In Steppenwolf, the author, Hermann Hesse, presents to us a central conflict inside the protagonist Harry Haller’s psyche, in which his humanity and his wolf-like solitude and belligerence split against each other in order to fortify its own existence, (thereby, referring to himself as the lone wolf of the Steppe). Largely influenced by prominent Carl Jung’s psychoanalysis, Hesse portrays the whole spiritual crisis as a struggle amidst distinct modes of behaviors and partial consciousness, or the so-called “archetypes” in Jungian Psychology. Archetypes, which may either interfere or harmonize with one another, are most explicitly forged into characters and scenes of the Magic Theater he enters, a fantasized stage that is set to reflect the mentality of the Steppenwolf himself. According to Jung, one should be able to assemble as many diversified archetypes as possible so to be a more complete person spiritually; Harry Haller, through his experience in the theater, explores new archetypes that lie beyond his past psychological limitations. Particularly in the scene of “Jolly Hunting: Great Hunt in Automobiles,” which happened in one separated room along the horseshoe-shaped corridor, the conflict between Haller’s various archetypes is most vividly animated through dramatization, evoking his subconscious anticipations of the disparate personalities to be encountered within himself. At the meantime, the experience of “Jolly Hunting” brings Harry Haller to his ultimate realization of his self-imposed limitations of a mere dual-faced psyche between “man and wolf” and allows him to expand and individuate other undiscovered subconscious complexes into his own personalities.
As a central character of the “Jolly Hunting” Scene, Haller’s ch...
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...xle Way himself, he has explored various archetypes that had been previously hidden in his sub-consciousness. This fascinating experience of “Jolly Hunting” teaches him to realize the multiplicity of the numerous souls and distinct selfs that he consists of and to accept them as inseparable parts of himself. Such essential revelation allows the Harry Haller to thus advance towards further realizations of his own mentality. As delineated in other scenes of the Magical Theater, The Steppenwolf uncovers the infinite possibilities of himself as a unification of which his divergent archetypes can together formulate. Distinct particles of a soul that builds into relationships and entanglements, groupings and attractions between any combinations of personalities, archetypes that individuate in seemingly random orders—that is the beauty of life, lying in each of human soul.
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.
Carl Jung was a disciple of Sigmund Freud, despite the two having conflicting ideas. One of Jung’s most well known and accepted theories was the existence of different types of archetypes in the brain. These include the ego, which is where our conscious awareness and sense of identity reside, and the shadow, which is the part of the unconscious mind consisting of repressed weaknesses, shortcomings, and instincts. In the novel A Separate Peace, by John Knowles, the protagonist Gene exemplifies the shadow, while his friend, Finny, personifies the ego. The author narrates through the shadow, though he clearly supports the ego. However, he also makes it apparent that it is wrong to be dominated by either archetype.
Carl Jung was a Swiss psychologist and psychiatrist who developed many theories concerning the unconscious mind. Jung’s theories state that the unconscious part of a human’s psyche has two different layers, the personal unconscious and the collective unconscious. The personal unconscious is unique to every individual; however, the collective unconscious “is inborn.” (Carl Jung, Four Archetypes, 3) The collective unconscious is present in everyone’s psyche, and it contains archetypes which are “those psychic contents which have not yet been submitted to conscious elaboration” (Jung, Archetypes, 5); they are templates of thought that have been inherited through the collective unconscious. Jung has defined many different archetypes such as the archetype of the mother, the archetype of the hero, the archetype of the shadow, etc. These Jungian archetypes are often projected by the collective unconscious onto others. If the novel A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving is examined through a Jungian archetypal lens it is possible to discern different archetypes projected by the protagonist’s unconscious self to illustrate the effects of the collective unconscious on character and plot analysis.
