Understanding the Work of Neil Gaiman Using Psychoanalytic and Archetypal Lenses Symbols, expression, personality, feelings, elemental patterns, and expression of life; these are just a few adjectives for the work of Neil Gaiman. The adjectives used to describe his work also describe , archetypal and psychoanalytic critical lenses, using these lenses help analyze his short story called “Cinnamon” ( In Neil Gaimans work of “Cinnamon”, Gaiman uses many symbols, elemental patterns, and connotations; without the reader using psychoanalitic or archetypal lenses to understand his writing, the reader could not understand naeil Gaimans true intent for his work of “Cinnamon”) A reader may understand a story with the use of psychoanalytic and archetypal lenses, especially with the works of Neil …show more content…
Gaimans; with his symbols, and characters and deeper meanings, and a great example this is his work of “Cinnamon”.(while someone can read a story, it is different than understanding one, with the use of psychoanalytic and archetypal lenses, the reader can understand Neil Gaimans connotations, symbols, characterization throughout his short story of “Cinnamon”) To understand the main character in the piece “Cinnamon” the reader must look through the eyes of an psychoanalytic critic. To try to get Cinnamon to say something the tiger whispers in Cinnamons ear and says, ”‘pain’ and it extended one needle-sharp claw into Cinnamons palm” Here in this quote the tiger is trying to reach out to Cinnamon to let her understand what it means to be human. The tiger is not human but he understands pain and the affliction of pain on a person. When the tiger finally got Cinnamon to speak, the first thing she said to her parents was “ I can talk; I think I always could.” In this quote Cinnamon is almost confessing that she was the only one holding herself back from speaking, she now realizes that she always could speak but there was nothing for her to say. Cinnamon was so sheltered in her tower that she could not explore life and express herself. When Cinnamon frees herself she escapes with the tiger to the jungle “ At that moment the sky opened up- and soon they both were swallowed by the lush green jungle-which is how a tiger leaves-” At this moment Cinnamon makes the decision to live a life that makes her want to speak her mind. Traveling with the tiger into a lush green jungle with unknown creatures and experiences. going with the tiger Cinnamon is creating a rebirth into a new life. Without looking through a psychoanalytic lens, the reader would not be able to understand the wonderful words of Neil Gaiman. Cinnamon is a princess, put away in a tower with mangos, a parrot, and a portrait, these characters would be better explained using an archetypal lens.
To introduce the narrator says “ Cinnamon was a princess a long time ago[…] her eyes the purest pearls.” As Gaiman describes her having pearl eyes, the color represents innocence. This leads the reader to conclude that she is a innocent sheltered princess in need of a savior. As her savior arrives, “ One day a tiger came to the palace. He was huge and fierce, a nightmare in black and orange” How Gaiman describes the tiger, through an archetypal lens, the reader can conclude he is the savior that Cinnamon needs. The tiger symbolizes the savior, even though he is a tiger, he has the characteristics of a prince like savior. After the tiger has saved the girl, she tells her parents. “ The tiger has told me of the jungle. I am going with the tiger. “In this moment the tiger has officially saved the princess and she is ready to escape and live life with him. Soon she will inherit the life of the tiger. The part of the archetypal lens we use to see Gaimans work is the character types in the typical works of literature and
myths. To understand the best parts of “Cinnamon” one must use the Archetypal lens, to understand the universal elements of human life. To understand Cinnamons the narrator describes what she sees. “ Her world was the color of pearls; pale white and pink and soft glowing” The white pink glow of her eyes and the world she sees shows innocence in Cinnamon. All she sees is the white purity Gaiman chose to make her eyes a pure white to show to innocence of Cinnamon throughout the story. To try to get the princess to speak, the lion tells her three important feelings “pain, love and fear.” There are only three for a reason. The number three represents unity with an archetypal lens. These three feelings represents balance in a person, and how Cinnamon spoke one she felt all three, it means she was not in unity with herself she could not speak. When Cinnamon has unity with her three feelings she finally leaves with the tiger. “At that moment, the sky opened up and a soft rain began falling from the trees.” As she is going into the lush green of the jungle, and into the rain she is going through another experience. The rain represents a rebirth, and the jungle represents purity. A combination of purity and rebirth leads Cinnamon to a new beginning with the tiger. Archetypal lenses help understand why Gaiman used certain colors to describe his characters, its more than just a color when using an archetypal lens. Anyone can read through a story and come up with a plot, the question is if they can really understand what the author is trying to convey. Using the lenses, archetypal and psychoanalytic the reader can make connections and interpretations. Using these lenses we see symbols, expression, personality, feelings, elemental patterns, and expression of life, more clearly. Different critical lenses may analyze “Cinnamon” but psychoanalytic and archetypal lenses help the reader understand “Cinnamon” more clearly.
