The Archetypes of Hero’s Journey in Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist.

The Archetypes of Hero’s Journey in Paulo Coelho’s

The Alchemist

A Thesis

Presented as a Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Attainment of Sarjana Sastra Degree in English Literature Study Program

By: Sri Wahyuni 08211144025

English Literature Study Program

Faculty Of Languages And Arts

Yogyakarta State University

2016

MOTTO

“There must be a beginning of any great matter, but the continuing unto the end until it be thoroughly finished yields the true glory”

DEDICATION

This writing is sincerely dedicated to my parents, my supervisors, and for those who have passion in studying archetype, mythology, and hero’s journey.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

TITLE... i

APPROVAL SHEET ... ii

RATIFICATION SHEET... iii

SURAT PERNYATAAN_{... iv}

MOTTO... v

DEDICATIONS... vi

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS... vii

TABLE OF CONTENTS... viii

LIST OF TABLES... xi

LIST OF FIGURE... xi

ABSTRACT... xii

CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION... 1

A. Background of the Study... 1

B. Research Focus... 7

C. Research Objectives... 9

D. Research Significance... 9

CHAPTER II LITERATURE REVIEW... 10

A. Theoretical Description... 10

1. Structuralism... 10

2. Archetype and Myth Studies...…….………... 15

3. The Conception of Quest...………... 18

4. Christopher Vogler’s Mythic Structure………... 19

a. Act 1 (Separation – Ordinary World)………... 21

1) Stage 1: The Ordinary World………... 21

2) Stage 2: The Call to Adventure...………... 23

3) Stage 3: Refusal of the Call...……… 24

4) Stage 4: Meeting with the Mentor... 25

5) Stage 5: Crossing the First Threshold... 25

1) Stage 6: Test-Allies-Enemies... 26

2) Stage 7: Approach to the Inmost Cave... 27

3) Stage 8: Supreme Ordeal... 28

4) Stage 9: Seizing the Reward... 29

c. Act 3 (Return- Ordinary World)... 29

1) Stage 10: The Road Back... 30

2) Stage 11: Resurrection... 31

3) Stage 12: Return with the Elixir... 31

5. Intrinsic Element of Narrative... 32

a. Plot...……….... 32

1) Exposition or Introduction………...……….... 33

2) Conflict or Rising Actions………...…….. 33

3) Complication... 34

4) Climax... 34

5) Resolution and Falling Action... 34

b. Setting………... 34

B. Review of Previous Related Research Findings... 35

C. Paulo Coelho and The Alchemist... 38

D. Conceptual Framework... 41

CHAPTER III RESEARCH METHOD... 43

A. The Research Design... 43

B. Data Type... 44

C. Data Source... 45

D. Data Collecting Technique... 45

E. Data Analysis ... 47

F. Validity and Trustworthiness ... 48

CHAPTER IV FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION... 50

A. The Archetypes of Hero’s Journey in The Alchemist... 50

1. The Ordinary World... 52

b. Showing the Hero’s Inner-Outer Problems, the Hero’s Lack,

and the Hero’s wound... 54

c. Suggesting Dramatic Question of the Story... 55

d. Exposing Hero’s Back Story... 56

e. Foreshadowing the Model of the Special World... 57

2. The Call to Adventure... 59

a. The Call Comes More Than Once... 59

b. The Call is Brought by the Herald... 60

3. Refusal of the Call... 62

4. Meeting with the Mentor... 62

a. Source of Wisdom... 63

b. Supply of Equipment... 65

5. Crossing the First Threshold... 66

6. Test-Allies-Enemies... 68

a. The Watering Hole; a Drastic Contrast to the Former World... 68

b. Making Allies and Dealing with the Enemies... 70

c. Encountering Trials or Test... 71

7. Approach to the Inmost Cave... 75

a. Another Special World, Threshold, and Guardian... 76

b. Courtship Moment... 78

c. Obstacle as the Preparation of the Ordeal... 80

8. Supreme Ordeal... 82

9. Seizing the Reward... 83

10. The Road Back... 84

11. Resurrection... 86

12. Return with the Elixir... 87

B. Literary Elements that presents the Archetypes of Hero’s Journey in The Alchemist... 89

1. By Plot... 90

2. By Setting... 95

REFERENCES... 104

APPENDICES... 106

Appendix I The Synopsis of Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist... 106

Appendix II The Data... 108

Appendix III Surat Pernyataan Triangulasi... 129

LIST OF TABLES Table 1. A Form of the Data Sheet Model... 46

Table 2. The Archetypes of Hero’s Journey... 51

LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Framework of Thinking ... 43

Figure 2. The Alchemist’s Plot Diagram... 91

THE ARCHETYPES OF HERO’S JOURNEY IN PAULO COELHO’S THE ALCHEMIST

BY SRI WAHYUNI

08211144025

ABSTRACT

This research has two objectives. The first is to demonstrate the archetypes of hero’s journey in Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist. The second is to uncover literary elements used to reveal those archetypes. The analysis is based on Christopher Vogler’s theory of mythic structure.

This research applied the descriptive qualitative method. The content analysis was employed as the technique of the research. The data were some sentences and utterances relating to the archetypes of hero’s journey. The data were collected using read-write technique. The data were analysed relating to the stages of the archetypes of hero’s journey. The data analysis dealt with the process of data reducing, data displays and conclusion drawing. Triangulation technique was used to obtain trustworthiness.

This research reveals two findings. First, based on Christopher Vogler’s theory on mythic structure, 12 stages of the archetypes of hero’s journey that signify the cycle of Separation-Initiation-Return are found in the novel. Those stages are (1) The Ordinary World, (2) The Call to Adventure, (3) Refusal of the Call, (4) Meeting with the Mentor, (5) Crossing the First Threshold, (6) Test-Allies-Enemies, (7) Approach to the Inmost Cave, (8) Supreme Ordeal, (9) Seizing the Reward, (10) The Road Back, (11) Resurrection, and (12) Return with the Elixir. These twelve stages are useful to identify the road-map of the hero’s journey. The whole story of The Alchemist gives more understanding to the archetypes of hero’s journey and vice versa. The stages of the archetypes of hero’s journey help to uncover what quest is being achieved by the hero. The most interesting finding is that the transformation and heroic quality are reflected in the stage of Supreme Ordeal. The transformation is the aim of the hero’s journey. It suggests that the hero changes from the state of innocence to the state of knowledge. Hero’s transformation reflects universal human realization of the essence of life. Second, the archetypes of hero’s journey are presented through the correlation among two narrative intrinsic elements which are plot and setting of time and place. In demonstrating each stage, plot shows the level of tension that reflects six phases: exposition, rising action, complication, climax, falling action, and resolution. Setting demonstrates the time order and the environment that signify the realm of the ordinary world and the special world.

CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION

A. Background of the Research

Literature in a broad sense means compositions that tell stories or express ideas. For Rusian formalists (Eagleton, 1983: 3), a literary work is neither a reflection nor an expression of idea or social reality, but it is an organization of language that has its own specific structures, laws, and devices. In this sense, literature is creative writing. No matter what the content is, there is no need to associate literature with author’s or social’s intention. Castle (2007: 6), another scholar in literary criticism, defines literature as given written works contain special form of language which are “more evocative and connotative than other forms of writing”.

No matter how literature is assimilated, great advantages can be gained from reading literature. Literature helps the readers grow both personally and intellectually. In fact, literature links the readers with the field of culture, philosophy, religion, and so forth, so that it increases the readers’ understanding and deepens the power of sympathy.

A type of literature that contains interesting and imaginative sequence of actions presented in plotline is fiction or narrative like myth, short story, or novel. Fictional works usualy present major characters who attempt to solve their problems or to achieve their goals. Some of those characters change and grow (e.g. in their moral, insight, sensitivity, or attitude) as the result of dealing with other characters. The purposes of narrative fiction are to attract and stimulate

readers with imaginative experiences that the readers also encounter in their real life.

A kind of narrative that presents the transformation or the change of the major character is a story that contains quest like stories in the genre of adventure and fantasy. Besides, the circumstances of quest stories are like the detailed road maps of human’s life. The quest stories often contains human experiences like failure, frustration, loss, pain, love, romance, success, jealousy, confusion, and so forth.

