So I've noticed I tend to read books and watch movies that have some kind of love story in them and have some kind of prince charming. In attempt to write about something different I've chosen to analyze and find some archetypes in the classic story "A Bug's Life."
Every year, a bunch of grasshoppers come to the anthill and eat what the ants have gathered for them. The "offering", as the ants call the ritual, is a part of their fate. Flik, un-liked inventor ant is always coming up with new inventions and ideas to help his colony, but they never work and just cause many downfalls. His last invention causes him to accidentally drops the whole offered seeds into the river. The furious grasshoppers come and give the ants a second chance to collect food until fall. Flik sets off to find bugs that are willing to fight the grasshoppers to try and fix what he has done. Being that Flik makes so many mistakes no one believes he can help save his colony. Right here Flik is demonstrated as an anti-hero, as his failures become humorous and a joke to the other ants because he is immature and cannot be taken seriously. Later on Flik thinks he has succeeded with a new invention to help save his colony but like the rest fails. Embarrassed that he let his colony down, he leaves with the bugs he brought to help save the colony. Dot, the one ant who had always believed in him catches up to Flik to try and bring him back. Flik then realizes that all he needs is bravery and courage to stand up and fight against the Grasshoppers. This shows the heroic qualities transcendent and warrior Flik has. This unique story is a great example of a hero on a journey to save his people or in this case fellow ants and rid the land of danger (the Grasshoppers).
Do any other archetypes apply? Are there elements of the hero's journey? Anti-hero's journey? Make more obvious connections between the texts you are examining and the archetypes you are seeing.
ReplyDeleteFlik does follow the elemnets of a heros journey. I stage 1 Flik is called to adventure primarily from wanting to fix his own mistakes and prove to his colony that he is a hero. In stage Flik goes in to a new more dangerous world to look for warrior bugs to help fight of the grasshoppers. Flick journey also shares some of the same elements from stage 4 when he changes emotinally and gives up on himself and looses hope. Then after Dot comes to talk to Flik and tells him the same thing he told her, he gains his confidence back again. This where stage 5 starts where Flik uses this wisdom of his own to restore the land and save his colony.
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