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Relevance of the trickster archetype
Relevance of the trickster archetype
Trickster archetype in literature
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The trickster is in all of us. It may seem as though we are far from it, but all of us have a little bit of the archetypal trickster and these similarities display themselves in subtle ways that we disregard them altogether. Tricksters have been a part of our history for a very long time, either handed down from generations to generations, verbally or transcribed to keep records for the future. Archetypes are symbolism of people, and how the majority perceives them, and a trickster archetype derives from that. When studying the trickster archetype, it is important to explore all of the areas that make the trickster, what it is. This includes its characteristics, roles, cultural purpose and evolution.
Tricksters have coinciding characteristics
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such as being witty, amoral and conniving, but they are full of contradictions and are the third party catalyst of the plot, not engaging fully into the story but just enough to move the story further along. Firstly, tricksters thrive by using their cunning intelligence as Trudier Harris, author of The Trickster in African-American Culture Freedom’s Story, pens, “Tricksters succeed by outsmarting or outthinking their opponents” (Harris). Tricksters use their intellect far more than any other powers they may hold. They become so adept at integrating their own cunning plans that they are swift at noticing other’s deviousness (Hyde) the trickster’s intelligence is their distinctive trait. Although tricksters have negative attributes, they also demonstrate many beneficial characteristics. One example of how tricksters assist others is by helping those weaker in intelligence and power. “A compendium of opposite. Simultaneously an omniscient creator and an innocent fool, a malicious destroyer and a childlike prankster,” (Trickster tale) this sort of difference is imminent in their cleverness as they sometimes fall into the traps they set up themselves. Lewis Hyde, the author of Trickster Makes This World: Mischief, Myth and Art writes, “At once culture hero and fool, clever predator and stupid prey.” (Hyde) Lastly, the characteristic that makes them stay on the fringes of the tale and puts them in the background of a story is their ability to be a third party catalyst. As per described, “The trickster is a third party in between a predator-prey relationship” (Hyde). The trickster is not always taking the center stage and in these times, they will only stand as a catalyst to move the story forward. The reason why they do not participate actively in the tale is mainly that their motivation spurs from something other than what the story is centering. They are essentially to the plot as they may end up changing the course of the plot or fueling the fire between two characters that may be on the verge of butting heads. This all too well brings us to the next point where the “childlike prankster” (Trickster tale) of the trickster is visible. It is when they choose to interfere with the plot for their own entertainment as Hyde transcribes, “He plays and changes the rules and removes himself from the eating game.” (Hyde) This characteristic moves the plot along and keeps the story, which makes the archetype essential to the story. In addition to the characteristics of a trickster, the tricksters play roles that serve as lifelong lessons. One of the key roles a trickster plays is about being a teacher. Tricksters have for a very long time, as many other archetypes have taught us a thing or two. One of the things the trickster really emphasizes on teaching us is survival (Trickster tale) throughout various cultures’ trickster stories stood as comic relief from the various hardships of everyday life. “That he begins to understand the trickster mentality as a strategy for survival with dignity…as well as strategy for political intervention” (Harris). This outlines just how the trickster had provided hope and a solution to the many that may feel weak or oppressed in a situation. Furthermore, one of the roles of a trickster that they take upon themselves is one that requires them to create order. Tricksters are equalizers, helping balance out the power struggle among a group as Harris says, “A desire to level the playing field in the circumstances surrounding her” (Harris). This mainly stems from its characteristic to be a third party catalyst and evenly distributing the power between the weak and strong. Tricksters are creators of order out of chaos and transformers (Trickster tale). Lastly, the role of a trickster is displayed through the contest situations the character is put in and the outcome of the contest is usually the weak winning over the strong. As illustrated, “Contest dominates their interactions in a world where the weak and witty, always triumph over the powerful and the presumed intellectually superior” (Harris). Which refers back to the tricksters need to level the playing field. Contest situations are for a majority of the time the setting for a story involving a trickster (Harris) Telling us that through situations that involve competition we see the trickster take off the hypothetical mask, he wears to show us his true self. ”Appears as a mythological figure and a rival of the sky god.” (Trickster tale) The very last thing that builds the trickster archetype is its cultural purpose and evolution.
