Examples Of Archetypes In Big Fish

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Throughout Big Fish, there were many archetypes used to show the underlying meaning of the film. Archetypal symbols, characters, and the archetypal Romance plot were evident in the story. Through the use of these archetypes, the viewer realizes that Edward Bloom is the Big Fish and the movie is the story of his journey to be free. Big Fish contains many archetypal symbols with a deeper meaning than what meets the eye. The most prominent archetype in this movie is, as the title suggests, the big fish. In mythology, a fish represents divine creation and life. The fish’s large size is also indicative of its power and importance. Edward Bloom personifies the big fish; he brought life to everyone he came across through his interesting and inspiring…show more content…
In Edward’s adventures, he personifies the archetypal hero. He shows exceptional courage throughout his life, such as when he escapes from Vietnam to reunite with his wife. He stands up to the giant in Ashton and also saves the town of Spectre by buying and rebuilding it. Edward does not perform all his heroic acts alone; he is assisted by archetypal helpers. For example, the ringmaster helps Edward meet Sandra Templeton by revealing to him her identity. Later on, the Vietnamese conjoined twins help him escape back to America to be with his now-wife Sandra. These are one-dimensional characters that exist only to further the hero’s story. Another example of an archetypal character is Sandra Templeton, the soul mate. Upon seeing her, Edward instantly falls in love and knows he will marry her. He goes to great lengths to find her and attempts to prove his love by writing “I love you” in every possible location and planting a Daffodil garden for her. He takes a beating from her ex-boyfriend before she agrees to marry him and though he has the opportunity to cheat on her later in life, he never does. These archetypal characters are essential to understand the archetypal plot of Big
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