Hamlet, performed by the Yohangza Theatre Company of Korea and directed by Jung-ung Yang, is an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet that integrates the Korean Shamanist rituals with the original storyline and text. Performed in Korean and featuring an all Korean cast, the play made its debut in 2009 at the Myeongdong Theater in Seoul. The play was layer also performed at the at the 2010 Oz Asia Festival in Adelaide, the 2011 Shakespeare-Festival Neuss in Germany, and at the Peacock Theatre in London in 2014 (Yung). It is clear that many liberties are taken in this adaptation of Hamlet; therefore, evaluating the effectiveness of the overall production based on the accuracy of the play in relation to the original text will be unfruitful. Instead,
In Brother Grimm’s “Brother Lustig”, the main character, Brother Lustig, is initially portrayed as an honest, inexperienced and stupid young man, who shares all his possessions with others. For this reason, when analyzing Brother Grimm’s tale form a Jungian psychoanalytic perspective, will become a prime example of a character experiencing individuation, for he eventually becomes a more selfish, cunning and independent person. Through meeting his archetypes, Brother Lustig goes from an honest, stupid and generous person, who shares his wealth and possessions with the less fortunate ones to a cunning, selfish and self-sufficient trickster. Brother Lustig’s burgeoning conscious is demonstrated through an analysis of his Jungian archetypes, with the shapeshifting beggar, acting as his positive shadow, and St. Peter personifying as his symbolic Self.
I believe that both authors struggled with convictions which did not have place in the ideal image of life they expected for themselves. Although, I might be wrong in my interpretation, I would like to believe that my explanation has at least a hint of actuality. The Freudian ego is a subject of Hawthorn’s “Young Goodman Brown” as the hero of the story witnessed a gathering of witches in the woods and because he cannot distinguish between a dream and reality, he eventually loses himself in his waking life. Both authors are on a journey to gather a deeper understating of the human nature, while one of them through the reason of travel and discovery while the other evaluates the human spirit and how does it measure up to the strict expectations of
With depth and breadth of knowledge in Jungian concepts, Robertson Davies draws us fathoms beneath the surface of the human personality. The audience is not left grasping for breath, but is enraptured by the rich dualism in this fantastical world of Dunstan Ramsay. Good and evil; illusion and reality; history and myth – the shadows and lights of the world are exposed and explored.
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.
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?”,
The motif, isolation, plays a huge role in Ludwig Tieck's Eckbert the Blond. What sets this story apart from modern tales is that motifs such as isolation, nature, psychology and, philosophy are subject to interpretation which causes the reader to play a role in how they are to experience the tale. Each motif connects to create actions and punish the characters. The way the story opens with two characters living in isolation begins the questioning of the reader. Because of the way Tieck presents their lack of children the motif nature feels as though it is hindered in some way. As the story continues Eckbert’s wife tells her very magical story, forgetting the name of the dog. Strangely enough Walther the friend knows it right away. This coincidence
Human nature has many elements that reveal the growth and personality of a person. In Markus Zusak’s “The Book Thief”, the author successfully portrays various aspects of human nature through Hans’ conflicts that originate from the tough reality that he lives in. Elements of human nature can be seen as a result of Hans’ constant struggles with guilt, kindness, and love.
The desire behind the characters in Narcissus and Goldmund is not always blatantly obvious as we might like to think. Sometimes to understand the desire and how it functions in this novel, you need to look through a different lens to examine the inner workings of the main characters. To do this it is required to employ some type of psychological theory in order to understand the actions and what they mean. I will be using Lacanian psychoanalysis and will examine the desire of the main character of Goldmund, from the Herman Hesse novel Narcissus and Goldmund, in terms of Lacan and his theories.
According to psychologist, Sigmund Freud, there are three main parts that make up a human’s personality: the id, ego, and superego. In the novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey, the narrator of the story, Chief Bromden, represents each of these traits. In the beginning, Bromden only thinks of himself as any other crazy man, who no one pays attention to, but throughout the story Bromden develops mentally through all three stages of Freud’s personality analysis, maybe not in Freud’s preferred order, but he still represents them all.
Paris, Bernard J. Imagined Human Beings: A Psychological Approach to Character and Conflict in Literature. New York: New York University Press. 1997.
Now, relating the psycho-analytical elements of the novel to the Freudian division of personalities, the characters of Marlow and Kurtz draw a parallel with mainly the superego and the i...