I need help with finding the archetypes in Identities by w.d. Valgardson.
Here is the essay:
Normally, he goes clean-shaven into the world, but the promise of a Saturday
liquid with sunshine draws him first from his study to the backyard, from there to his
front lawn. The smell of burning leaves stirs the memories of childhood car
rides, narrow lanes adrift with yellow leaves, girls on plodding horses, unattended
stands piled high with pumpkins, onions, or beets so that each one was, in its own way,
a still life. Always, there were salmon tins glinting with silver, set above hand-painted
signs instructing purchasers to deposit twenty-five or fifty cents. This act of faith
containing all the stories he has read in childhood about the North – cabins left
unlocked, filled with supplies for hapless wayfarers – wakes in him a desire to
temporarily abandon the twice-cut yards and hundred-year-old oaks.
He does not hurry for he has no destination. He meanders, instead, through the neat
suburban labyrinth of cul-de-sacs, bays and circles, losing and finding himself endlessly.
Becoming lost is made all the easier because the houses repeat themselves with
superficial variations. There grows within him, however, a vague unease with
symmetry, with nothing left to chance, no ragged edges, no unkempt vacant lots, no
houses rendered unique by necessity and indifference.
The houses all face the sun. They have no artificial divisions. There is room enough for
everyone. Now, as he passes grey stone gates, the yards are all proscribed by stiff
picket fences and, quickly, a certain untidiness creeps in: a fragment of glass, a
chocolate bar wrapper, a plastic horse, cracked sidewalks with ridges of stiff grass.
Although he has on blue jeans – matching pants and jacket made in Paris – he is
driving a grey Mercedes Benz. Gangs of young men follow the car with their unblinking
eyes. The young men stand and lean in tired, watchful knots close to phone booths and
seedy-looking grocery stores. Their slick hair glistens. Their leather jackets gleam with
studs. Eagles, tigers, wolves and serpents ride their backs.
He passes a ten-foot wire fence enclosing a playground bare of equipment and
pounded flat. The gate is double locked, the fence cut and rolled into a cone. Three
boys throw stones at pigeons. Paper clogs the fence like drifted snow. The school is
covered with heavy screens. Its yellow brick is pock-marked, chipped.
The houses are squat, as though they have been taller and have, slowly, sunk into the
ground. Each has a band of dirt around the bottom. The blue glow of television sets
lights the windows. On the front steps of a red-roofed house, a man sits. He wears
black pants, a tartan vest, a brown snap-rimmed hat. Beside him is a suitcase.
Fences here are little more than fragments. Cars jam the narrow streets and he worries
that he might strike the unkempt children who dart back and forth like startled fish.
Street lights come on. He takes them as a signal to return the way he came, but it has
been a reckless, haphazard path. Retracing it is impossible. He is overtaken by sudden
guilt. He has left no message for his wife. There have been no trees or drifting leaves,
no stands covered in produce, no salmon tins, but time has run away with him. His
wife, he realizes, will have returned from bridge, his children gathered for supper. He
also knows that, at first, they have explained his absence on a neighbour’s hospitality
and gin.
However, by the time he can return, annoyance will have blossomed into alarm.
His safe return will, he knows from childhood and years of being locked in domestic
grief, degenerate to recriminations and apology.
Faced with this, he decides to call the next time he sees a store or phone booth. So
intent is he upon the future that he dangerously ignores the present and does not
notice the police car, concealed in the shadows of a side street, nose out and follow
him.
Ahead, there is a small store with windows covered in hand painted signs and vertical
metal bars. On the edge of the light, three young men and a girl slouch. One of them
has a beard and, in spite of the advancing darkness, wears sunglasses. He has on a
fringed leather vest. His companions wear leather jackets. Their peaked caps make
their heads seem flat, their foreheads nonexistent.
The girl is better looking than she should be for such companions. She is long legged
and wears a white turtle-necked sweater that accentuates her breasts.
In spite of his car, he hopes his day old beard which he strokes upward with the heel of
his hand, will, when combined with his clothes, provide immunity. He slips his wallet
into his shirt pocket, does up the metal buttons on his jacket and slips a ten dollar bill
into his back pocket. Recalling a television show, he decides that if he is accosted, he
will say that the ten is all he’s got, that he stole the car, and ask them if they know a
buyer.
He eases out of the car, edges nervously along the fender and past the grille. The store
window illuminates the sidewalk like a stage. Beyond the light, everything is obscured
by darkness. He is so intent upon the three men and the girl that he does not notice the
police car drift against the curb, nor the officer who is advancing with a pistol in his
hand.
When the officer, who is inexperienced, who is nervous because of the neighbour-hood,
who is suspicious because of the car and because he has been trained to see an
unshaven man in blue jeans as a potential thief and not as a probable owner, orders
him to halt, he is surprised. When he turns part way around and recognizes the
uniform, he does not feel fear but relief. Instinctively relaxing, certain of his safety, in
the last voluntary movement of his life, he reaches his hand not in the air as he was
ordered to, but toward his wallet for his identity.
https://literary-devices.com/content/archetype/
No one here will do your assignment for you. However, if you post what you come up with, someone may be able to critique your thinking and writing for you.
To identify the archetypes in the story "Identities" by W.D. Valgardson, we need to closely examine the recurring patterns, symbols, and characters that represent universal themes or ideas. Here are some steps to help you find the archetypes in the essay:
1. Read the story carefully: Start by reading the essay closely, paying attention to any images, symbols, or character traits that consistently appear throughout the text. Take note of any themes or ideas that seem to be explored repeatedly.
2. Identify recurring symbols: Look for objects, settings, or events that occur repeatedly and have a symbolic meaning. Archetypal symbols often represent universal concepts or emotions. Examples of symbols may include the burning leaves, the salmon tins, the playground fence, or the police car.
3. Analyze character behavior and traits: Characters in a story can embody certain archetypes. Look for patterns in the behavior, personality traits, or roles that characters play in the narrative. Pay attention to characters who may represent universal figures such as the protagonist, the villain, the mentor, the innocent, or the trickster.
4. Recognize universal themes: Archetypes often revolve around universal themes or ideas. Think about the central themes in the story and how they relate to the human experience. Some common themes include identity, loss, transformation, or the struggle between good and evil.
5. Compare to known archetypes: Once you have identified the symbols, characters, and themes, compare them to well-known archetypes found in mythology, literature, or psychology. This can help you recognize similar patterns and understand the archetypes being used in the story.
Remember, identifying archetypes requires careful analysis and interpretation. It is important to consider the context and specific details of the story to accurately recognize and interpret the archetypes present.