The significance of the quests is related to the idea that the main characters of such stories must accomplish certain tasks in order to achieve the goals and transformations. The transformations bring the main characters from the state of innocence to the state of awareness or knowledge. The transformations are gained through journeys in which the main characters encounter trials, receive aids, and fight enemies. The main characters who strugle for the quest in the quest stories are called heroes. According to Howard (2010: 2) the quest stories contain such journeys full of trials and enemies that the heroes, alone or in the company of others, are bound to undertake.

The journey is a process of discovery in which the hero learns essential truth about himself or his society. In truth, the essential part of the quest story is the hero, for he plays the central role of the human experience and that he has a purpose which transcends not only his quality of being human but also his society. In other words, a hero is the person who goes out in the journey to achieve great

deeds on behalf of the group tribe or civilization. An American scholar of myth studies, Campbell (2004: 263) defines hero as:

”... a male or female who ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabolous forces are there encountered and a desicive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man.” From the quotation above, it can be inferred that the heroes must get out from the comfort zone to explore into labyrinth of the story in order to achieve the triumph. Meanwhile, the aim of their victory is to transcend or to heal the wounded people in society.

According to Frye in his third essay, “Archetypal Criticism: Theory of Myths” cited in his book Anatomy of Criticism (1957: 162), the pattern or the structure of most of contemporary literary works including quest stories revert to the structure of old myths or tales. He explains that he sees “Four narrative pregeneric elements of literature which I [Frye] shall call mythoi or generic plots”. Those four narratives are comedy, romance, tragedy, and irony/satire. Then, he asserts that every narrative falls into one of two categories, either Comedic (Comedy-Romantic) or Tragic (Tragedy-Ironic). It means that all stories involving heroes for time to time have the same structure or can be categorized into a form of structure like template. Besides, the structure of the hero’s quest is believed by many scholars as something archetypal.

Archetype means the begining of imprint or the original model of something. The idea of the archetype in this research is derived from the scope of myth and archetype studies. Based on these studies, the archetype lies in human psyche that Jung (in Feist-Feist, 2009 :124) calls as “collective unconscious” and

it can be observed at any times and any place in many cultures, showing basic human experiences. The collective unconscious means as the deeper-part of “personal unconscious” that contains memories which are inherited by human ancestors. Meanwhile, Howard (2010: 1) defines the archetype as “a prototype, a pattern, a common theme, a template in fiction; a flexible pattern of expectations reflective of the human experience; a theme that reflects life, a recurring story or plotline”. Thus, the archetypal structure of hero’s quest can be infered as a recurrent pattern that is ubiquitous in many stories around the world.

The idea of archetypal structure of hero’s quest can be found in myths, ancient tales, even in contemporary fiction. In ancient tales, the idea of archetypal structure of hero’s quest can be found in the old written narrative of occidental epics like Homer’s Odyssey and Virgil’s Aeneid, or oriental epics like Ramayana and Mahabharata. In all those ancient narratives, the heroes must take series of quests in which they encounter tests, obstacles, and dangers in order to achieve certain goals. Odysseus’s journey from Trojan to Ithaca in order to reclaim his kindom in Ithaca is similar to the Pandawa’s journey of reclaiming Hastinapura. Thus, it can be seen that the structure of the heroes’s quest in those epics are common though they are separated in location and time.

As the main character who leads the story, the hero has the meaning as a brave or admirable person. However, in literary works and films, the main characters are not always having heroic quality, they may behave passively and remain mysterious till the end. For example, Pecola in Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye reveals herself to be a weak and vulnerable character until the end of the

story. From this fact, it can be infered that the archetypal structure of hero’s quest is not used by certain narratives in which the major characters do not show the heroic quality.

The Heroic quality generally is shown in adventure and fantasy book like J. R. R Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings and Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games. The heroes in those book show a transformation from an ordinary man to be a brave and admirable one. The hero of The Lord of the Rings, Frodo, is an ordinary hobbit who is inheritted a ring (Sauron’s ring) by his cousin Bilbo and must undertake the quest to bring the ring out of Shire. The hero of The Hunger Games, Katnis, is an ordinary girl who lives in the mines distric and recklesly undertakes her sister’s position to play the deathly game. Both Frodo Baggins and Katniss Everdeen are able to deal with their fate to undergo their journeys, achieving the goals and going back to their former lands to spread the goodness of their goal. Frodo and Katnis’ series of experiences presented in the novel are heroes’s journey.

Hero’s Journey is the quest’s pattern or structure that appears in myths or ancient tales, story telling, drama, even modern literary works and films. It describes the typical adventure of the hero, whether it is a real physical adventure or mind and spiritual one, The pattern is also called as mythic structure, for since the first story in the world emerged, the ideas in it have appeared and continously exist across ages and countries. Campbell (in Vogler, 2007: 4) argues that the theme of hero’s journey myth is universal that occurs in every cultures and times.

He has discovered that so many stories include modern literary works, consciously or not, follow the ancient patterns of myths.

Campbell (2004: 28) articulates this recurent structure of the hero’s journey as The Monomyth. It is the universal structure of the mythological adventure of the hero that represents the cycle of Separation- Initiation-Return. Campbell (2004: 30) also argues that all forms of narratives involving the heroes’ quests acquire universal structural pattern:

The standard path of the mythological adventure of the hero is magnification of the formula represented in the rites of passage: separation – initiation – return; which might be named the nuclear unit of the monomyth. A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons of his fellowman.

From the quotation above can be infered that the heroes, mostly presented in simple and innocent individuals, are separated from his or her ordinary life and must undergo certain tests to achieve their stage of initiation and then return as different individuals.

Vogler adapts Campbell’s 17 stages ofhero’s journey in his idea of mythic structure. Vogler condenses the 17 stages down into 12 stages. Those hero’s journey stages are included into the cycle of ordinary world - special world - ordinary world. Similar with Campbell, Vogler’s concept of the archetypes of hero’s journey is important to identify the purpose or the function of a hero and his journey in a quest story.

The atmosphere of the quest story is also experienced by Santiago, the hero in Paulo Coelho’s prominent quest story, The Alchemist. It is a narrative that

urges the reader to see that the milieu of the text involves and incorporates archetype or mythical elements of hero’s journey. The Alchemist tells the story about how an ordinary Andalusia shepherd boy, who abandons his father’s will of directing him to become a priest, chooses to be a traveler. Because of his desire of traveling the world, he gets the quest to search for treasure that is hidden in the Pyramid of Egypt. However, Santiago is reluctant to undertake the quest and he feels fear toward the unexpected trials ahead. He remains in his ordinary place until a gipsy woman interprets his dream and an old man, Melchizedek, encourages him to take the journey.

This research intends to study the recurrent patterns or structures of the hero’s journey in Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist. This research tries to demonstrate those archetypes of hero’s journey by looking at the chronological order of the events and the settings that occur in the story related to the hero’s journey. This topic of the research is mainly generated by two consideration. First, The Alchemist is a prominent story that contain quest and hero’s journey. It means that this novel presents the archetypal structure in its narrative. Second, the study on archetypal patterns found in literary work will enrich the study of literary works, especially about myth and archetype studies.

B. Research Focus

Discussing about the hero’s journey and its quest in a story, it couldn’t be separated from involving mythic structure or archetypal story pattern. Although many stories vary in its settings, themes, genres, even in its goals, the form or the rule of the basic patterns of their whole storyline are quite similar. Thus, the

structure of a hero’s journey in quest story like Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist needs to be understood further for some reasons. First, it is to determine what quest actually the hero is achieving, whether the quest is to look for treasure or to learn the language of the world. Next, it is to encourage the fact that the storyline of this novel represents the universal patterns of all stories.

From the identification above, the research focuses on examining and exploring the narrative structure of this novel, and suggesting that the patterns of The Alchemist’s storyline follows the model of the archetypes of hero’s journey. This research employs the idea of mythic structure that is identified by Christopher Vogler.

