Ishmael's Archetype - Tyler Smith
According to Jungian, one's archetype is there unconscious characteristics that are innate to all human beings. Being our unconscious characteristics, our ego, persona, shadow, and anima are unknowingly affected by them. Ones archetype may completely contradict their image of themselves another image to society. An archetype contains universal knowledge, knowledge even to great for people to understand. One archetype is displayed through mundane everyday events, however Ishmael's archetype is a given. Ishmael is from the bible. Ishmael is theson of Abraham. Not only do the two men share the same name, but they're archetypes are also similar. Both men are outsiders, shunned away not physically, but psychologically. Ishmael feels a sense of seclusion and feels he needs to go to the sea, and whale. For whaling was thought of as suicide, Ishmael unknowingly was suicidal and was finding a way to end his life.. I believe Ishmael doesnt understand his own archetype, for an unconscious characteristic, is one that you are not aware of, according to Freud. Ishmael is suffering from a depression and his archetype is unknowingly causing him to seek that extra bit of adventure, to go that extra mile, to be accepted by the whalers whom completely differ from Ishmael in every way possible. For that is the kind of person Ishmael is, strong willed and stubborn.
The ocean is a body of water, water being a biblical symbol of purity and and the divine presence of God. The ocean acts in ways no man can understand as does God, both are completely unpredictable. The ocean is portrayed in Moby Dick as a modern day hell, a place so dangerous, your risking your life when sailing upon it.
"Call me Ishmael," the opening sentence in the novel Moby Dick, may not literally be who he is but this is how he feels on the inside. This shows how Ishmael has a natural yerning for something new, a strong desire to wander inexperiencely. Ishmael has to board that whaling ship, for it is new and requires "all" of a man. Ishmael's Archetype in the end, is the archetype one would believe belonged to queeqeg or even captain Ahab, but the truly dark and twisted mind belonged to that of Ishmael. -Tyler Smith
posted by NCHS AP English Language III @ 8:00 AM
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