An archetype is a universal symbol. It is also a term from the criticism that accepts Jung's idea of recurring patterns of situation, character, or symbol existing universally and instinctively in the collective unconscious of man. Archetypes come in three categories: images (symbols), characters, and situations. Feelings are provoked about a certain subject by archetypes. The use of the images of water, sunsets, and circles set the scene of the movie. Characters, including the temptress, the devil figure, and the trickster, contribute to the movie's conflicts that the hero must overcome in order to reach his dream. However, to reach his dream, the hero must also go through many situations such as, the fall, dealing with the unhealable wound, and the task. By using

Archetypal imagery in this movie is abundant, but the most obvious and repetitive archetypes are those of water, sunsets, and circles. Prior to Roy Hobb's, the hero's, arrival to the major league, the coach, Pop, comments, "Wouldn't you think I could get a fresh drink of water after all the years that I have been in this game." At this point in the game, his team is losing miserably and Roy's arrival only seems to make the situation worse because his first impression is an overage rookie. When Roy finally gets a chance to prove himself as a ball player and does, the water from the fountain begins to taste good. The water changing from bad to good shows a birth for the team. Since water is necessary for growth, it also symbolizes a growth stage for the team from the worst to a competitor. Roy appears to be "the fresh drink of water" that Pop has been wanting.

The situations that Roy faces become the challenges he conquers to achieve his dream of being the best. The archetypal fall, is a descent form a higher to a lower state of being. Roy's fall from an up and rising ball player to an unknown man occurs when Harriet Byrd attempts his murder, but ends up only giving him a stomach wound. Roy cannot play ball after suffering a wound like that. His innocence his lost as the bullet enters his body. However, Roy does overcome his fall when he returns to the game.

The archetypal definition of a circle is wholeness and unity and that is exactly what shines through in the baseball team. Because baseball is the only sport where the runner ends up at the same place he started, thus making a complete circle, the team experiences it daily and more than anyone else. Roy is the missing link to form the circle. The team uses teamwork throughout the movie, therefore showing unity amongst themselves. Also, the movie begins with Roy's playing ball in a field with his dad, and ends with him playing ball in a field with his son. This shows Roy's journey as a circle, which shows wholeness of his soul. In the beginning, he is very thirsty for fame, but in the end, he is complacent.

Roy's task is to identify himself so

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Approximate Word count = 1438
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)