NCHS AP English Language

Archetypes and Ishmael

Archetypes constitute the collective unconscious, and are innate in every individual and thus they determine the personality and inner psyche, including instincts of those individuals. These archetypes that exist within the collective unconscious of our society and even the world determine how we act, interact, and adapt to our environment.

The collective unconscious is the "deposit of all human experience right back to its remotest beginnings" including all of the evolution of mankind, and the "eternal return of history in the soul." ..."archetypes, as timeless structures, were built up throughout history," and also are images that are situations of great or vital importance, repeated throughout history and were originally real situations. The personal/rational unconscious affects the psyche also, but by personal experience and the resulting adaptions. These adaptions to the environment are "inherited patterns" which eventually become a part of the collective unconscious. Primordial images and universal thought- forms of humanity, known as archetypes, become inherited complexes which are found in the collective unconscious. Jung and the Making of Modern Psychology: The Dream of a Science, "Jung's Phylogenetic unconscious", p 238

Ismael embodies the archetype of the outsider. He feels inferior and timid, making him very unsure of himself and his decisions. Some instances in which this archetype is apparent include his uncertainty on choosing the ship in which he and Queequeg were to sail, his lack of confidence in his abilities as a whaler, and his timidness among the crew as he is last to claim his portion of the meal. He is also very judgmental, which becomes obvious as he is afraid for his life when he first encounters Queequeg. However, once he observes Queequeg's devotion and loyalty to his religion, he begins to respect Queequeg in that aspect and compares this loyalty to that of the Christians, which he deems to be hypocritical and disloyal. The Ishmael archetype is unique in the sense that he comprehends things around him in a way that probably nobody else does. Hence, archetypes are one of a kind because of the unique viewpoint of each and comprehension of those viewpoints by others.

Alissa Davis

posted by Anonymous @ 3:10 PM