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Archetype is an effective literary device as a means of creating characters with which the reader can identify. Here are some examples of literary archetypes and how they add to the significance of well-known literary works: Example 1: Nick Carraway: Everyman (The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald)
- Warrior Archetype. This is one of the best archetype examples. Actually, it is a character type of archetype that has resided in the mind of human beings since time immemorial and has become a reason of the argument that man is by nature at war with other men.
- Child Archetype. This archetype not only presents the child as a character but also as a child storyline. A child shows up in the story having lost innocence and gained maturity or has gone from rags to riches.
- Orphan Archetype. This is the subcategory of the child archetype in which an orphan shows his survival skills, empathy, and perseverance in difficult situations after the demise of his/her parents.
- Mentor/Guide Archetype. Such type of archetype character appears in the stories to convince the readers about the significance of the old people who have experience as well as insight into worldly affairs.
Archetype Definition. In literature, an archetype (AHR-kih-typuh) is a character, situation, emotion, symbol, or event that is recurrent throughout different stories from many cultures. Because of the frequency with which these are seen, they’re considered universal symbols.
- The Lover. The romantic lead who’s guided by the heart. Strengths: humanism, passion, conviction. Weaknesses: naivete, irrationality. Lover Archetype Examples: Romeo and Juliet (Romeo and Juliet), Noah Calhoun (The Notebook), Scarlett O’Hara (Gone With the Wind), Belle (Beauty and the Beast)
- The Hero. The protagonist who rises to meet a challenge and saves the day. Strengths: courage, perseverance, honor. Weaknesses: overconfidence, hubris. Hero Archetype Examples: Achilles (The Iliad), Luke Skywalker (Star Wars), Wonder Woman (Wonder Woman), Harry Potter (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone)
- The Magician. A powerful figure who has harnessed the ways of the universe to achieve key goals. Strengths: omniscience, omnipotence, discipline. Weaknesses: corruptibility, arrogance.
- The Outlaw. The rebel who won’t abide by society’s demands. Strengths: independent thinking, virtue, owes no favors. Weaknesses: self-involved, potentially criminal.
As a literary device, an archetype is a reoccurring symbol or motif throughout literature that represents universal patterns of human nature. It can also refer to the original model on which all other things of the same kind are based.
An archetype (ARK-uh-type) is an idea, symbol, pattern, or character- type, in a story. It’s any story element that appears again and again in stories from cultures around the world and symbolizes something universal in the human experience. Archetypes are always somewhat in question.
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Learn about the archetypes in literature, including the most common examples of archetypes seen in literature throughout the ages.
