The Archetype Of The Double-Character Pattern And Its Displacement In The 20th Century American Literature

Archetypal criticism has been influential during the latter half of the 20th century. Essays on archetypal criticism can be categorized into two types: theoretical studies and practical criticism. As to the second type, there has been a tendency in which critics confine themselves to the exploration of archetypes for individual characters, images, narratives, or themes in a certain literary text, as if the exploration of archetypes is the sole aim. However, according to Northrop Frye, the leading figure in archetypal criticism, the distinctive feature of archetypal criticism is its principle of macro-cosmetic criticism. In other words, the archetypal critics ought to stand a little back away from the texts to take a look at the whole structure of the texts and then put the texts in a larger context to assess their positions in it. Of course, both of these should be done from the standpoint of archetype. The exploration of archetypes is not the sole aim of archetypal criticism; it only serves as a key step, that is, to find a standpoint for an integrative criticism of the literary texts in a larger context.In this thesis, the present writer seeks to overcome the limitations in the previousf,archetypal critical practices and take the advantage of the macro-cosmetic principle of archetypal criticism, not only exploring the archetype and analyzing the displacement of the archetype in the texts, but also connecting the texts with the literary context in which they exist to explain why such an archetype is used and why it is so displaced.In the studies of the 20th century American literature, the present writer has found a typical character pattern which appeared frequently during this period—the double-character pattern. It has been generalized from three literary works in the American literature in the 20th century. They are John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath, Bernard Malamud's The Assistant, Toni Morrison's The Song of Solomon, representative works respectively in the early, middle, and late 20th century American literature. The double-character, according to its name, is composed of two characters, one (the former) old, the other (the latter) comparatively young. Between the twocharacters there lies a special relationship that eventually leads to the complete identification of the latter towards the former at the moment of the former's death. The thesis attempts to apply an archetypal criticism to the double-character pattern, finding the archetype of the character pattern and analyzing the displacement of the archetype by the pattern. Based on this, the present writer considers the use and the displacement of the archetype within the 20th century American literature, pointing out that the pattern, in fact, has illustrated a way for human beings to overcome the spiritual death at the loss of the faith in Christian God in order to achieve their rebirth.The thesis is composed of five chapters. Besides the introductory chapter at the beginning and the conclusive chapter in the end. the other three chapters constitute the major part of the thesis.The second chapter is an introduction of archetypal criticism, focusing on its macro-cosmetic principle of criticism.The third chapter is devoted to the definition of the double-character pattern and the analysis of its archetype, as well as its displacement of the archetype. Repudiating the Fisher King myth supposition, the present writer suggests a Biblical archetype for the double-character,pattern—Jesus Death-Rebirth myth. Through the comparison between the double-character pattern and its archetype, the present writer examines the displacement of Jesus myth by the double-character pattern in detail, pointing out that the significance of the double-character pattern lies in that the rebirth in the double-character pattern is different from that in Jesus myth. In Jesus myth, Jesus' Rebirth is initiated by his belief in God. However, in the non-God double-character pattern, the rebirth is brought about by the complete sympathy between the two characters in the pattern. In other words, the double-character pattern shows that human beings in the modern society can obtain their rebirth from their spiritual death only by communications between themselves.In the fourth chapter, the present writer associates the double-character pattern with the development of the 20th century American literature, pointing out that the narrative of death and rebirth staged by the double-character pattern is somewhat an epitome of the 20th century American literature.