Reading Reflection 2

Carl Jung introduced the term archetypes, which means ancient patters of personality in describing common character types, symbols, and relationships (Vogler, 23). Archetypes are critical tools in understanding the how the character behaves in a story. In order to make the character in a story more relatable to you and I, storytellers choose characters and relationships that replicate the real life situations of everyone. Two archetypes that Vogler described were the hero and the mentor as well as their functions. He described the hero as someone who is willing to sacrifice his own needs for others. Vogler states that the archetype of the Hero represents Freud’s ego which is the part of the personality that considers itself different from the rest of the world in addition to the search for an identity and wholeness. The mentor is typically a positive figure who aids or trains the hero. The mentor’s key functions include teaching the hero the “ropes” and motivating the hero to take on the journey.

I found this section to be easy to understand mainly due to the self-explanatory nature of the text in addition to the numerous times that I have seen the hero and the mentor portrayed in everyday life. Vogler states that another way of looking at the archetypes—not as rigid character roles but as functions performed temporarily by characters to achieve certain effects in a story in addition to advance the story.

I found the section on the mentor fairly easy to relate to. I have spent the majority of my life as an athlete and have looked to my coach for advice just as any hero would do. What makes the mentor such a valuable character is the great wealth of knowledge that he has accumulated over his lifetime along with previous experiences which make him that much more of an asset. It is up to the mentor to guide his protégé in a direction that will lead to great success in the future.



Have any archetypes evolved throughout time?

Why would we give hero’s flaws?

What are some benefits of having a character with an inner mentor?