Page 175 - Šolsko polje, XXVIII, 2017, no. 3-4: Education and the American Dream, ed. Mitja Sardoč
P. 175
. gutman ■ the morphological and archetypal traces in the american dream
In conclusion, 6 distinctive paired functions can be defined: as shown
on the Fig. 1, the typical paired functions featured in American Dream
stories are: (i) [Absentation] → [Violation of Interdiction]; (ii) [Mediation]
→ [Beginning Counteraction]; (iii) [Departure] → [First Function of the
Donor]; (iv) [Struggle] → [Victory]; (v) [Difficult Task] → [Solution]; and
(vi) [Victory] → [Recognition].
Fig. 1: The narrative functions and pairs of functions based on the bio-
graphical data of 6 well-known personalities. Each biography is repre-
sented by the media as a typical American Dream story.
The Archetypal Structure
Another meaningful layer is to be considered in addition to the narrative
structure, which is forming a solid fabric of the American Dream, as al-
ready shown in the examples above. The distinct features of each character
imply that the American Dream is additionally governed by an archetyp-
al structure of a hero. Key findings of Jungian deep analytical psychology
can be used here to understand the power of symbolism and to revive the
theory of archetypes in contemporary cultural contexts.
First, it is worth noting that Jung struggled with a precise defini-
tion of an archetype. There has been a lot of conceptual confusion around
this notion, mainly due to its elusive nature (Jung, 1995: p. 75); an arche-
173
In conclusion, 6 distinctive paired functions can be defined: as shown
on the Fig. 1, the typical paired functions featured in American Dream
stories are: (i) [Absentation] → [Violation of Interdiction]; (ii) [Mediation]
→ [Beginning Counteraction]; (iii) [Departure] → [First Function of the
Donor]; (iv) [Struggle] → [Victory]; (v) [Difficult Task] → [Solution]; and
(vi) [Victory] → [Recognition].
Fig. 1: The narrative functions and pairs of functions based on the bio-
graphical data of 6 well-known personalities. Each biography is repre-
sented by the media as a typical American Dream story.
The Archetypal Structure
Another meaningful layer is to be considered in addition to the narrative
structure, which is forming a solid fabric of the American Dream, as al-
ready shown in the examples above. The distinct features of each character
imply that the American Dream is additionally governed by an archetyp-
al structure of a hero. Key findings of Jungian deep analytical psychology
can be used here to understand the power of symbolism and to revive the
theory of archetypes in contemporary cultural contexts.
First, it is worth noting that Jung struggled with a precise defini-
tion of an archetype. There has been a lot of conceptual confusion around
this notion, mainly due to its elusive nature (Jung, 1995: p. 75); an arche-
173
