Archetypal Criticism Essay, Research Paper

Archetypal Criticism: Joshua In the many stories of the Bible, one of the most acclaimed heroes is Joshua. To most he is known for his heroic actions at the battle of Jericho. But in reality, Joshua displays many archetypes of a hero like many other in the Bible. Archetype is the idea that recurring patterns in different assemblies exist universally and instinctively in the collective unconscious of man. One situation archetype exhibited in Joshua is the quest. The quest is the hero s main mission, the search for someone or something, that when found will restore peace and tranquility to a desolate or forgotten place. Joshua s quest is to conquer land for god s people. So continually throughout the book Joshua is taking huge chunks of land which will be divided among the clans of Israelites. Another Archetypal situation is the task. The task is what the hero must complete to wind the fair lady, save the kingdom, and identify himself so that he may reassume his rightful position. In the book Joshua, Joshua has many tasks. His tasks are to defeat the kingdoms of those who do not conform to God s will. But somewhere during his wide array of tasks is Joshua s downfall. He was consistently winning battles and gaining confidence, and then he lost a seemingly un-important battle because one man had disobeyed God. Although not too terribly bad of a fall, it definitely threw a road block in the road.

One last situation archetype exemplified in Joshua is supernatural intervention. This is where gods or goddesses play an important role in either helping the hero or hurting him. God played a humongous role in Joshua s life. Almost every time Joshua went to the battlefield he was already assured an unquestionable win over his adversaries. Joshua s story proves that having God on your side is the best way to be. These are some of the situation archetypes that occur in the book of Joshua.