Tying in many generations of storytelling and implicit messages, the trickster archetype has evolved and changed its cultural purpose depending on the area. The archetype has progressed heavily as within many cultures, evident in African cultures where mythological creatures are humans (Trickster tale) this change from a being that may have magical powers to a human just like us portrays how important the archetype has become and how they stand for revolution and defiance of society. Moreover, trickster tales have developed serious undertones with the humor standing as a coat over it. The undertones of trickster tales emphasize mainly the power imbalance that may be present in the story. Harris says, “frequently a source of humor, they also contain serious commentary on the inequalities of existence.” (Harris) We see these implications throughout different cultures and through when trickster stories are recited during mourning processions or comedic gatherings (Trickster tale). Finally, trickster tales have many layers to them that make them quite purposeful; Tricksters give voice to the thoughts of the people. Written in regards to the Africans enslaved in America, “perhaps the actions of the characters did indeed reflect the actions of those enslaved.” (Harris) In majority of world trickster literature, oppressed and intelligent would win over superior and intelligent which makes the case that, “Intelligence and wits only rival more intelligence and wits.” (Hyde) It stands as an example on how trickster tales had evolved from being simply just for entertainment to having an undertone of rebellion and grave
situations. To conclude, Tricksters are within all of us in just a more mild and realistic form as they help us display and accept our weaknesses and inspire us to use our wits and intelligence to go beyond a hurdle. The trickster archetype covers many overlapping areas and they can never be just one thing. Archetypes are a creation of our individual minds and how we perceive them goes beyond us, whether it be through their characteristics, the roles they play and the cultural purpose and evolution, they have gone through, they all come together to tie together an archetype we can all relate to. The archetype of a trickster is quite diverse, and deeply embedded in all of us that it reflects, teaches and changed all of us, individually and spiritually.
Le Morte d’Arthur and many other stories have many wonderful archetypes in them. The definition of an archetype is a typical character action or situation that seems to represent universal patterns of human nature. This means that things represent things that naturally happen and will still happen. Archetypes play into Le Morte d'Arthur by showing how the character act and react with other characters and objects. In Thomas Malory´s Le Morte d´Arthur he illustrates the three types of archetypes they include character, situational, and symbolic.
The popular film from 1977 known as Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope written and directed by George Lucas, there are many uses of archetypes, which include use of the colors blue and green in light sabers, and the color gold in the character, Luke Skywalker’s, clothing at the end of the movie. The use of these colors throughout the movie help to show the heroic cycle of Luke Skywalker by bringing out the changes he goes through from his purity, to his rebirth, and then finally when Luke gains wisdom from his journey.
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 come in three categories: images (symbols), characters, and situations. Feelings are provoked about a certain subject by archetypes. The use of the images of water, sunsets, and circles set the scene of the movie. Characters, including the temptress, the devil figure, and the trickster, contribute to the movie’s conflicts that the hero must overcome in order to reach his dream. However, to reach his dream, the hero must also go through many situations such as, the fall, dealing with the unhealable wound, and the task. By using archetypes in the movie, the viewer can obtain more than just the plot and better understand the true theme of the movie: to never give up on dreams.
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?”,
Many people, no matter their age or background, find the trickster figure to be intriguing. Karl Jung says archetypes surface in cultural and religious literature all over the world because of what he calls the collective unconsciousness, what connects all humans and cultures, so it is not surprising that the trickster is an archetype that surfaces in many stories. Even in our own culture we see depictions of the trickster in characters like Brier Rabbit and Wily Coyote. In this essay I will describe what a trickster is using the information I learned in class and discuss the role of the trickster in Raven and the African and African-American stories we discussed. Even though every trickster is unique to its culture, all tricksters share certain
The reinforcement of racial stereotypes in literature and films can be a difficult topic for many individuals. There have been a great deal of works throughout the history of our country that have encouraged and promoted racial stereotypes among the African American race, such as the sambo; the buck; the mammy and the magical negro. All of these racial stereotypes have desensitized the American culture and created the view that racism in literature and films is acceptable. In the movies and novel The Help, The Whipping Man, and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the rude and offensive ways in which African Americans were seen and treated, only worked to promote the horrible, racial stereotypes that many people are still trying to challenge to this day.
A prominent example of this in the book is Mrs. Turners’ and Janie’s friendship. Mrs. Turner has strong beliefs about race. Her thoughts on skin color are so intense that they lead her to beleive that Janie is better than her because Mrs. Turner looks “blacker” than she does. Mrs. Turner shows how beliefs in superiority among races leads to an imbalance in power when she is talking to Janie and says, “‘Insensate cruelty to those you can whip, and groveling submission to those you can’t’” (p. 138).