The author uses a lot of description when setting the scene, or writing how someone looks. He also uses a lot of color imagery within the chapters and writes in 3rd person narrative.
In Lynda Barry’s Common Scents, she considers scents a demon for many reasons. One reason being that everyone has his or her own scent preference and scent in general, yet we also judge the way that other people smell. When the woman whose house smelled like a fresh bus bathroom talking about the smells of different Asian people’s houses, Lynda notes that she was “free with her observations about the smells of others” (18). She sprays her house with disinfectant sprays and air fresheners, which to her smells better that whatever her house smelt like before, but to others, such as Lynda’s grandmother, these smells are too strong and are trying to hide the fact that not everything smells good all the time.
Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving is one of the many novels that can be analysed through a Jungian archetypal lens to show how the unconscious projection of archetypal images affects how a person views others people's actions and their behaviours. In this novel the narrator John Wheelwright projects different archetypes onto different people dependant on their role in his life. This shows us how the novel A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving is not objective because as a reader, you see all events and characters though John’s eyes. Everything that you read is tainted by the archetypal images John’s unconscious self which are being projected onto different characters and situations. This leads the reader to the question of how does one know that the story of Owen Meany is true, and that all the characters are portrayed truthfully.
Author’s craft can be a huge part of a story, without a book would be as boring as watching grass grow. See! Similes are huge parts to a story. By reading that sentence it made you imagine what I wrote inside of your head. They can change how you as a reader think about different topics. Just like similes, personification and metaphors do the same thing, they make your mind think a different way. Although, symbolism can be one of the most important details in a story. How an author writes is how you read the story. With different events happening, point of view of each character can really help you understand it. Clearly Neal Shusterman uses a different type of writing. For each and everyone of his readers to understand. For him as an author, author’s craft takes a huge part in how he writes. You might not notice how much author’s craft impacts a story, but next time when you're reading a book or a short story. Think about it, how much does author’s craft affect what you are
Stockton grabs the attention of readers in the story “The Lady, or the Tiger” by presenting them with a life-or-death scenario. Will the princess let the love of her life be killed by a ferocious tiger, or face the heartbreak of watching him live with another woman. Stockton uses symbolism throughout the passage, the main reoccurring example being the lady representing innocence and purity while the tiger represents guilt and evil. Imagery is another literary element Stockton uses to give more depth to his story. Lines such as, “The vast amphitheater with its encircling galleries, its mysterious vaults, and its unseen passages…” help give the reader a better mental image of the setting. With this added detail, readers have a good sense of where the story takes place. Long descriptive sentences are also used by Frank R. Stockton to add more detail to the story. Sentences such as, “Among the borrowed notions by which his barbarism had become semified was that of the public arena, in which, by exhibitions of manly and beastly valor, the minds of his subjects were refined and cultured.” add articulation and make the passage easier to read. The author also does an excellent job of using details to add suspense. One of the major examples of this is how Stockton left out what was behind the door. This leaves the reader to infer what happened based off of the information already given. By using literary elements and devices, Frank R. Stockton creates a vivid experience telling the story of “The Lady, or the
As with many great novels, there is usually more to the story than what is written on paper. Each author, in his novels, incorporated his critical view of the world into the story by using the theme of individual vs. society. These views portray their cultures in the negative light in which they saw them. Therefore, the criticisms were the authorsÕ way of exhibiting and lashing out against what, in their minds, were the evils within the society they lived in. These problems range from politics, to religion, to the human condition.
Playwright, author, and activist or maybe hardworking, dedicated, and passionate are all worthy to describe the phenomenal Lorraine Hansberry. Born on the south side of Chicago, Hansberry was introduced to racial segregation at a young age. Racially discriminated and treated unfairly, Lorraine Hansberry set out to make a difference in the world some day. Attending University of Wisconsin in Madison, it was there that Hansberry discovered her appreciation of writing. This newfound love opened up an entirely new world for Hansberry in theatrical playwright. Hansberry found that theater plays allowed her to express her feelings and thoughts about the multiple issues and events that were constantly occurring during the Civil Rights era. Lorraine Hansberry believed strongly in not only racial equality, but gender equality as well. She like many Civil Rights leaders during that time period believed that all human beings should be treated equally no matter their race, gender, or beliefs. These strong views on the African American society lead the writing of one of the most famous plays of all time, “A Raisin in the Sun”. The highlight of her success “A Raisin in the Sun” became a stepping stool for Hansberry that allowed her to send her own personal message to her readers about things that bothered her. Being an African American woman during the 1960's caused Lorraine Hansberry to be ridiculed and looked down upon, not only by whites but by her own race due to the fact that Hansberry did not follow the stereotype that was placed on African American women. Lorraine Hansberry's "A Raisin in the Sun" uniquely illustrates the gender stereotypes African Americans placed among themselves during the 1960's Civil Rights era.
