The Wizard of Oz, is a classic fantasy that takes us to a world of fairies, dreams and childhood memories. The symbols, characters and use of situational archetypes offer the reader an understanding of Archetypal theory. Archetypes are used to impact the understandings of myths, legends and fairytales as it allows the audience to make connections and link other stories together. Furthermore, it helps in deeper analyzation, interpretation and connections in literature and show 's the characters behavior or personality. Not only does identifying archetypes help the reader to understand the morals of the story better, it also speaks to the basic human experiences and communicates meaning and emotion in all forms of literature. The portrayal …show more content…
The Lion mentions "Melted! Well that is good news, indeed, "said the man "who melted her?" "It was Dorothy" said the Lion gravely."(100). On her quest back home Dorothy learns about life 's trials and successfully completes her task, while maturing and finding her new self-confidence and understanding as she passes test after test. We can connect to this hero archetype because in our lives we have come across an individual who has helped or saved us from a difficult situation or problem. The devil figure in the novel was portrayed by the Wicked Witch of the West, she is shown as the most evil and conniving character in the novel. She threatens to kill Toto and Destroy Dorothy and her friends in order to obtain the silver shoes. This archetype connects to our life because everyone has an individual in their life who causes some trouble or problems in our life. Scott Francis points out that "Archetypes force us to delve deeper into them, characters to see them as not just character I or Librarian but as a type of person who responds in very specific ways to the conflict within your story". All the archetypes affect the storyline in minor or major ways, such as the devil figure, without that figure in the plot, Dorothy would have never been able to develop as a character. Themes are the key points of the story as they provide the audience with a moral lesson or fundamental idea that the character in the story learns as a result of the plot. There are many
A theme is the author’s underlying message that is expressed in more one word. Some themes can be very similar to each other, an example of this is the two documents I will comparing in this analysis essay; The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton and On the sidewalk Bleeding by Evan Hunter. These two stories share similar themes, Don’t judge someone by what they look like, get to know them before you determine their fate. However the authors portray this theme in a different way. One story depicts a young boy who goes through troublesome events in his life before he realizes the moral of his life.
themes is the dissatisfaction that the characters of the novel have. None of them are happy with
A theme is the meaning behind a story, occasionally defined as the moral of the story. Themes can differ from one end of the world to the other, as it does in many books. The Droughtlanders by Carrie Mac is a futuristic version of the world which has been divided into two parts. The rich and the poor, the healthy and the sick, otherwise known as Keyland and Droughtland. Keyland is where all the rich people with extravagant lands and lives live. Droughtland is a disease-ridden land where all poor people are being forced to live. Society treats Droughtland poorly and they decide to take action. Thus starting the revolution. Carrie Mac portrays many themes in different ways throughout the book. However the major theme the book revolves around is that; No matter how rich or poor a person is, or what gender, race, or sexuality they are, in the end, they are all the same and deserve to be treated equally. In addition, the book shows that when everyone is treated equally there is so much more that everyone can accomplish. The theme is being portrayed through the narrative point of view, setting and atmosphere, and character development.
In many works of literature, many archetypes (or symbols) are used to help the reader understand the story of a hero’s quest. In the Sir Gawain and The Green Knight, the hero has to go on a fatal journey to uphold the reputation of Camelot. While enduring that journey, Gawain has to conquer many trails. Gawain’s succession of trials leaves the hero, like Coleridge’s Ancient Mariner, a “sadder but wiser man.” With all the trials that Gawins intakes, many archetypal characters contribute to the theme of the story.
Theme is the subject of talk, a topic, or morals that the author is trying to get across to the readers. When reading an excerpt, the theme is not directly stated in the text, so you must dig deeper into the context to understand the morals the author is trying to portray. In both Angela's Ashes and The Street, we can detect a similar theme of struggling to get through life’s obstacles. When reading the two different stories, we can further pick out the theme by using character, events, and the setting.
With every corner we turn in today’s culture, we become more and more aware of the archetypes that surround us. Archetypes are the works of a typical character, situation, setting, or symbol that can be found in fantasy and reality. An example would be the renowned medieval story Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by Pearl Poet. The author permeates the story with situational, symbolic, and character archetypes that illustrate the profound life of Sir Gawain. Sir Gawain was apprehensive of his journey at first, but as time passes, he began to make choices that unveils to the audience the true flawed knight that he was.
Stories have deeper meaning than what they appear. Life events such as the government, economy, or something happening to an individual can inspire them to express themselves through writing. In the original story of “The Wizard of Oz”, it tells a tale far more than people realize. The story portrays the government during the time period and hidden symbolism within the story and characters.