By considering the study on structuralism, the evidences regarding the archetypes of hero’s journey as the narrative structures of The Alchemist are discovered and presented. This study is important because, as a literary method, it argues that there must be a structure in every text. It concentrates and focuses more on the elements of narrative. The novel also has elements which cannot stand alone. An element needs other element to produce a whole story. In other words, those elements influence each other. Thus, by using this literary method for both discovering and presenting the findings, the discussion about the archetypal patterns that the hero takes on are also presented.

Based on the focus of the research above, the researcher formulates the following question:

1. What are the archetypes of hero’s journey presented in Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist?

2. How are those archetypes of hero’s journey presented in the novel?

C. Research Objectives

Considering the research questions mention above, the research is intended to:

1. describe the archetypes of hero’s journey that are presented in Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist, and

2. uncover how the novel presents those archetypes of hero’s journey.

D. Research Significance

This research, expectedly, will be beneficial for the following reasons. 1. Theoretically, this research may enrich research in literature, especially in the field of archetypal study . Further, it would expectedly heighten student’s interests in studying myths and archetypes in literary works. Furthermore, to the future researchers, this research can provide baseline information on the use and the aplication of structuralism in analyzing a literary work.

2. Practically, it is hoped that the analysis of the archetypes of hero’s journey in this research can motivates readers in both academic and general to understand how to read a quest story more critically. After reading the finding, the readers are expected to get the meaningful evidences and to have more interest in conducting further research on the same field in the future.

CHAPTER II LITERATURE REVIEW

This chapter, which deals with literature review, is divided into four parts. The first part is theoretical descriptions that consist of Structuralism, Archetype and Myth Studies, The Conception of Quest, Christopher Vogler’s Mythic Structure, and The Intrinsic elements of Narrative. The second part is the review of previous related research findings. The third part covers the historical background of Paulo Coelho and his novel The Alchemist. The last part is conceptual framework which shows the mind map of how to conduct this research.

A. Theoretical Descriptions 1. Structuralism

Structuralism emerged from linguistics which focus upon the patterns and functions of language, and how its meaning established and maintained. According to Terence Hawkes (1978: 11) structuralism claims that things cannot be understood in isolation but must be seen in the context of the larger structures which they are part of. For example, Barryin in his “structuralism summary & analysis” states that one needs to determine the precise nature of the chicken if they want to declare anything intelligent about eggs. It means that for examining or scrutinizing an object, it is needed to determine the precise and the essential nature of every elements of that former object. Another example is given by Tyson (2006: 209):

…you are not engaged in structuralist activity if you examine the physical structure of a building to discover if it is physically stable or aesthetically pleasing. However, you are engaged in structuralist activity if you examine the physical structures of all the buildings built in urban America in 1850 to discover the underlying principles that govern their composition, for example, principles of mechanical construction or of artistic form. You are also engaged in structuralist activity if you examine the structure of a single building to discover how its composition demonstrates the underlying principles of a given structural system.

The example above means that in applying structuralism as a method analysis there are two ways. First way is by generating a structural system of classification. The second way is by demonstrating that an individual item belongs to a particular structural class.

Structuralist criticism has not only been applied in linguistics but also in psychology, sociology, anthropology, mythology studies, and has been used to identify all social and cultural phenomena. For, Structuralist criticism identifies the structures and the system of relationships between identity and meaning of its items (e.g. clothes, vehicles) and signs (e.g. words, images, symbols) (Guerin et al, 2005: 368-369).

Ferdinand de Saussure, a structural linguistics, states that the language system consists of La Langue and La Parole. La Langue means the language or the system possessed and used by all members of a particular language community, whereas La Parole means the words or any specific application of La Langue in speech or writing (Eagleton, 1983: 97). In other words, Parole is the surface phenomena or the individual realization of the system in the form of language while Langue is the social aspect of the language or structure that allows texts to make meaning. In this case, the structuralist doesn’t attempt to interp

what individual text’s mean but examine the detail of its text in order to discover the fundamental structural units or functions that manage the text’s narrative itself.

Besides, according to Saussure (Guerrin at all, 2005: 370), "structural" linguistics furnishes a functional explanation of language according to its structural hierarchy-that is, structures within structures. Saussure also suggests that his “structural” system for studying language has significant implications for other disciplines. Thus, In the study of a literary work, Saussure explains that his structural system reflects our usual instinctive approach like when we read the poem from its start to its finish or when we see the narrative work in terms of the sequence of events or the scenes of the play, we inventory the details from the first to the last, from their start to their finish.

Therefore, in literary theory, structuralism is a way of thinking about uncovering new meanings that inherent in texts. However, it doesn’t attempt to interpret whether a text which will be analysed is good literature or not. It also doesn’t examine the meaning of individual text in isolation. According to Tyson (2006: 209) applying structuralism analysis needs to examine the structure of a large number of stories to discover the underlying principles that manage their composition. In another way, it could be describing the structure of a single literary work to discover how its composition demonstrates the underlying principles of a given structural system. Thus, Structuralism focuses in examining

the detail of literary text in order to discover the fundamental structural units or functions that manage the pattern of narrative in its text.

Saussure’s work also used by other scholars in Rusia as a model for their investigation of phenomena other than language. Vladimir Propp is one of Rusian scholar in folktales studies who tries to explore the dynamic possibilities of using Saussure’s work in analysing the structure of folktales. Then, Propp (Guerrin et al, 2005: 371) categorises the number types of characters and actions which are called as actants and functions. The functions recur and thus represent in their unity of the underlying system, or “the grammar” or rules for any fairy tales. To recall the Saussurean model, it can be said that the entire group of functions is the langue; the individual tale is the parole. For example, Propp's theory identifies hero, rival or opponent, villain, helper, king, princess, and so on, and such actions as the arrival and the departure of the hero, the unmasking of the villain, sets of adventures, and the return and reward of the hero.

Another scholar who contributed in developing structuralist model of analysis is Claude Levi-Strauss. Levi-Strauss (Guerrin et al, 2005: 372) combines psychology and sociology in cross-cultural studies and found structures comparable to those discovered by Saussure in language- that is, systems reducible to structural features. In contrast to Saussure and the Russian formalists, however, Levi-Strauss stressed on the paradigmatic approach, by which he concentrated on the deep or embedded structures of discourse that seem to evade a conscious arrangement by the artisan but are somehow embedded vertically,

latently, within texts and can be represented sometimes as abstractions or as paired opposites (binary oppositions).

In using the system of binary oppositions, Levi-Strauss organizes the units of myth like the basic linguistic units and calls it as ‗mythemes’. According to Levi-Strauss (Guerrin et al, 2005: 272-273, the structures of myth refer to the structure of the human mind that is common to all people like the way all human beings. Myth thus becomes a language. It is a universal narrative mode that transcends cultural or temporal barriers and speaks to all people, in the process tapping deep reservoirs of feeling and experience. He believes that, even though we have no knowledge of any entire mythology, such myths as we do uncover reveal the existence within any culture of a system of abstractions by which that culture structures its life .

Narratives are generally based on cause and effect relationships which are emerged by such events to build the sequences of stories. Narrratology is a branch of structuralism that studies the nature of story rather than individual tales in isolation. According to Fludernik (2009: 3) fictional narrative whether in fairy tale, novel or film, its author produces and develops both the story and the narrative discourse that goes with its narrative text, it’s not goes from other source.

The methods of narratology or narrative theory are inspired by modern linguistics which demonstrates language system that is how language meaningfully developed from the combination of basic elements like phonemes,

morphemes, syntax, and etc. Narratology in literature study tries to draw how the narrative is emerged from narrative text that is by its words and sentences. Therefore, some tasks of narratology are to discover first; what the basic components or forms are of stories. Second, how those basic components are arranged or structured. Third, what the various media used to create and deliver stories are. Fourth, it also discovers the ways that stories and the meaning of those stories express. (Fludernik, 2009: 8-12).

