). At this point he
pursues the bad boy image, and he does not even know it.
When a hero lives in a set life, it usually wake up, job, and sleep again. There is a set
rules that maybe are not set...
... middle of paper ...
... had all of this
dignity in the beginning, he did not even know it.
Tyler even after his return to the ordinary world with his elixir, he learns to forgive
something he was not looking for during his
Works Cited
Booth, W. C., Colomb, G. G., & Williams, J. M. (1995). The craft of research. Chicago, IL: The
University of Chicago Press.
Campbell, J. (1970). The hero with a thousand faces. New York, NY: World Publishing.
MD: Rowman & Littlefield. Mayes, C. (2010). The archetypal hero’s journey: A study in Jungian
pedagogy in teaching and learning. Madison, WI: Atwood. Merriam, S. B. (1998).
Qualitative research and case study applications in education.
San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Palmer, P. (2000). Let your life speak. San Francisco, CA:
Jossey-Bass. Pearson, C. S. (1998). The hero within: Six archetypes we live by. New York:
HarperOne.
In movies, novels, and life, people are named as heroes. The heroes we establish and the heroes we recognize, however, may not meet the criteria for a mythic hero. A mythic hero ventures forth on his journey, and comes forth from the hero’s path to greatness. Joseph Campbell, a mythologist who studied many of the great human myths and religious tales, realized, in studying these myths and tales, that there were certain steps that every hero went through. Campbell called this “The Hero’s Journey”; it is based on Carl Jung's idea that all human beings have an archetype.
An archetype, according to Literary Terms, is an idea, symbol, pattern, or character-type, in a story that appears again and again in stories from cultures around the world and symbolizes something universal in the human experience. There are symbolic, character, and situational archetypes. The Glass Castle, a memoir by Jeannette Walls, uses each archetype. The memoir captures Jeannette’s difficult life growing up due to her father’s alcoholism and inability to hold a job. These archetypes also play a crucial role in developing the novel’s theme. A central theme to the novel can be perseverance. Jeannette and her siblings grew up and managed to build a better life for themselves. They worked hard and never gave up, demonstrating perseverance.
Campbell, Joseph. The Hero with a Thousand Faces. 2nd ed. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1968.
Consistent in literature throughout every era and culture, archetypes represent a recurring image, pattern, or motif mirroring a typical human experience. An idea developed by Carl Jung, archetypes in literature exist as representations reflecting vital perceptions of the human psyche expressing the manner in which individuals experience the world. Using Jung’s concept, writers of all epochs embeds archetypes in structures, characters, and images of their narratives. John Gardner, in his novel Grendel, integrates several of Jung’s archetypes into his epic tale derived from the early story Beowulf. Gardner associates Jung’s personas of the outcast, the shadow, and the mentor-pupil relationship through the identities of Grendel, the narrator of events, and the dragon.
“We meet ourselves time and time again in a thousand disguises on the path of life” (Jung). Writer’s usually have archetypes in their stories to engage the reader's understanding. Throughout the book Wild by Cheryl Strayed, she encounters several archetypes both positive and negative. She was impacted by the people, which made her accomplish her journey hiking the Pacific Crest Trail alone and getting herself back together. There are various archetypes that play a big role in Cheryl's physical and emotional journey. The archetypes make her who she is today and without them she wouldn't be able to transform.
An archetype is a model of a character, that reflects what everyday people believe how a character should look or act in a situation. Archetypes help the reader easily understand a character’s purpose, and follow commonly accepted universal traits. Two recognizable archetypes include The Villain and The Hero. In the book Highly Illogical Behavior, Lisa Praytor is willing to do anything to be accepted into a psychological college. She uses the town hermit, who is known as Solomon Reed to promote herself for college acceptance. Lisa’s decisions and behavior present her as The Manipulator, (a person who plays with people, situations, or opportunities to get what they want) who is self-absorbed, determined, and underhanded.
An archetype in literature is defined as a typical example of a certain type of person. A character in a poem or play can be placed into many different archetype categories. Archetypes help a reader to gain a better understanding of who a character in the work is on the inside. This deeper insight into the character allows the reader to follow the flow of the story easier and more effectively. There are many different archetypes that can help to advance the story. One of the most useful in advancing this story is the typical powerful character. Whether it be supernatural or cunningness this character always comes out on top in the situation and holds the most control over others and their actions. “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?”,
Holmes, Thomas. “The hero’s journey: an inquiry-research model. Jun 2007, vol 34 issue 5, p19-22.4p. 1 Diagram
In literature, every story follows a cycle. Although some stories’ cycles can somewhat differ from others, they still contain the same aspects. All of these stories also incorporate archetypes through each character, which falls in line with Carl Jung’s psychological phenomenon, Jungian Archetypes. Upon further examination, all stories with a hero or heroine share the archetypes and the cycle, both in and outside of the world of literature. In A Hero with a Thousand Faces, author Joseph Campbell explains the cycle he calls the Monomyth Cycle in great detail. Joseph Campbell defines as an American mythologist, writer, and lecturer whose many works discusses the human experience, which gives him momentous credibility in explaining the psychological
For centuries, authors have been writing stories about man's journey of self-discovery. Spanning almost three-thousand years, the Epic of Gilgamesh, Homer's Odyssey, and Dante's Inferno are three stories where a journey of self-discovery is central to the plot. The main characters, Gilgamesh, Telemachus, and Dante, respectively, find themselves making a journey that ultimately changes them for the better. The journeys may not be exactly the same, but they do share a common chain of events. Character deficiencies and external events force these three characters to embark on a journey that may be physical, metaphorical, or both. As their journeys progress, each man is forced to overcome certain obstacles and hardships. At the end of the journey, each man has been changed, both mentally and spiritually. These timeless tales relate a message that readers throughout the ages can understand and relate to.
Myths have been a great example of the hero’s journey. Many heroes have journeys and trials to face throughout their life. Most of their journeys start out with their origin and end with the return. However, the hero’s role remains identical to every other hero. Most heroes like Gilgamesh has heroic traits because of the stages in the hero's journey. Gilgamesh is a man who can turn into a hero by changing himself, even when he has unusual circumstances surrounding his birth. Gilgamesh is viewed as a hero due to the stages of the hero's journey.
The narrator meets Tyler and realizes quickly that Tyler is everything he is not. The narrator is disappointed in his life when he compares it to Tyler’s. “I am nothing in the world compared to Tyler. I am helpless. I am stupid, and all I do is want and need thin...
The main themes of the story are loneliness, materialism, and freedom from society. Tyler was created because of the lack of connection the narrator had with the people around him. The narrator was lonely and attended so many support groups because of it. He was not rejected at the support groups because the members thought he was sick just like they were. Materialism is a reoccurring theme as the narrator mentions how he has worked his entire life for the Ikea items in his apartment. He tried to fill the void in his life by buying worthless, meaningless stuff. People spend too much time working for things they do not need. The narrator comes to the conclusion that, “You are not your job or your possessions.” Only once a person realizes that can he or she finally let go and start living. “It’s only after you’ve lost everything,” Tyler says, “that you’re free to do anything.” In order to be free, we must not care about the stuff we own. Our whole lives are spent working to pay for stuff. If we did not have stuff to pay for, we would not have to work as hard and our time could be spent doing something more meaningful.
solution to his situation at the close of the novel. He realizes that there is
Tyler is like a termite or a cockroach as he is rarely seen in public; and when you do catch a glimpse of him, there are a thousand more of his followers still in hiding. The general public deals with Tyler kind the same way they deal with cockroaches and termites: ignore him until it is too late.