On the rainy river archetypal analysis PDF

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Summary

archetypal analysis of on the rainy river for eng4u...

Description

Literary Theory Graphic Organizer Note: Not all theories will yield rich interpretations. As such you only need to analyse the text from three of the four perspectives provided. I chose to analyze On the Rainy River through an archetypal lens. I felt like there were many symbols in the short story that had many meanings behind them and had a large impact on how O’Brien came to his final decision. Evidence

Analysis

The plot of the short story

It follows the fundamental plot archetype of the Hero’s journey. O’Brien begins in a familiar environment: in his hometown with a job at a meat-packing plant, fresh out of college and living with his parents. His descent into danger and call to an adventure would be the notice of the draft to the war and thus begins his “battle”. Would he stay and go to war, or would he run to Canada? Eventually, O’Brien returns home and heads to war. He makes it out alive and reunites with his family.

Elroy Berdahl

The wise old man/the mentor archetype - has great wisdom, knowledge and judgement. Elroy took O’Brien in when he needed it the most and watched over him during the six days he stayed at the lodge. Elroy had even given money to O’Brien as an emergency fund and didn’t charge him for staying at the lodge. Elroy may have had ideas of O’Brien’s situation, but he never asked about them. Even without the knowledge, Elroy was willing to help and support O’Brien by taking him to the river that borders Canada.

The slaughterhouse - “As a carcass passed by, you'd lean forward and swing the gun up against the clots and squeeze the trigger, all in one motion, and the brush would whirl and water would come shooting out and you'd hear a quick splattering sound as the clots dissolved into a fine red mist. It was not pleasant work.”

O’Brien sets up an archetype setting with the use of the slaughterhouse at the beginning of the short story. He effectively uses it to foreshadow what is to come in the war. O’Brien carefully describes his work at the slaughterhouse to contrast it with what happens in the battlefield.

The Rainy River

The appearance of the river constantly makes it a symbol. The water archetype has many meanings, such as life, cleansing, rebirth, or cycle of life. When Elroy brought O’Brien to

the Rainy River, the latter was faced with a decision. If he were to swim to Canada, he would have been “reborn”. O’Brien’s prior life in the US would have been completely finished, a brand new one would begin as soon as he touched Canadian soil. But since O’Brien chose to return to his hometown, he continues his previous life and cleanses the thoughts of running away. October - “Though it was still August, the air already had the smell of October, football season, piles of yellow-red leaves, everything crisp and clean.”

October is mentioned twice in the short story, despite it only being August. The fact that O’Brien jumps from the middle of summer straight into the middle of fall highlights the comparisons of seasonal archetypes. Summer is life, growth, young adulthood while fall is death and adulthood. O’Brien notes the differences in his current life at the moment versus the time he ultimately gets drafted into the war. The transition between seasons is like the transition of his life from before the war and after the war....