Skip Reardon's Archetypal Quest

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

Sweetheart, the main character Kerry McGrath undergoes an archetypal quest. This quest can be described as Kerry searching, and remaining confident in getting Skip Reardon out of jail. Skip Reardon was said to be guilty of murdering his spouse, Suzanne Reardon. Kerry McGrath finds it necessary to reopen the case with different suspicions she has noticed with Suzanne’s dad. Kerry wasn’t letting people propel her away from the case. Kerry was not giving up without a fight, she stated “I’ll keep trying until Skip Reardon walks out of that prison exonerated. He’s an innocent man” (Clark 48). She was determined, and had high confidence in her new findings, related to the case. This case, was causing Kerry long days and nights; she wasn’t going to relinquish. She worked day in and day out, Clark stated, “Kerry could tell it was going to be another late night. She had started reading the transcript to the case immediately” (Clark 71). As soon as she got the transcript from the case, she didn’t waste anytime. Kerry undergoes an archetypal quest, which was to get Skip Reardon out of jail. She fully believed that after her research and investigations, that she was right and he was innocent.
Furthermore, while Kerry is undergoing the quest to free Skip Reardon, she becomes a earth-mother by sacrificing herself for the amelioration of Skip.

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

case.
In conclusion, Kerry McGrath experienced a quest; in doing so, she becomes a earth-mother for sacrificing herself for the betterment of Skips innocence. During the long treacherous case, along with all the research, Kerry could of easily listened to her workers and put the case down. Instead she took initiative and became a symbol of hope for Skips future. This shows Kerry’s earth-mother qualities. The quest may have been a tough battle for Kerry, but she was willing to put Skips life before hers. In doing so, this showed Skips innocence in the end.