Considering structuralism is deal mainly with narrative and structure of its narrative, there is a need to strictly focus on the narrative dimension of literary texts. However, this focus is not as narrow as it may seem at first glance. For, narrative provides the large range of texts from the simple myths and folktales to the complex written forms found in postmodern novel. There are some intrinsic elements in narrative that signifying the narrative dimensions. They give the reader information relate to the presented narrative or story. Those intrinsic elements are character, plot, setting, point of view, and theme. Plot and setting are used in this research to uncover the archetypes of hero’s journey in The Alchemist.

2. Archetype and Myth Studies

Archetypal criticism is an approach to literary analysis based on theories of Carl Jung. Guerin (1992: 166) states that a great psychologist-philosopher, Carl Gustav Jung, in his contribution to myth criticism, developed the concept of racial memory and archetypes by probing the mystery of the collective unconscious in human psyche. By expanding Freud’s theory, Jung urges that in human’s psyche

there is a collective unconscious beneath the Freud’s theory of personal unconscious.

Clearly, Jung (Feist-Feist, 2009: 109-12) argued that human psyche consists of three parts, they are the conscious, the personal unconscious, and the collective unconscious. The conscious is a state of being awake that directly affected by the unconscious which is divided into the personal unconscious and the collective unconscious. Personal unconscious is part of the mind that contains element of private memory that occurs from daily life and which is not shared with other people. On the other hand, the collective unconscious contains such images, experiences, or knowledge called as “primordial images”.

Therefore, Jung (in Guerin, 1992: 167) concludes that a memory from distant ancestors become a common psychic inheritance to the whole human race because people around the world respond to certain myths or stories in the same way. However it is not because they all know and appreciate the same story, instead, the “primordial images” is lying deep in their collective unconscious as the memories of their past. Jung also called its existence of primordial images as a form of archetypes. In other words, Jung states that archetypes are common expression of human private experience.

In his contribution to literary analysis, Archetypal Critics studies about images and patterns of repeated human experiences that could be found within specific text, like myths and stories in the form of recurrent narrative design, plot pattern, character types, themes, and images or symbols. In this case, Jung’s perspective about archetypes greatly influenced other theorists including Joseph

Campbell and Christopher Vogler. Both Campbell and Vogler took Jung’s idea about archetypes in the world of mythology. The most well-known of their works are the concept of hero and hero’s journey.

Campbell (2004: 18) states that a hero is mentally and physically an ordinary person who has been able to battle because of having a deep courage, and has been reborn or transformed from the state of innocence to adulthood so that in return he is able to teach the lesson that he has learned from the journey. Campbell defined hero’s journey into three passages which he called as Monomyth; a universal structure of Separation-Initiation-Return. It consists of 17 steps; the call to adventure, refusal/ acceptance of the call, supernatural aid, crossing of the first threshold, entering the belly of the whale, road of trials, the meeting with the goddess, women as temptress, the atonement with the father, apotheosis, the ultimate boon, refusal of the return, magic flight, rescue from without, crossing of the return threshold, master of the two worlds, and freedom to live.

In writing of his book The Writer’s Journey; Mythic Structure for Writer, Christopher Vogler admits that he is much inspired and influenced by Campbell (2007: xv- xxxi). He convinces, as Campbell does, that hero’s journey has had a deep influence over shaping the stories in the past and will reach deeper to the future. Meanwhile, his book has been used by scholars to analyse the archetypes of hero’s journey among many forms of literature genres. Vogler also took Jung’s idea that the universal power of such stories can be felt by everyone in different

place and time, for all people recognize a universal source in sharing unconscious concerns.

3. The Conception of Quest

Quest is literature based on a journey, a road of trials in which a hero hears a call and leaves his home—alone or in the company of others—to search out a treasure. Along the way he undergoes trials, receives aid, fights enemies and may even die, and, if he succeeds in attaining the treasure sought, may change who and what he is.

Howard (2010: 1) argues that In stories of "the quest,” heroes are on the brink of a great change. Some heroes are desperately unhappy and experience their lives as a stultifying world, one that, in its very orderliness and familiarity, comes to seem sterile and confining: a kind of wasteland. In either case, the environment or something in it keeps the hero from changing, from growing—in short, from living. All heroes must recognize their worlds for what they are; must realize the need for change; must have the courage to try.

It is possible for heroes to blunder into the quest, to make come sort of mistake and find themselves quite suddenly embarked on a difficult journey. Generally, something or someone calls the hero to this adventure. The summons can come from any source: a friend, a relative, a stranger, an alluring object, or an impulse within the heroes themselves. If the protagonist possesses the necessary courage and resolve, she or he is off on the quest, however fearful or arduous it may seem Vogler (Vogler, 2007: 7).

According to Campbell (1972:30), a scholar in myth studies, quest narrative that contain heroes and their journey involving universal structural pattern:

The standard path of the mythological adventure of the hero is magnification of the formula represented in the rites of passage: separation – initiation – return; which might be named the nuclear unit of the monomyth. A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons of his fellowman.

The hero learns to accept the difficult truth that all is in flux, that all must change, that life is an unending cycle of deaths and rebirths, a discarding of the things that were meaningful yesterday for those that assume new significance as the future unfolds. The hero's willingness to undertake the quest is the sign that he understands and accepts these exacting conditions of human life. The hero must know that to be static is to be dead. Thus, no matter what, he must undertake the journey, achieves the goals and returns to share the goals with society.

4. Christopher Vogler’s Mythic Structure

Campbell’s concept of the archetypes of hero’s journey has influenced Vogler’s works. Campbell defined the archetypes of hero’s journey structure into 17 stages that signify Separation-initiation-return, Vogler also summed up his own as ordinary world-special world- ordinary world. It consists of 12 stages from three acts. Act one (ordinary world) consists of ordinary world, call to adventure, refusal of the call, meeting with the mentor, crossing the first threshold. Act two (special world) consists of tests-allies-enemies, approach to the inmost cave, the

crisis or supreme ordeal, and seizing the reward. Act three (ordinary world) consists of the road back, resurrection, and return with elixir (Vogler, 2007: 6).

In the hero’s journey, a hero leaves his comfortable and ordinary environment into a challenging and unfamiliar world. That unfamiliar world is usually a forest or a strange city that become an arena of the conflict between the hero (protagonist) and villain (antagonist). In some stories, passage of the journey is not always a real physical action of adventure. It could be in the mind, in the heart, or in the spirit of the hero, or in the realm of relationship of the hero with her surroundings. The main purpose of the passage is that the hero is able to grow and change from being “despair to hope, weakness to strength, folly to wisdom, love to hate, and back again” (Vogler, 2007: 7)

Thus, according to Vogler (2007: 10-18), in his structure of hero’s journey, at first heroes are introduced in the ordinary world, where they receive the call to adventure. Generally, they are reluctant at first or refuse the call, but are encouraged by a mentor to cross the first threshold and enter the unfamiliar place which Vogler called it as the special world. Within the special world, they encounter tests, allies, and enemies. Then, they approach the inmost cave and crossing a second threshold where they endure the ordeal. After the heroes pass the ordeal or defeat the enemy, they can take possession of their reward and are pursued on the road back to the ordinary world. The reward is not always a physical object or treasure; yet it could be gaining new knowledge or personal growth. In the road back, they cross the third threshold that is an experience of resurrection or another climatic event. After being transformed by experiences and

becoming a new personality, they return with the elixir, that is a boon or treasure that they share with other people in the ordinary world.

a. Act 1 (Separation – Ordinary World)

This is the first section of the story. In this part, the hero is introduced that he is receiving unexpected call and being separated from the known world to enter an unknown through labyrinths and some dilemma. This section consists of stage 1 to stage 5, they are;

1) Stage 1: The Ordinary World

In presenting stories through novel, film, theatre, film, or TV shows, its storytellers utilize the very first part before the beginning of the story by providing some aspects like metaphoric title and its design cover, opening image or shot, and prologue. The aim is to hook the readers or viewers with certain atmosphere so that they can shape a frame of reference to experience its story they are going to read or watch in a better way. In the same purpose, the ordinary world although it is set in a mundane or familiar environment where the hero is presented, it provides an impression and such interesting tone to hook the readers about what problems may happen in the story. Since the crucial problems in every story happen in the middle or in the special world, the ordinary world must be formed to explain that the story begins from a comfort zone where the hero has not received any significant trouble, like what Vogler states:

Because so many stories are journeys that take heroes and audiences to Special Worlds, most begin by establishing an Ordinary World as a baseline for comparison. The Special World of the story is only special if we can see it in contrast to a mundane world of everyday affairs from

which the hero issues forth. The Ordinary World is the context, home base, and background of the hero. (2007: 87)

Not only creating the contrast against the special world, Vogler also provides other characteristics and the functions of the ordinary world in his book. The first is making an entrance that is how the readers first experience the hero with his or her appearance and behaviour. Meanwhile the second is introducing the hero to the readers so that they could identify themselves into the story, because the universal mood and unique characters that are presented appeal the readers to feel equal to them. The third is showing hero’s lack, wounds, inner and outer problem. Hero’s lack and wounds help to create sympathy for the hero, and draw the readers into the desiring for unite completely with the hero. While the inner and outer problem is to humanize the hero that every human need to learn something, grow and deal with a moral dilemma or challenges of life (2007: 83-97)

The fourth characteristic and function is suggesting the dramatic question of the story, for a good story always poses a series of question about the hero. The fifth is presenting exposition and back-story. Back-story is all relevant or additional information about the hero’s background and history while exposition is the way back-stories are revealed gracefully. The sixth is stating the theme of the story that is an underlying statement or assumption about an aspect of life which is applied in the story. In other words, it is to discover what the quality or idea of a story is really about. Above all, the last characteristic of the ordinary world is foreshadowing the model of the special world. Some battles and moral

dilemmas that happen in the ordinary world actually is a small model of the special world (2007: 83-97).

2) Stage 2: The Call to Adventure

The call to adventure comes in the ordinary world. This is the catalyst or a new energy indicating that situation is changing and it keeps the story rolling. The environment of the ordinary world is quite common for the hero, but when the call to adventure comes, typically its circumstances are set in the dark forest or isolated area of countryside, big tree, abandoned sacred building or strange house. Thus according to Campbell, when the hero gets the call, there is a new energy that will construct a change which signifies that a destiny will take the hero and test his spirituality from within his ordinary world out to a zone of unknown. (Campbell, 2004: 47-53)

Besides indicating that situation is changing, another function of the call to adventure is giving the hero a temptation. The call not only summons the hero but also persuades him with such temptation like “the glint of gold, rumour of treasure or the siren song of ambition”. According to Jung (in Vogler, 2007: 100-1003), the call to adventure could be simply coincidental occurrence of words or ideas to the needs of action and change or what he called as the mysterious force of synchronicity. Thus, the call is usually waiting for the respond of the hero. That is why the call may come more than once.

Vogler (2007: 101) states that the call to adventure is often delivered by a messenger from the real world or from the unconscious (in dreams, fantasies, or visions). This messenger is called as Herald. Before the call comes, the hero

usually doesn’t realize that there is something wrong with the ordinary world which needs for change. Thus the function of the Herald is to wake the hero up with supports, giving him understanding that the world of the hero is “unstable’ and needs to be repaired by undertaking the adventure.

3) Stage 3: Refusal of the Call

Now at this stage, the hero refuses the journey because of fears and insecurities that have surfaced from the Call to Adventure. This moment shows the readers that the adventure might be risky. It will be exciting but also dangerous and even life-threatening as if the hero stands at a threshold of fear or an understandable reaction of refusing the call. In this moment the hero is not willing to make changes, preferring the comfort zone of the Ordinary World (Vogler, 2007: 107-109)

Besides, there are some excuses generally used by the hero to explain why he refuses the call. For instance, some daily activities must be taking first to delay the adventure. Vogler (2007: 108) argues that:

Heroes most commonly Refuse the Call by stating a laundry list of weak excuses. In a transparent attempt to delay facing their inevitable fate, they say they would undertake the adventure, if not for a pressing series of engagements. These are temporary roadblocks, usually overcome by the urgency of the quest.

The moment when the heroes are reluctance to respond the call of adventure usually is a subtle moment that both the hero and the reader do not realize the importance of conducting the journey. However, this avoidance of the call will suddenly end when a crisis event happens and causes the hero to undertake the journey.

4) Stage 4: Meeting with the Mentor

In this stage, the hero meets a mentor to gain confidence, insight, advice, training, or magical gifts to overcome the initial fears and face the threshold of the adventure. This mentor has survived to provide the essential lessons and training needed to overcomes the journey’s tests and ordeals. The mentor may be a physical person, or an object such as a map, a logbook, or hieroglyphics. In Westerns stories, the hero may hold an inner mentor, a strong code of honour or justice that guides him through the journey (Vogler, 2007: 117-123)

5) Stage 5: Crossing the First Threshold

Crossing the threshold signifies that the hero has finally committed to the journey. He is prepared to cross the gateway that separates the ordinary world from the special world. The crossing may require more than accepting one’s fears, some equipment, knowledge, or encouragement from a mentor. The hero must confront an event that forces him to commit entering the special world, from which there is no turning back, like what Vogler (2007: 127-28) argued that:

Crossing the First Threshold is an act of the will in which the hero commits wholeheartedly to the adventure… Heroes typically don't just accept the advice and gifts of their Mentors and then charge into the adventure. Often their final commitment is brought about through some external force which changes the course or intensity of the story.

This stage also signifies that the hero reached the border of the two worlds by illustrating it with the physical crossing like flight or sailing. Generally, in some stories there are plots which describe things for symbolizing the border between two worlds like bridges, canyons, cliff, gates, walls, oceans, and so forth.

b. Act 2 (Initiation- Special World)

Initiation or the Special World is a stage in which the body of the story or the main action happens as the hero survives the road and achieves their goal. This passage consists of the stage 6 up to the stage 9 of which the hero usually passed. They are;

1) Stage 6: Test, Allies, Enemies

It is the step where the readers will feel a vicarious sense of pleasure, for some challenges will be met by the hero. No matter how talented the hero is, he will be a freshman again in this new world. In this occasion the hero’s character is developed as having stayed in the big wide and strange world. He may struggle against a bad weather and terrain, and must be confronting a new difficult series of trials/ challenges.

This stage has some characteristics. First, there’s a drastic contrast atmosphere to the former world. Second, this stage is dominated by the villain or the hero that may encounter the shadow. Third, there are many traps, barricades or anything that put the hero in dangerous line. Fourth, there is a new rule that the hero must adapt. Fifth, usually there’s a watering hole, it could be bars or saloons. This bar usually appears after the hero passed through some trials in the first threshold. It is a place to play other activities like gambling, flirting, and music (Vogler, 2007: 139-140)

The function of this stage is testing the hero, putting him through series of trials in order to prepare him for some greater challenges ahead. Another function is making allies or team in which the hero figure out other characters who can be

trusted, who cannot, and who have special skills or qualities to support him in the trials. The bitter experience for the hero in this step is that he may find the enemies and rival or may encounter the shadow (Vogler, 2007: 135-140)

2) Stage 7: Approach to the Inmost Cave

Approach to the inmost cave is the stage when heroes step on the way they will encounter supreme terror in another mysterious zone. At this point, the hero makes final preparation before he meets the central ordeal of the adventure. Another threshold must be crossed here to enter the innermost cave. In this way, no help may be found and only the one who has deep courage will pass it. However, it will show that the hero is still ordinary human who faces death but with a wiser personality, he still goes on. Thus, it leads the readers to feel the tension before the high point of the story. In this case, Vogler (2007: 143) argues that:

On the way they find another mysterious zone with its own Threshold Guardians, agendas, and tests. This is the Approach to the Inmost Cave, where soon they will encounter supreme wonder and terror. It's time to make final preparations for the central ordeal of the adventure. Heroes at this point are like mountaineers who have raised themselves to a base camp by the labors of Testing, and are about to make the final assault on the highest peak.

In some stories, the hero recklessly moves forward to the door of the cave confidently and demands to be let in. Whereas the hero delayed by some obstacles, uses that time to listen his fellow’s adventures and to learn his hopes and dreams. The other heroes may use that time to prepare or to make plans, reorganized the group, arm themselves, make a last laugh or final cigarette,

develop or to get in romantic moment before deal with the central event (Vogler, 2007: 144).