The theme of a story is whatever general idea or insight the entire story reveals (Kennedy and Goia). In “The Story of an Hour”, by Kate Chopin, the theme is repression and freedom. In “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker, the theme of the story is being proud of your heritage or your background. In “The Storm”, by Kate Chopin, the theme is finding happiness or comfort in other things.
In The Wizard of Oz, the ordinary world and the beginning of the adventure are presented with stunning visual effects. Dorothy, the protagonist, is shown struggling in her ordinary world. She is confronted by the mean neighbor Miss Gulch who wants to take away Dorothy’s dog Toto and give him to the animal control authorities because of Toto’s bad behavior. Dorothy reacts childishly with a temper tantrum, begging her Uncle Henry and Aunt Em not to let Miss Gulch have her way. She confronts Miss Gulch when she tries to take Toto, saying, “You wicked old witch! Uncle Henry, Auntie Em, don't let 'em take Toto! Don't let her take him -- please!” (The Wizard of Oz). In a fit of temper, Dorothy decides to run away because she thinks that it is the only way she can protect her dog from Miss Gulch. The plot picks up the story of Dorothy’s life at a rather bleak point. Dorothy is portrayed as powerless and directionless and she does not appreciate the gifts she has in her family and life. Her character flaws and areas of growth are clear from such behavior. She seeks to be the leader of her own life but she lets temper get in the way of her enacting effective change. Furthermore, in her decision to run away Dorothy shows that she does not appreciate those who love her or the blessings of her loving home.
Many of the farmers from the West blamed their problems on the wealthy and industry. Later on in the text, Dorothy meets the Good Witch of the North. The Good Witch represents a Northern electorate who had supported populism. The Good Witch sends Dorothy to go to the Wizard of Oz, down the yellow brick road to Emerald City, who has the power to send her back to Kansas. The Good Witch also gives Dorothy the silver shoes, which also serves as protection. This can relate to the Bimetalism vs. Gold Standard. I say this because Dorothy shoes are silver and she is sent to go down the yellow brick road, which can be seen as gold bricks. This can be known as gold money. In this time, it was clear that silver vs. gold was important to the farmers involving the economy. The silver was supposed to be available for the working class, and would increase the amount of money for the working class. In the text, Dorothy meets the Scarecrow, the Tinman, and the Cowardly Lion. The Scarecrow represents the western farmers, and how their hardships and troubles from inflation caused them to have doubts and problems with their money. The Tinman represents the American worker who mostly has populist views. He also represents how the worker felt dehumanized and was helpless. In addition to this, the Wicked Witch of the East put a spell on him that every time he swung his axe, he would chop a piece of him off. This would make his body smaller, in relation to his work being minimized by the
A theme, by literary definition, is a central topic of a text.This means that they are a always a part of every story. Mainly, themes symbolize the, sometimes hidden, meanings of texts. In one particular story of Ursula K. Le Guin, “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas,” one theme is evident throughout this short story, and it centers around the neglect of morals and ethical beliefs. Throughout the text, this idea of moral neglect is apparent, and the story describes how derelict the ethics of the people of Omelas have become.
In every literary work, there are themes. A theme is a broad idea, moral or message of a book or story. One individual may construe the themes of a book or story differently than another, but that is the pure beauty of themes. One great literary work is The Crucible, a play written by Arthur Miller. Succinctly, the play is about the Salem witch trials that took place in Massachusetts in 1692. Throughout the story, the townspeople indict their neighbors of being a witch and practicing witchcraft. On the surface, this historical drama has a few universal and enduring themes. Themes are universal because regardless of where in the world, the ideas still relates to everyone and is understood. Themes are enduring because the ideas are found
The traditions of storytelling have long been used as a means to impart wisdom and life lessons to others. One of the most effective ways in which this is done is through the use of archetypes. While it is possible to look at these images in a general way, one may also focus an analysis on a single tale. In this way it is possible to explore the particular images used and their significance in a given situation, (often a coming of age rite of
Theme is a central idea or message in a work of literature. Theme connects with all events of a story, however, it is not the moral of the story like many may think. Theme is interpreted by the reader. In other words, the theme is just almost every aspect of a story. For example, theme needs characters, protagonist, antagonist, conflict, and speaker to analyze what theme is in a story. The equation for theme is character + conflict and resolution = theme. The story of Antigone for example has many themes. Antigone is the story of a young girl, who's purpose is to honor her brother Polyneices in a burial. Both of her brothers killed each other, however Eteocles, her other brother, fought for the city and got an honorable burial, while Polynieces,
Theme can be defined as “a central insight.” According to the authors of The Art of Watching Films, a theme in a literary work or film should be universal and should be one that challenges people (Boggs & Petric, 2008). The Silence of the Lambs shows that peoples’ search for peace is universal. We see characters from all walks of life searching for peace. There is Clarice Starling, an FBI agent in training, Dr. Hannibal Lecter, a brilliant