Literary Analysis : ' Little Miss Sunshine '

    Analyzing character in a Faulkner novel is like trying to reach the bottom of a bottomless pit because Faulkner's characters often lack ration, speak in telegraphed stream-of-consciousness, and rarely if ever lend themselves to ready analysis.  This is particularly true in As I Lay Dying, a novel of a fragmented and dysfunctional family told through fragmented chapters.  Each character reveals their perspective in different chapters, but the perspectives are true to life in that though they all reveal information

Archetypes are defined as “a typical character, an action or a situation that seems to represent such universal patterns of human nature.” (“Archetype”) The short story “On the Rainy River” by Tim O’Brien is about the internal struggle and the journey he faces after he is drafted to serve the army. The classical hero’s journey archetype is similar to Tim O’Brien’s journey in his short story, “On the Rainy River,” with the exception of the arc length and depth of transformation.

An archetype is defined as an image, story-pattern, character, setting, symbol, or situation that recurs frequently in literature and in life. It demonstrates universal human experiences and associates strongly with readers through a subconscious understanding. In the Epic of Gilgamesh the main character, Gilgamesh, is an example of a superheroic archetypal hero. He took on an epic quest for everlasting life by following the archetypal steps of a hero’s journey. Through suffering due to tragedy, realizing the nature of his quest, seeking help from a mentor, experiencing failure, and returning home with a companion, Gilgamesh’s story followed the situational archetype of a hero’s journey.

An archetypal journey is a journey that someone goes on to find something bigger and better. Many stories are told as an archetypal journey. It is a way to keep a story on track with a focus and a meaning for it. It is a way to show the reader how a group of people can change from on simple journey or experience. For example, the story As I Lay Dying written by William Faulkner is a story about how a family is trying to get their mother to Jefferson in order to bury her. They go through many different challenges and end up learning more about themselves than they would have ever imagined. It is similar to the movie Little Miss Sunshine written by Michael Arndt. This movie is a good interpretation of a modern version of an archetypal journey

Our film follows an extended family on their journey from New Mexico to California, as young daughter Olive prepares to compete in the Little Miss Sunshine beauty pageant.

Archetype refers to a generic version of a personality. Archetypes are continually present in folklore and literature for thousands of years, including prehistoric artwork. The identification of archetypes in literature is to primarily find the behaviors and characteristics of the main protagonist, it is important to discover the ambiguity of how the traits change and develop throughout the rising

Very determined, a family goes beyond what they can afford to support their young daughter in a beauty pageant. “Little Miss Sunshine” was directed by Jonathan Payton and Valerie Faris. Little Miss Sunshine is a comedy and drama movie which is 110 minutes long. It was released in 2006. This family each have their own definition of what it means and cost to be a winner. Grandpa Edwin Hoover, in this movie, is who will be discussed in this small essay. Informing how will Edwin be helped to become a better role model.

“That Evening Sun” by William Faulkner is a good example of a great emotional turmoil transferred directly to the readers through the words of a narrator who does not seem to grasp the severity of the turmoil. It is a story of an African American laundress who lives in the fear of her common-law husband Jesus who suspects her of carrying a white man's child in her womb and seems hell bent on killing her.

In Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris’ 2006 movie Little Miss Sunshine, they depict the tribulations of a dysfunctional family trying to get their daughter to a beauty pageant, while encompassing strong portrayals of common issues in the United States today. It communicates the individual’s struggle to be perfect, as well as the difficulties of the average middle class family in society. In this paper I will analyze three characters; Olive, Dwayne, and Richard Hoover, identifying their life stages, psychosocial development, role in the family and their resiliency through the stories challenging circumstances.