When the hero steps closely to the inmost cave, he is actually entering into shaman’s territory on the edge between life and death. They face the complication and higher stakes when the hero is trapped onto the cave. Although they can find the breakthrough or the solution, still they are close to death because there is no way to exit. They are blocked in all direction by the guardian. Thus, that brings the heroes to the supreme ordeal (Vogler, 2007: 143-52)

3) Stage 8: Ordeal

Ultimately, this is the stage that the heroes, who are still trapped in the inmost cave, encounter the greatest challenge and face their deepest fear, typically in battle with the dark villain. This time is the heart of the body of the story in which the heroes show their heroic quality and the time on which the magic power is shown. The readers/ audiences may feel scared for the heroes, and may be terrified that they might fail or die.

In this ordeal, death and rebirth become the part of the stage. Vogler (2007: 155-56) states that the heroes must die so that they can be reborn. When heroes face death, they magically survive from death and symbolically are reborn for the consequence of having unfair death. Meanwhile, they are passed the main test of being a hero. The impact of this rebirth, generally the heroes will change or transform, at least of their inner personality.

The ordeal or supreme ordeal actually is the crisis, but not the climax. The climax generally happens in act three, ordinary world after the special world. The

crisis or supreme ordeal is the main or central event of the story in the act two (special world). In addition, the placement of the crisis or Ordeal depends on the needs of the story and the tastes of the storyteller. There are two kinds of crisis, they are central crisis and delayed crisis. Central crisis is the most common pattern where the death and rebirth moment appear in the middle of the story. While, delayed crisis comes near the end of act two (Vogler, 2007: 155-58)

4) Stage 9: Reward

It is the period in which the hero is recognized or rewarded for having survived from death or of a great ordeal. At this time, Heroes may have a party or barbecue in which they cook and consume some of the fruits of victory. Vogler also called this part of the journey as “Seizing the Sword”. It is because generally some heroes often aggressively take possession of whatever being sought in the Special World.

In defeating the enemy, the hero is transformed into a new state where fears are vanquished and the new fearless person is born. The reward in the story may be gaining new knowledge, a treasure or rescuing a princess, but the inner reward is in the personal growth that is achieved (Vogler, 2007: 175-84).

c. Act 3 (Ordinary world - Return)

This part marks the decision to continue the rest of the journey or to return to the ordinary world, for the hero begins to deal with the consequences of facing the biggest challenge in the Ordeal. Another test or danger and temptation may be ahead but at this moment the hero just decides to go out from the special world to

other place or to back home in the Ordinary World. This last passage is divided into three stages; they are stage 10 to stage 12.

1) Stage 10: The Road Back

A consequence of confronting “the dark forces of the ordeal” is bringing the hero crossing into act three. it means this stage is the moment after the hero reached the main peak of the act two -in which he has transformed himself into new personality and celebrated his victory by gaining reward and new knowledge- he then has summon the rest of the journey. This stage is the best moment, for after the hero disturbed by experience of death and rebirth of the ordeal; he recollects again his intention to pursuing what Vogler call as “the road back”. By realizing that the realm of the special world must eventually be left behind, the hero undertakes the responsibility to finish the journey. However, he is aware that there are still dangers, test and temptations ahead (Vogler, 2007: 17).

In most stories, although the special world looks more attractive, its heroes choose to leave the zone of special world. Some heroes return back to their own home in the ordinary world and other heroes are continuing the journey to other new places. The term “the road back” could means returning to the starting point, going back home to the ordinary world, or continuing on the journey to ultimate destination which can be a totally new area.

In the process of this stage, when the hero is returning or continuing the journey, he must implement the lessons he has learned in the special world. This can be difficult as no one believe that the hero has experience of escaping from death. He may fear that the wisdom and magic of the ordeal may disappear or

become less by the harsh of activities that he conducted ahead (Vogler, 2007: 189).

2) Stage 11: Resurrection

This stage is the trickiest and most challenging passages for the hero. This is the additional moment of death and rebirth similar to the supreme ordeal. However, this stage is the climax not the crisis and as the last and most dangerous meeting with death. The Resurrection may be a physical Ordeal, or final showdown between hero and shadow; however, the sign of the Road Back has been set. Thus, the hero must now prove that he has achieved Heroic Status and willingly accept his sacrifice for the benefit of the Ordinary World (Vogler, 2007: 197-98)

3) Stage 12: Return with the Elixir

The Return with the Elixir is the final Reward which is deserved because of what heroes have done or experienced on the journey. This stage is presenting that hero’s journey ends and he brings back the elixir from the current adventure, but the quest to implement the lesson still goes on. The hero has been resurrected, purified and has earned the rights to be accepted back into the ordinary world and share the elixir. The elixir can be a great treasure or magic potion. It could be love, wisdom, or simply the experience of surviving the special world. The hero may show the benefit of the Elixir, using it to heal a physical or emotional wound, or accomplish tasks that had been feared in the Ordinary World. In most tales, the Return with the Elixir completes the cycle of this particular Journey. Story lines

have been resolved, balance has been restored to the ordinary World, and the Hero may now embark on a new life (Vogler, 2007: 215-26).

5. Intrinsic Elements of Narrative

In narrative such as novel, there are intrinsic elements that give the readers information related to the presented story. The information are essential since they are the means of analysing a story. In this chapter, the intrinsic elements that are used to answer the problems of the research are explained. They are plot and setting.

a. Plot

Plot is the patterns of events that influence the reader’s emotion and thoughts. According to Diyanni (2000: 44), “Plot, the action element in fiction, is the arrangement of events that make up a story”. It means that the structure of actions or incidents which is presented through plot keeps the story rolling.

Plot can be divided into three categories: forward plot, flash back plot, and jumping plot. A forward plot is the plot of which incidents of the story are arranged in order. A flash back plot is the plot that tells a story from the end backs to the events that happen previously. A jumping plot is the plot that retells some part of story forward but in quite some time is cut and revealed back to the situation just happened.

There are phases or types of plot: exposition or introduction, rising actions or conflict, complication, climax, and resolution. Each phase is characterized by the tension level of the actions or incidents.

“typical fictional plots begin with an exposition that provides background information we need to make sense of the action, describes the setting, and introduces that major characters; these plots develop a series of complications or intensifications of the conflict that lead to a crisis or moment of great tension. The conflict may reach a climax or turning point, a moment of greater tension that fixes the outcome; then, the action falls off as the plot’s complications are sorted out and resolved (the resolution or denouement)” (Diyanni, 2000: 44-45).

The quotation above can be inferred that a story has a structure or arrangement of linear sequence of events which is divided into some phases that each of them is characterized by its role in developing the story's conflict. It is also characterized by the level of tension.

1) Exposition or Introduction

Exposition is the starting point of narrative providing information about the main characters and their environments in narrative. Diyanni (2000: 44) called it as a very common fictional plot that start with exposition including background information of the action, setting, the introduction of the main characters.

2) Rising action or Conflict

Conflict is the dilemma, problem or clash of desire between the protagonist and antagonist character or between the positive and negative thought from the main character. Diyanni (2000: 45) argues that the conflict is the battle between against potencies of which problem gets commonly solved by the end of narrative. A conflict can be internal or external. Internal conflict refers to the main character himself who is experiencing a clash, while external conflict refers to a clash between two sides: person and person, person and nature, or between groups

3) Complication

Complication is part of a story in which a problem gets complicated and a problem between the antagonist and the protagonist gets worst. Complication also refers to a development of plot or “intensifications of the conflict that lead to a crisis or moment of greatest tension” (Diyanni, 2000: 45).

4) Climax

Climax is the peak of the story. In this phase, the greatest incident happens and the last effect has to be accepted. Diyanni (2000: 49) defines the climax as the uppermost pressure between the protagonist and the antagonist in which a last effect is obtained.

