symbols, archetypes, tools, and tropes of western lit

spring and morning

birth/beginning

summer and afternoon

youth

fall and evening

impending death

winter and night

death

black

concealment or lack of knowledge

red

- passion/emotion

- ex: love, hate or for a person, place, or thing

white

- innocence, purity

- ex: virginity

yellow

corruption

green

- holy nature/jealousy

- only american

blue

unrequited dreams (dreams that don't come true)

grey

confusion or lack of understanding

birds

freedom

rivers, paths, etc

journey

darkness

concealment of knowledge or truth

cave

- yonic (females): anything that can be filled (ex: flowers are vaginas)

- phallic (males)

- creation of life is holy and sacred

snakes

temptation, evil, ignorance, disconnect

long legged birds, hawks, falcons

christ

light, fire, candles

knowledge, truth

water

rebirth, baptism, life

transmission of bodily fluids (eating, drinking, sex, kissing, holding hands, sports)

communion (very holy)

salamanders

knowledge doesn't hurt them

fog/smoke/mist

obscurity/disillusionment

silver

unrequited dreams

stars

fate

wine

communion

walls/mountains

barriers between people; mental and physical

dogs

humanity

windows/doors

opportunity

candles, light bulbs, torches, flashlights

knowledge

suitcases and luggage

emotional baggage we carry with us

sun

knowledge

sea/tides/sand

passing of time, cycles

eyes

windows to the soul

hands

- strength, instinct, true emotion or thought

- pay attention to the state of the hand

- grabs with right hand: reason, rationality

- grabs with left hand: instinct, trouble with a price

cats

medium for character not immediately in story, fraternity, yonic symbol

gardens

- eden: intellect

- gethsemane: betrayal

cars, ships, bicycles, houses

indications of the character of the person who is living or traveling in them

blonde

- goddess

- men desire her but is untouchable for some reason

brunette

- temptress

- men want to obtain her but may lead to serious fall that leads to death or negative fate

red hair

- good girl

- innocent and in trouble

- needs bad boy to value innocence and protect her

- variation of the name mary jane

bad boy

- only american

- underdog and unacceptable to society but morals are strong and admirable

- not innocent but wants to protect innocence of others

bad man

- only american

- entity bad boy must overcome

- a man but can also be a group, corporation, or machine

good girl

- only american

- connection to red hair

- bad boy will protect

mentor

- only american

- teaches bad boy how to be a good man

- not from same social class as bad boy but able to speak the same language

cold wife

emasculates her husband

antiquated character

belongs to a past time or generation due to moral values, social norms, or religious beliefs

prophet

- brings others truth or knowledge (associated with light)

- make others aware of beauty

- some power over life and death

- act as confessors and/or grant absolution

christ

- does everything a prophet might do plus sacrificing

- J.C.: jesus

- J.N.: baby jesus, hope

- J.G.: jesus before sacrifice, ominous

epic hero

- ordinary guy living an ordinary life

- leaves life for a great adventure by choice or chance

- journeys to dark world, meeting forces/entities to deal with

- encounters a teacher who gives him instruction in skills needed to achieve goal

- aware of specific goals

- challenged to his limit

- gains reward and changed by experience

- gains new powers and sets off with them

tragic hero

- noble

- doomed from the start and decline inevitable

- suffer

- fear and pity

- free choice to some degree

- decline (death, social/mental) results from tragic flaw

tragic flaw

something reader finds noble under ordinary circumstances

frustrated artist/intellect

- unable to practice need to create or think freely

- comes into conflict with society

- deterioration unless disassociates with society

disaffected teacher

- single and hasn't kept up with the times

- only talks to youth, no listening

- labors outdated notions of education, faith, social norms, and values

- teaches what to believe but now what question

romantic villian

- associated with cold colors/seasons like his heart and morality (cold and dead)

- very intelligent

- seeking revenge or trying to retain power

disembodied face

- divine

- face is missing parts or face is intact with a passive gaze or eyes

the three fates

- three females connected with time (past, present, future)

- linked to eyes and sewing

- more powerful than gods

- shared one eye (balance)

- moirai: all in one body, ultimate control over time or fate of others

angels

- old testament: bring retribution for moral infractions

- new testament: bring news the characters need

unreliable narrator

cannot trust to provide a neutral and unbiased perspective bc too young, in love, old, religious, crazy, etc

mismatched pairs

- romantically linked

- opposite of one another in attitude, physicality, financial position, social acceptability, etc.

literary foils

opposite of one another in attitude, physicality, financial position, social acceptability, etc.

echo characters

characters who represent already familiar characters

author as character

- character is metaphorically or a replica of the author

- tells the reader something important

epitaphs and eulogies

stuff said at a funeral or written on a gravestone

declaration

- only american

- character will issue a declaration of independence from something (ex: themselves, society, theology)

the american dream

- movement west

- focus on the youth

- focus on educated middle class

- willingness to struggle/suffer

- personal connections

search for identity trope

- changing names or creating alter egos

- when identity doesn't work, character can bring a gift/power back to society

- refusing to try new identity = less than human

marriage trope

- communion and sacrifice, not a ceremony or license

- both have to be involved

- broken = trespass against human morality

xenia trope

- hospitality: sacred, separates us from beasts

- rules for hosts: invite them in, wash feet, give food, hear story, give rest, provide departing gift

- rules for guests: express gratitude, do not overstay welcome, remember the kindness and repay if you can

reverence for the dead trope

- pay respect to the dead, makes us human

- ex: covering face

parenting trope

- teach children tropes through respect

- give freedom to explore/choose, do not control them

- remember that you do not own them

- sacrifice

fraternity

- brotherhood willing to sacrifice

- linked to communion

- breaking bond = evil (ex: satan)

romanticism

- 1798-1832

- imagination and intuition > reason and facts

- nature

- potential of humans not limited by nature

romanticism tenets

- emotion is superior to reason

- freewill is superior to law

- society corrupts

- humans are naturally good

gothic tenets

- 1800-1865

- overgrown vegetation

- decaying structure

- gothic architecture

- mentions of the undead

- human depravity

transcendentalism

- 1830-present

- america's central philosophy

transcendentalism tenets

- freewill is superior to law

- emotion is superior to reason

- society is corrupt

- humans are naturally good

- nature is holy