The sorrowful and unpredictable realization of denial and loss can slowly tear down even the strongest willed individuals. In the twisting tales of “A Rose for Emily” and “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall” the recurring theme of denial continuously reminds the reader that life is precious and to never take anything for granted. William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” focuses on the life and death of Emily Grierson. Although the story begins with her death, the details of her life are revealed through several elements. Emily is ultimately “jilted” by the man she falls in love with, Homer Barron, and poisons him to ensure a lifelong commitment. A similar theme appears within Katherine Anne Porter’s “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall” Ellen Weatherall, is on her deathbed as the story begins. The narrator discusses Granny’s life and the struggles she faced in the past. As Granny lays upon her deathbed, she recalls all the things she has to do and all the chores she has left undone. She also remarks the element of surprise at the fact that death has come upon her. Not only do these two stories repeatedly use elements such as symbolism and foreshadowing the authors create a relatively similar theme that not only delivers a powerful message but is a timeless classic.

“Little Miss Sunshine” is a comedy-drama film about a 7 year old girl named Olive Hoover, whose dream is to be entered into the finals of a pageant called Little Miss Sunshine and her journey to achieving her dream with the help of her dysfunctional family. Moreover, when she discovers that she’s been qualified for the “Little Miss Sunshine” Pageant that is being held in Redondo Beach, California in 2 days her family face many difficulties. However, even through the various difficulties that arise as they still want to support Olive in accomplishing her dream. Thus, they go on on an adventurous 800-mile road trip in their old yellow Volkswagen Type 2. Despite the many bumps, and setbacks along the road despite they still work together into finally reaching to the pageant almost on time.

Little Miss Sunshine directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, is about a family whose cross country journey to the Little Miss Sunshine child beauty pageant teaches them, and the viewer, that real life is about relationships and that these are more important than simplistic notions of winning or losing. Richard Hoover is the character who most exemplifies this message as he eventually recognises that his family and life cannot be defined by his ‘Refuse to Lose’ motivational programme.

Archetypes are used in literature to portray a certain meaning, that helps create a better and more meaningful story. The archetypes used can be embedded in the characters, symbols, or even rituals involved in a story. These archetypes can help give deeper meaning to the story by giving a underlying reference to concepts that are used over and over again in literature throughout history. When an author uses an archetype in his or her writing, they link it to many other stories that use that same archetype. Some do this for a reason, to give an underlying meaning, to symbolized something of importance, or even just to make their story more interesting. Many readers may not notice the underlying archetype, but sometimes the author uses them because he or she knows that the reader will.

Little Miss Sunshine is a comedy movie about a seven year old girl named Olive who aspires to win the Little Miss Sunshine pageant. To help make her wish come true, her six-member family takes a road trip from Albuquerque to Redondo Beach, California. At the conclusion of the film, Olive and her family learned to trust and support each other, no matter the situation. Olive is the youngest member of her family who is entering middle childhood and adolescence just like her older brother Dwayne. Olive is the type of girl that is cheerful, most of the time and not particularly the kind you would see in a pageant. Olive’s brother, Dwayne, could be described as “emo”. Although he claims that he hates his family, he loves his sister, Olive. Their parents, Richard and Sheryl, and their Uncle Frank are in the process of entering middle adulthood. Throughout most of the film, Richard is considered selfish because he does not want his family to be seen as “losers”. Richard is obnoxious to his family, but he still means well and wants them to succeed. Sheryl is the normal member of the family who does not tolerate anyone's antics. Uncle Frank is very sarcastic and failed at his attempt to commit suicide. He used to be a college professor, so he is considered the smart guy. The sixth member of Olive’s family, her grandpa, dies during the movie due to an overdose, but was entering the late adulthood stage. The members of Olive’s family share some similarities and differences, but since they all vary in age, developmental concepts will be different in a way for each family member.

The archetypal journey is fabricated as a physical or emotional journey in which the main character goes through to understand something beyond what he or she knows before the journey. As I Lay Dying is a mythical portrayal that fits this archetype beautifully through Faulkner’s use of specific events and characterization. Undoubtedly as well, Little Miss Sunshine is an effective contemporary interpretation of the archetypal journey in view of the fact that it shares conflicts, symbols, and characterizations with As I Lay Dying.