Archetypes are everywhere in literature. Almost every work of literary fiction, no matter how unique, has within its core some fundamental form of archetypal pattern. The pattern can either be seen within the composition of certain key characters in the story or within its structure. In most instances though, the pattern is expressed in both of these aspects.
Most stories are formulated as an archetypal hero’s journey, either literally or figuratively, and this dates back to one of the first literary heroes: Odysseus. The typical archetypal hero’s journey is comprised of five stages.
The first stage is generally referred to as the departure. This when the main character or hero is called to adventure. In many cases, he will be reluctant to accept often due to a lack of confidence or some other extenuating circumstance.
The next stage is known as the initiation and occurs fairly early in the story. It marks the point at which the hero crosses a threshold of some sort and is now firmly ensconced in the new situation. During this stage, the hero will most likely establish bonds with one or more of several different character archetypes, one of whom who can be described as the companion/sidekick. This character will assist and support the hero on his journey. The initiation is also the point at which the hero will first encounter his adversary. In many stories, this is a person, but it can also be something more abstract like a disease, or a secret.
Another archetypal character that often shows up during the initiation is the sage/teacher. We often think of this character as a wise old man, but sage teachers can come in just about any form, including a young child.
At this point also, the hero may come into contact with something that will eventually become his or her special weapon. This is not always an actual weapon — it may not even be an object. It could be anything from a musical instrument to a talent for cooking. During the initiation, this special weapon may be introduced, but the hero will not be able to fully wield it because he has not yet come to the endpoint of the journey wherein he will come into his full power.
The bulk of the story is taken up by the road of trials during which the hero must face and overcome a series of challenges or obstacles. Each “trial” that is successfully overcome brings the hero closer to the point at which he will come fully into his power. Again, this power is not necessarily magical or concrete — it may simply be expressed as a deeper maturity or a new insight.
Prior to the climax of the story, the hero will enter the innermost cave. This will be his lowest point and generally one of the most powerful archetypes in the story. This is the place where he has been emotionally and/or physically stripped of everything. It represents the death of part of himself which is the necessary precursor to his rebirth into a newer and more powerful version of himself. Often the hero is pushed out of the innermost cave by means of a fight with the companion/sidekick who has become angry that the hero is giving up on himself. When the hero does emerge from the innermost cave he has begun to form his new outlook and new ideas, but they are still fairly tenuous.
In the final stage of his archetypal journey, the hero must reunite with his old life or situation but must do so as his new self. At this point, he and the companion/sidekick will reunite and the hero will find that he is now able to fully wield his special weapon. Now that he has come fully into his powers, the sage/teacher will often die or disappear as he is no longer needed and as it is imperative for the hero to stand on his own. The hero is now able to take part in the final confrontation with his adversary and emerge either literally or figuratively victorious.
What I have described here may sound like something that relates only to classically archetypal stories like The Lord of the Rings, but if you look closely you will see that these archetypes in literature come up over and over again in every genre of fiction. True, Harry Potter went on a hero’s journey, but so did Jane Eyre, Huckleberry Finn and Leopold Bloom. This journey is an archetypal expression of our own human experience lodged deep within what Carl Jung called the collective unconscious. It is our collective understanding that pushes authors to send their characters on a hero’s journey and calls readers to read it over and over again in all its myriad forms.
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