5) Resolution

Resolution is the end of the story in which the troubles do not appear anymore. According to Diyanni (2000: 53) Resolution refers to the last effect that is necessary to take.

b. Setting

Setting is the background information of story that supports the idea of story. Setting is the general locale, historical time, and social circumstances in which its action occurs; the setting of an episode or scene within a work is the particular location in which it takes place. According to Diyanni (2000: 61) setting deals with vision, scene, noise, colors, and dialect that make the story seems real. Setting is divided into place and time. Place is a setting that refers to

physical surrounding like environtment in which the main character is introduced. Time is a setting that refers to a certain time in story like hour, year, or century in story.

B. Review of Previous Related Research Findings

Many researches in literary studies are related to archetypes and mythologies, especially the archetypes of hero’s journey. It makes this topic too large to be discussed. Prominent literary works from Paulo Coelho’s quest story The Alchemist provides the characteristics that could be the source of evidences to encourage that topic. Those are some related previous researches that deal with the archetypal hero’s journey and have similar object with this research. The researcher selected these sources based on the fact that they either deal with Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist or the archetypes of hero’s journey.

Lily Hasanah (2008) studied the process of decision making in Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist. This student of English department from university of Airlangga conducted the research with the aims to examine Santiago’s experiences in dealing with his dilemmas and the process of decision making. The result of her research is that Santiago’s decision making is based on his subjectivity. Santiago is able to overcome his dilemmas. Although he listens to the community’s opinion, still he makes his own consideration in the process of making decision. Her research entitled Decision Making in Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist employs Soren Kierkegaard’s theory on mechanism of existentialism.

In a research conducted by Julia Boll (2011) the topic of the archetypes of hero’s journey is presented. Her research entitled Harry Potter’s Archetypal Journey (Heroism in the Harry Potter Series, Berndt/ Steveker, eds) has the aim to explore the narrative structure underlying J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter heptalogy. The study suggests that this heptalogy follows the model of the Monomyth of hero’s journey not only as a basic pattern for the whole story line, but also for each individual volume. Her work is published by Ashgate publisher and focuses on archetypal and myth theory. Julia Boll relies on Joseph Campbell’s The hero with a Thousand Faces and Carl Gustav Jung’s psychological archetypes. She found that the novel series apply the original form of hero’s journey through the cycle of Separation- Initiation- Return. Meanwhile, the characters of the novel take on the roles of different Jungian archetypes.

The last related research study is conducted by Gatricya Rahman, a former student of Yogyakarta State University. Her research (2014) has the aim to reveal the archetypes of hero and hero’s journey in The Complete Grimm’s Fairy Tales and uncovers the literary methods used to reveal those archetypes. Through her research entitled The Archetypes of Hero and Hero’s Journey in Five Grimm’s Fairy Tales, she found that there are four archetypes of hero in the tales. Then, there are mainly eleven stages among twelve stages of the archetypes of hero’s journey found in the tales. The last result, the archetypes of hero are mainly revealed by character revelation, mostly through actions and speeches, the archetypes of hero’s journey are presented through plot and setting of time and place.

From the related researches above, the researcher generates some assumptions relating to her own research and the use of previous researches as a part of research writing process. From the first research conducted by Lily Hasanah, the sequential data collected on the research is helpful in tracking the tragedies or events that Santiago has undertook. However, Hasanah did not include various research methods and in-depth reading observations. Actually, using additional methods in revealing the finding can give more authentic result. Anyhow, Hasanah’s research gives understanding to the researcher that the hero in Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist can be investigated not only in his journey but also in his process of decision making in dealing with his dilemma.

Julia Boll’s research includes all of the series of the novel (not just individual volume of the series since focus on the entire series serve the chronological order of the whole story line). Yet, she is only relying on the literary theory instead of adding with others approach and method. Actually, employing additional method or approach in the research can prove that the finding is more authentic.

Gatricya Rahman’s research employs children literature fiction that is Grim’s fairy tales in investigating the archetypes of hero and the structure of the archetypes of hero’s journey. In this case, the researcher postulates that the archetypes of hero’s journey do not only emerge from one literature genre, like Children literature, but also from others literature genres like quest, adventure, or fantasy. For this reason, archetype of hero’s journey could be found from multiple sources of literature genre.

After examining the findings and considering the strengths and weaknesses of the previous researches above, the researcher firmly nominates a quest or an adventure book The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho for her research. The researcher agrees with Julia Boll to analyse the narrative structure of the novel focusing on the archetype of hero’s journey by exploring the stages or patterns in the cycle of Separation-Initiation-Return. In this research, the researcher relies on Vogler’s theory of mythic structure especially the stages of the archetypes of hero’s journey. The researcher also agrees with Gatricya in using structuralism to get deeper analysis in displaying the archetypes of hero’s journey.

C. Paulo Coelho and The Alchemist

Paulo Coelho is one of the most influential authors in literary work industry. He was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in August 1947. His middle class household predisposed him to bury his dream on artistic career. Nevertheless, in Jesuit school he discovered his true vocation to be a writer. Before Coelho becomes a writer and dedicates his life to literature, he ever worked as Journalist, lyricist, and involved with a theatre group as director. Unfortunately, his parents forbade him and had another plan for him. His parents saw Coelho’s desire of writing as a sign of mental illness and brought him to mental institution (Coelho, 1993: 193).

In 1968, Brazil was ruled by a repressive military regime. In that time, Paulo participated in Guerilla, a hippie organization, in order to spread love and peace. This experience encouraged him to travel all over Latin America, seeking

experience of spirituality. Then, he worked in theatre and journalism again and successfully launched an alternative magazine called 2011. Besides, he collaborated with music producer Raul Seixas as a lyricist. He joined an organization that defended the individual’s right to free expression, namely Alternative Society. As a member of that organization, he published a series of comic strips about freedom.

His passion on writing predisposed him to keep on writing, but he didn’t start seriously until he had an encounter with a stranger. The stranger suggested that Coelho should return to Catholicism, and encouraged him to take the pilgrim’s route in the Road of Santiago de Compostela. A year after completing the pilgrimage, in 1987, Coelho wrote The Pilgrimage; Diary of Magus. A year later, Coelho wrote The Alchemist (Coelho, 1993: 195). Now, in his biography cited in Paulo Coelho Blog, Paulo Coelho is a Messenger of Peace for the UN, Ambassador of European Union for Intercultural Dialogue for the year of 2008, Member of the Board of the Shimon Peres Institute for Peace, UNESCO special counsellor for “Intercultural Dialogues and Spiritual Convergences”, Board Member of the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, and Member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters.

Besides The Pilgrimage: Diary of Magus (1987) and The Alchemist (1988), his other works are Hell Archives (1982), Veronika Decides to Die (1998), Practical Manual of Vampirism (1985), Brida (1990), The Valkyries (1992), By the river Piedra I sat Down and Wept (1994), the collection of his best columns published in the Brazilian newspaper Folha de São Paulo entitled

Maktub (1994), the compilation of texts Phrases (1995), The Fifth Mountain (1996), Manual of a Warrior of Light (1997), The Devil and Miss Prym (2000), the compilation of traditional tales in Stories for parents, children and grandchildren (2001), Eleven Minutes (2003), The Zahir (2005), The Witch of Portobello (2006) and a compilation of texts gathered under the title Like a Flowing River (2006). Those writings are published in a few countries for the moment.

The Alchemist itself cited in Guinness World Record becomes one of the best-selling books in history. This prominent novel is translated into English by Alan R. Clarke in consultation with Paulo Coelho. This novel has been translated into 73 languages and has sold more than 135 million copies in 168 countries. It has received several international awards such as the Nielsen Gold Book Award 2004 for its outstanding sales in the UK retail market, the Corine International Award 2002 for the best fiction in Germany, the Golden Book Award 1995 and 1996 in Yugoslavia, the Super Grinzane Cavour Book Award and Flaiano International Award 1996 in Italy, and the Grand Prix Litteraire of Elle 1995 in France. According to the official website of BBC, this novel recorded as the 94th in the BBC's Big Read Top 100 in April 2003.

As the author of The Alchemist Paulo Coelho is fully appreciated. Many reviewers acclaim the novel on the website and novel’s cover. One of the reviews is stated by Indiana Polis (USA) that The Alchemist is a touching, inspiring fable. Kenzaburo Oe, Nobel Prize of Literature, states that Paulo Coelho knows the secret of literary Alchemy.

