An Archetype Interpretation of Song of Solomon

Abstract

Song of Solomon is the third novel of Nobel Prize winner, Toni Morrison. It is the only black male initiation novel in Morrison’s work. Once the novel was issued, it has received extensive attention and laid the foundation for Morrison as a black female writer. Whether from the value of the author or the novel itself, both of them are valuable. In the novel, there are a large number of character archetypes and thematic archetypes. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze the novel from the aspect of the Archetype Theory.

This thesis has four parts. The first part mainly introduces the author and the work, including the author's life experience and writing features, as well as the introduction to novel’s theme and plot. The second part summarizes the definition and the representative figures in the development of the Archetype Theory. The third part carries on the archetype analysis to the main characters in the novel, mainly including the two male figures and two female figures. The fourth part analyzes the motif archetypes in the novel, which are the archetypes of flight and quest.

Through above analyses, this thesis leads the readers to understand the significance of Archetype Theory from the aspect of theory and practice, tries to introduce the status quo of the black, and uses the successful experience of protagonist to enlighten the people who are in weakness to learn how to do the choices. In addition, this thesis always wants to stress the importance of culture. The black who are out the edge of the mainstream culture can only find the freedom through sticking to his own national culture, which hints the new generation to realize the significance of national consciousness and self-identity in his or her life way, 

Key words： Song of Solomon; Archetype Theory; Toni Morrison; Flight; Quest