Archetypal Theory

As Cheryl Strayed continues to hike the PCT, she meets many new people who help her in her journey. She meets this man named Greg. As an archetypal character, Greg would be the mentor or teacher. This is because he taught her about the wildlife and strategies she could use on her adventure. An example of this is when Greg gives Cheryl a “shiny feather, about a foot long, so black it shone blue in the sun” (Strayed, 112). Someone later tells her that this feather represents good luck, Greg giving her this item means he cares about her and wants to best for her. Greg also teaches her how to use the ice pick, which she will need for her survival later in the book.

Other people helped Strayed out throughout this portion of the book, like Christine, the college girls, a car of 5 men, and Trina and Stacy. In an archetypal perspective, I would represent all these characters as helpers. They helped Strayed in small ways, that added up to help increase her chance of survival, some of these things were food, water, shelters, car rides and directions.

Another archetypal character in the book, is Strayed as the hero and the wild one. She has been through so much but she continues to fight through all the barriers. She has many opportunities to turn around and give up, and yet she has pushed through those thoughts and stayed. These thoughts, to give up, have motivated her to keep pushing through. A quote she said at the end of the second part of the book, truly shows her heroic nature and the fact she wants to do it alone, “Because the point of my trip is that I’m out here to do it alone.” (Strayed, 122). Being alone on the trail takes a lot of bravery. In this book, I see Cheryl as an inspiration for those who are unable to push through, she has made it through so many barriers and yet here she is still going.

Looking at Greg as a teacher character, I can connect him to another teacher from the television show Glee, his name is Mr. Schuester. Mr. Schuester is also an archetypal teacher, where he is a positive force in the “hero’s” life, in this case his actual students. A mentor/teacher character is usually an expert, wants to help the hero out, and is a positive force in the hero’s life. I think that both these characters show these characteristics I have listed. Greg is an expert on the trail, and he gives his expertise to Strayed to help her out, he also has a positive effect on her life, which is helping her learn how to live on the trail. Mr. Schuester is an expert at show choir and singing, and he helps to students use singing to cope with the problems in their lives, he also is wise in the way that he helps them fix the problems in their lives. They both have a positive effect on the hero character(s).

The main character, Cheryl Strayed, is the “hero”. I think that throughout the rest of the book, she will start to develop into a mentor for other newbies on the trial. I think that once she has “found her old self”, she will use this discovery to live her life the way she really wants to. Once this happens I do not think she will live by anyone else’s rules, except her own.

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