The Alchemist is one of Coelho’s works that presents the structure of hero’s quest in its narrative, and which is much influenced by the author’ life journey. The structure of hero’s quest is portrayed through Santiago, the main character of The Alchemist who undertakes a quest to search for treasure. The hero of the novel likewise Coelho, has met up with a stranger before he undertakes the journey. In addition, Santiago’s experiences in the novel represent Coelho’s attempts in achieving his quest. The researcher, hereby, believes that a quest story like The Alchemist not only represents its author’s life journey but also so many people’s journeys in their lives. Cited in the introduction of the novel, some well-known figures like President Clinton and an artist Hollywood Julia Roberts have read it declaring that they adored the novel because of Santiago’s journey represent human’s processes to achieve the goal. The novel tells the readers to do not give up on their dreams.

Santiago’s journey to comply the quest is an interesting subject of discussion since it relates and exposes a universal model of hero’s quest structure or what is called the archetypes of hero’s journey. Therefore, Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist is worth to be researched.

D. Conceptual Framework

This research based on myth and archetype studies. The topic of this research is to explore and to demonstrate the archetypes of hero’s journey in a quest narrative entitled The Alchemist. Carl Gustav Jung’s idea of archetypes, Joseph Campbell’s theory of The Monomyth, and the conception of quest within

heart was heavy, and he had been melancholy since the previous night. To continue his search for the treasure meant that he had to abandon Fatima. "I'm going to guide you across the desert," the alchemist said.

Fatima.

8. Supreme Ordeal

138-139

“The sun was setting when the boy's heart sounded a danger signal. They were surrounded by gigantic dunes, and the boy looked at the alchemist to see whether he had sensed anything. But he appeared to be unaware of any danger. Five minutes later, the boy saw two horsemen waiting ahead of them. Before he could say anything to the alchemist, the two horsemen had become ten, and then a hundred. And then they were everywhere in the dunes. They were tribesmen dressed in blue, with black rings surrounding their turbans. Their faces were hidden behind blue veils, with only their eyes showing. Even from a distance, their eyes conveyed the strength of their souls. And their eyes spoke of death”

Santiago suddenly gets a danger signal from his heart. He is sure enough that he and the alchemist are surrounded by a hundred tribesmen. Santiago is right. The atmosphere and tone represent how the realm of the tribal war is appropriate enough to be categorized as the “inmost cave” of the ordeal.

Plot- Complicatio n

(Suspense) Setting time and place

147 "I'm not afraid of failing. It's just that I don't know how to turn myself into the wind."

"Then you'll die in the midst of trying to realize your destiny. That's a lot better than dying like

Santiago faces the ordeal. The great challenge in the ordeal is that Santiago must turn himself to the wind,

Plot- Complicatio n

millions of other people, who never even knew what their destinies were (Coelho, 1993: 142). "I heard what you were talking about the other day with the alchemist," the wind said. "He said that everything has its own destiny. But people can't turn themselves into the wind."

"Just teach me to be the wind for a few moments," the boy said. "So you and I can talk about the limitless possibilities of people and the winds"

otherwise he will be killed by the tribesmen. Santiago asks the wind for help. The wind is curious, but doesn't know how to turn him into the wind.

9. Seizing the Reward

152-153

“The boy reached through to the Soul of the World, and saw that it was a part of the Soul of God. And he saw that the Soul of God was his own soul. And that he, a boy, could perform miracles.”

“When the simum ceased to blow, everyone looked to the place where the boy had been. But he was no longer there; he was standing next to a sand-covered sentinel, on the far side of the camp.” “The men were terrified at his sorcery. But there were two people who were smiling: the alchemist, because he had found his perfect disciple, and the chief, because that disciple had understood the glory of God. The following day, the general bade the boy and the alchemist farewell, and provided them with an escort party to accompany them as far

The reward Santiago has got is that he enables to learn the lesson of the universal language. Santiago prays as reaching through to the soul of the world. He realizes that his soul is that of God and that he can do miracles. Once the storm dies, the camp has almost been destroyed, and Santiago has been transported far to the other side of where it used to be. the second reward is that he is accompanied by the escort

Plot-Complicatio n

Setting time and place

as they chose” party or some armed guards to help him on his way to achieve the safe area.

10 The Road Back

159-61

The boy rode along through the desert for several hours, listening avidly to what his heart had to say.…But here he was, at the point of finding his treasure, and he reminded himself that no project is completed until its objective has been achieved

At the moment of searching the treasure in the Pyramids, Santiago once again practices the lesson of the universal language by listening his heart and learning the omen.

Plot- Complicatio n

159-61

…It was his heart that would tell him where his treasure was hidden. "Where your treasure is, there also will be your heart," the alchemist had told him. As he was about to climb yet another dune, his heart whispered, "Be aware of the place where you are brought to tears. That's where I am, and that's where your treasure is."

The boy looked at the sands around him, and saw that, where his tears had fallen, a scarab beetle was scuttling through the sand. During his time in the desert, he had learned that, in Egypt, the scarab beetles are a symbol of God

Santiago has already known about how to listen to his heart and read the omen. Santiago rides to the pyramids. There, his heart tells him that wherever he is brought to is the place where his treasure is. Moreover, he gets new omen of a scarab beetle. At that moment everything seems clear and the good circumstance appears to support him.

Plot- Complicatio n

Setting- time and place

62 encountered, he heard footsteps. Several figures approached him. Their backs were to the moonlight, and the boy could see neither their eyes nor their faces.”

“They made the boy continue digging, but he found nothing. As the sun rose, the men began to beat the boy. He was bruised and bleeding, his clothing was torn to shreds, and he felt that death was near”

personality which he can understand the language of the world so that he can interpret the man’s dream.

Climax

12. Return with Elixir

162-163

But before they left, he came back to the boy and said, "You're not going to die. You'll live, and you'll learn that a man shouldn't be so stupid. Two years ago, right here on this spot, I had a recurrent dream, too. I dreamed that I should travel to the fields of Spain and look for a ruined church where shepherds and their sheep slept. In my dream, there was a sycamore growing out of the ruins of the sacristy, and I was told that, if I dug at the roots of the sycamore, I would find a hidden treasure. But I'm not so stupid as to cross an entire desert just because of a recurrent dream." And they disappeared. The boy stood up shakily, and looked once more at the Pyramids. They seemed to laugh at him, and he laughed back, his heart bursting with joy. Because now he knew where his treasure was.

In the end of the story, the truth is revealed, there is no treasure that is burried or hiden in the Pyramid. The man (The Arabian who is the opposite character at the last story) tells Santiago not to be so stupid, for, the man also has dreamed of a treasure when he sleep at the Pyramid. The dream told the man to go to the ruined church in Spain and to dig at the roots of a sycamore tree.

Plot- Falling Action and Resoltuin Setting- Time and place

SURAT PERNYATAAN

Yang bertanda tangan di bawah ini:

Nama : Indra Budi Prabowo

NIM : 08211144030

Program Studi: Bahasa dan Sastra Inggris

Fakultas : Bahasa dan Seni

menyatakan telah melakukan triangulasi data dalam penelitian yang telah dilakukan oleh mahasiswa bernama Sri Wahyuni dengan judul “The Archetypes of Hero’s Journey in Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist”.

Apabila terbukti pernyataan ini tidak benar, hal ini sepenuhnya menjadi tanggung jawab saya.

Yogyakarta, 31 Desember 2015

SURAT PERNYATAAN

Yang bertanda tangan di bawah ini:

Nama : Windy Riyanti

NIM : 08211144001

Program Studi: Bahasa dan Sastra Inggris

Fakultas : Bahasa dan Seni

menyatakan telah melakukan triangulasi data dalam penelitian yang telah dilakukan oleh mahasiswa bernama Sri Wahyuni dengan judul “The Archetypes of Hero’s Journey in Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist”.

Apabila terbukti pernyataan ini tidak benar, hal ini sepenuhnya menjadi tanggung jawab saya.

Yogyakarta, 31 Desember 2015