Instead of a handsome knight to save the day, real people who are aware of the dangers, like Lizzie, are the rescuers. Because Lizzie waited until the last possible second to save her sister, Lizzie became the knight, and Laura's beliefs were changed. The similes throughout the poem show how this ordeal has altered Laura and her belief systems beyond repair: before she was free and sure of herself, like the ship about to sail. Now Laura is adrift like the uprooted tree, just as the reader will be if they do not heed this tale of the wonderful and the
In the beginning of this story, one expects for the characters to follow the concepts that they represent. This story displays one man's journey to leave his home and comfort zone in order to fully explore his curiosity. He goes off into a forest and undergoes a life changing experience there. He encounters three different things that set him on the path to the journey of knowledge. This forest was symbolic of an assessment of strength, bravery, and survival. It took determination to survive in the forest and the young person entering into it would not emerge the same. Conversely, this story is more representative than realistic and the peril is of the character. This story is more of a vision or conscious daydream th...
A well-written novel will hold significant meaning that can be easily found throughout the novel. Understanding and using effective storytelling elements will help make the story stronger. Ernest J. Gaines is a very effective storyteller through his use of symbolism. He shows symbolism through the hog, food, and the notebook.
A virtuoso of suspense and horror, Edgar Allan Poe is known for his Gothic writing style. His style is created through his use of punctuation, sentence structure, word choice, tone, and figurative language. Punctuation-wise; dashes, exclamation marks, semicolons, and commas are a favorite of Poe. His sentences vary greatly; their structures are influenced by punctuation. Much of his word choice set the tone of his works. Figurative language colors his writings with description. Such is observed in the similarities between two of his most well-known short stories, “The Cask of Amontillado” and “The Tell-Tale Heart”
Mallard gets close to the window and sees the new outside life which a tall tree represents. The narrator shows, “The delicious breath of rain was in the air.” For Mrs. Mallard it can represent a lot of things, but this day she feels like it is a sign of her new beginning. Now she will have the opportunity to be herself and not to be what everyone wants her to be. “She [is] young, with a fair, calm face, whose lines bespoke repression and even a certain strength.” She has an entire life in front of her eyes, which now she is able to do what she wants with anyone on her back stopping her. The narrator shows the reader how Mrs. Mallard is not going to live for someone else but herself and even though “…she [loves] him—sometimes. Often she [doesn’t]” No matter how much Brently loves her, sometimes Mrs. Mallard does not feel like loving
Lorraine Hansberry was born in Chicago on May 19,1930. She was the youngest child of four and died in 1964 at the age of 34 from pancreatic cancer. She was well known for writing her play A Raisin in the Sun.
Tom Robbins the author of Jitterbug Perfume, wrote this novel with many hidden symbols, unique characters and with a interpretive plot. It comes to question if his life had any influence on where his ideas came from and who he based some of his characters on in Jitterbug Perfume. In Jitterbug Perfume Tom Robbins is a well known author for writing about many eccentric characters, using playful optimism and including constant wordplay. I believe that these imaginative ideas and unique style of writing, was largely influenced by his life. This being from his early childhood life or his later experiences in life and to the important people he has met, Robbins life really influenced the plot,
Liza goes through months of lessons and finally reaches the ambassador’s garden party. By the end of the event, those who attended the party are convinced that she is of royalty. Even the hostess says, “She must be a princess at least.” Liza even realizes that people are beginning to act weird around her. Liza says, “The people all stare so at me. An old lady has just told me that I speak exactly like Queen Victoria.” Even though she successfully learned to speak properly, she still was not happy in the end. She begins to say things like, “I wish I was dead,” “I’m too ignorant,” and “What am I fit for? What have you left me fit more? Where am I to go? What am I to do? What’s to become of me?” Even though someone did a good deed for her, she did not appreciate like most people would have. In Androcles and the Lion, after Androcles helped the lion, the lion decided to repay Androcles in his time of need. When Androcles is in the Coliseum awaiting his death, the lion that was supposed to kill Androcles and the other Christians turns out to be the lion that Androcles saved earlier in the play. The lion shows his gratitude by killing those who were trying to kill Androcles. The lion is finally let out of his cage to kill Androcles and the other