Biblical Archetypes Analysis In The Grapes Of Wrath

Content:According to Fry, as far as western literary tradition is concerned, thearchetypes have very close relationship with literary work. This thesis will begin withthe theory of archetype briefly, and then analyses the archetypes of The Grapes ofWrath in detail.The thesis consists of three parts. The first part offers an introduction andliterature review. Thesecond part deals with the archetypes analysis in The Grapes ofWrath. The third part is a conclusion and summary of this thesis.In part one; I will briefly review the study and research of this novel both athome and abroad. After a brief introduction of it, I will explain the operability ofanalysis of this novel on the basis of archetypal criticism.The second part is the main part of this thesis which includes three chapters. Inchapter one, I will explain the Biblical allusive images, including the grapes, the rain,the water, the flood, and the dust. In chapter two, I will expatiate of the archetypalnarrative pattern, and there are two aspects of this: the structure and prose style of theBible, in chapter three I will also mention about the three archetypal motifs: thearchetype of “scapegoat”,“death-rebirth”, and “quest”. That is to say, the novelistwrites this work under the collective unconscious motif----when human beings arecaught up between death and survival, they always try to find a method to savethemselves. Thus we know the novelist’s real purpose is to find a way of helpinghuman beings to save them.The third part is the conclusion of this thesis, which summarizes the main findingand academic value of this thesis. In this part, the limitations of this study are alsomentioned so as to make it easier for the further study afterwards.