Psychologist Carl Jung proposed that humankind has a collective unconscious, which is manifested in myths and dreams, which harbors themes and images that all humans inherit. Carl Jung’s proposal about the collective unconscious is expressed when archetypal and mythological criticism applies to literary works (Archetypal Criticism). Neverwhere is a novel written by Neil Gaiman, which is heavily influenced by archetypal and mythological concepts. Neverwhere is the story of a young man who tries to help an injured girl named Door on the street, when he soon realizes that this is no ordinary person that he has come across and he has to go into the underworld to get her help. Richard goes to get her help from a man in the underworld named Marquis
“As we speak of Trickster today, you must try to blow life into the image, to imagine Trickster as life energy, to allow Trickster to step out of the verbal photograph we create . . . . Because trickster stories still have power: the power to bring us to laughter, the power to baffle us, the power to make us wonder and think and, like Trickster, just keep going on” (Bright).
The importance of tricksters in mythology can be seen in their actions and how they relate to the human race. Tricksters are complex beings, and are direct representations of the human race. They define rules and ways to act, but they also test those rules and boundaries that are set in society. Commonly, tricksters are thought of as laughable figures that cause mischief, but each trickster also has a dark side and thinks selfishly. These dark sides are key elements to the foundations of societies and cultures because the selfish actions that tricksters take ultimately teach what humankind is capable of while simultaneously creating and changing culture.
What’s that in the sky? A bird? A plane? No, it’s the sidekick! Wait, something is wrong with this situation. It should be the hero who is getting recognition and hype from curious spectators while the sidekick is ignored, but this is not how it should be. The importance of the loyal retainer is so great that without them, the hero would not be the person with such power and nobility. They should not be ignored completely, and authors, directors, and creators have come to this realization that a loyal retainer makes for a great story. This realization has created an archetype used in many pieces of literature across time and cultures everywhere. A loyal retainer has the task of showing a hero’s power and nobility; therefore, this character
Three prime examples of archetypes in this novel are trees, the python, and the number three.
Tricksters are both and neither argents of chaos or justice, right and wrong, yin and yang. The Joker within the Dark Knight exemplifies all aspects of what a traditional trickster is. The Joker is very anomalous to what most people would think a veteran of the armed forces is. The cookie cutter definition of what a veteran in the US is would be someone that stands up for social morals and defends the rights of the people whom he shares his country with. The Joker is very much the opposite of this and tells everyone that he is just that. He stands up for the people and organizations that do not support social norms. Throughout the movie the Joker is constantly playing tricks on people and deceiving everyone around him, it is comedic in how much deception he employs throughout his time in the story/movie. Although the movie is supposed give audiences the feeling that this could be real the Joker takes on many different disguises throughout the movie. From masked clown, to police officer, to female nurse demonstrating that no costume is too ridiculous for him. In his exchange with Harvey Dent/Two-Face the Joker tells us himself that he invents situations, albeit on a whim, showing that he is exemplifying the 4th trait of a traditional trickster. The Joker doesn’t hold anything sacred but he does show that he is a messenger of chaos. We know that mythologies have different gods that embody the qualities of chaos or directly represent chaos as their power to manipulate. It is not that much of a stretch to think that the Joker is merely acting as an agent of these gods making him a messenger of something they would hold holy and sacred to themselves. Lastly the Joker is very much a jack-of-all-trades as he has the skills to use many different weapons and explosives and even understands the inner-workings of criminal
For thousands of years, across incredibly diverse cultural, religious, and societal systems, people have created tales of intriguing trickster figures. The stories of these character’s exploits were told and retold, passed down through the oral tradition to the following generations. These tales are told primarily to amuse the audience, as the trickster’s actions are typically both hilarious and shocking, but the folktales serve an even greater purpose. The duplicitous tomfoolery and irreverence of most tricksters highlight the culture’s most vital social values and focuses attention on the nature and importance of those value’s. According the Joseph Campbell in An Open Life, a trickster “…breaks in, just as the unconscious does, to trip up the rational situation. He’s both a fool and someone who’s beyond the system…The mind structures a lifestyle, and…the trickster represents another whole range of possibilities.” In their original context the actions of a trickster have dual meanings, those within the story and those conveyed to the audience. In this essay I will explore, the paradox of the West African and Afro-American trickster Anansi the Spider, whose existence as a literary figure resulted far more heroism than within the stories
Ralph Ellison uses several symbols to emphasize the narrator’s attempt to escape from stereotypes and his theme of racial inequalities in his novel, Invisible Man. In particular, the symbolism of the cast-iron is one that haunts the narrator throughout the book. Ellison’s character discovers a small, cast-iron bank that implies the derogatory stereotypes of a black man in society at the time. From its “wide-mouthed, red-lipped, and very black” features, to its suggestion of a black man entertaining for trivial rewards, this ignites anger in Ellison’s narrator. The cast-iron bank represents the continuous struggle with the power of stereotypes, which is a significant theme throughout the novel.1 The bank plays a significant role in the book by aiding to the author’s message of stereotypes, the narrator’s search for an individual identity, and his languished desire for equality.