A Fresh Archetypal Study Of Exodus: Moses, Fighting For His People's Freedom

Moses is a legendary Israelite hero in the Book of Exodus in the Old Testament of the Holy Bible. The life process of this Hebrew prophet is very remarkable—from a slave to an Egyptian prince, then to a great leader fighting for freedom. Moses was inspired by God and helped the Israelites in thrall and bondage to break away from Pharaoh's cruel rule, cross the Red Sea, and go out of Egypt. He led them across the wilderness, through thick and thin, to win freedom and get to the Promised Land—Canaan.The author of this thesis, adopting archetypal theories, attempts to analyze the archetypes in the Book of Exodus, which cover its characters, plot, theme, etc. This thesis begins with the marvelous life story of the archetypal hero Moses and then probes into his gradual awakening during his growth, presenting his self-quest, firm faith, hard struggle and his leadership of the Israelites to win freedom and liberation at the cost of his whole life.The life of Moses, the archetypal hero, is divided into three stages: as a baby in the cradle, he was forcedly put afloat on the Nile, saved and adopted by the Pharaoh's daughter and named Moses, who became a prince; when he grew up, he knew his Hebrew identity, accidentally killed an Egyptian overseer whipping a Hebrew slave and fled away, exiling himself in Midian as a shepherd; and Moses was beckoned by God to return to Egypt to fight against the Pharaoh, and brought the Israelites out of Egypt through countless hardships, attaining liberation and freedom in the end. The brave story of a freedom warrior Moses has been widely heard and read since several thousand years ago and Moses is praised for his longing, questing and fighting for freedom. Undoubtedly, the Second Book gives a vivid description of the archetypal growth or initiation of a hero who is of a low origin, undergoes countless adversities, dedicates himself to the people and the country, and finally becomes a great hero.Through the analysis of the archetypal hero, the author expounds Moses' strong-mindedness, indomitable spirit and persistent belief manifested in the process of his realizing the value of liberty and fighting for freedom, and gives prominence to the archetypal hero Moses who is willing to sacrifice himself for faith and freedom and pay high prices for freedom. And the explication of the Pharaoh as the archetypal Satan not only contributes to exposing the deceitful and evil nature of Moses'enemy, but also further glorifies Moses'faithful and unswerving spirit by contrast.The Exodus portrays the image of Moses, the archetypal hero. By the archetypal anatomy of the work, the author highlights the thought-provoking theme and hereby comes the epiphany of life, as C. G. Jung said,"My life experience is an unconscious process of self-realization"(Jung 1988: 1).