A Woman's Quest

THE STORY

by Jill W., Brittany Y., Jackie V., Ryan B., and Jeremy M.

THE ARCHETYPAL EXPLANATION
Our story begins with a man and woman hoping for a child. They were not able to have children and this made them very sad. One day while the husband was farming, an old lady appeared and granted him the wish of having a beautiful baby girl, but in return the husband would have to work for the old woman for life. The husband and wife wanted a child so badly that they agreed. This part of the story is archetypal because some stories start out with a couple who are hoping for a baby and cant. This can sometimes symbolize that they could be vulnerable and could go to any measures to get what they want. This is true in our story because they agree for the husband to work for the old woman for life. The old woman in the beginning of the story usually represents someone being wise, so they trust her and say yes to the agreement.

by Jill W.
In moments the old woman told the couple that they would find their new baby daughter by the waters edge at midnight. So at midnight they go oand find their daughter lying on the shore. Little do they know that before they arrived a frog had kissed the girl giving her the power to speak to animals. The couple then took thier daughter home forgetting all about the the rest of the womans deal. The old woman is archetypal because she gives the family what they wished for and brings about the story. Also her image is archetypal, an old woman like this in stories can often be portrayed as a witch.
The daughter's birth is archetypal because she is given special powers and many births in stories are extraordinary and the birth can give clues about the quest.

by Brittany Y.
A few years later, the old lady showed up at the home of the family to ask for the father to come work, as was the deal. He tried to refuse but the deal had been made and he had no choice but to go work with the old woman. The mother and daughter cried and thought about ways to get the father back.

They realized that the only way to get him back would be to find him and bring him back themselves. The mother, being too old to gon the journey, trains the daughter to go. The girl did not want to go but agreed to do it for her father. The mother taught her how to fight and defend herself. In one month the girl was ready to go on the journey. She kissed her mother goodbye and followed the trail on her quest, which brought her to a dark forest.
old woman- usually wise and always has a few tricks up their sleeves to persuade someone to do something

 

mother- caring and is the mentor for the hero, the daughter

 

The daughter going into a dark forest represents danger and evil that she will have to face along the way.

by Jackie V.
She wandered the forest for a long time but found herself lost and very frustrated. She sat down on a log and began to cry because she didn’t know what to do. All of the sudden a rabbit hopped along beside her and stopped beside her. Then the girl heard someone talking. She looked around and realized that the rabbit was talking. Being unaware of her power, it startled her. The rabbit noticed and told her what had happened to her by the water the day she was born.

The girl, amazed by her power and now full of hope continues excitedly on her journey. Next, she comes to and owl, which was perched on and oak tree. The owl notices and asks her if she needs any help. She asked him how she could get to the old lady’s house to save her father. The owl told her that she just needed to pretend to be very kind to the old women.

 
The Owl: Always very wise and is full of information.

 

Forest: A place of confusion and sometimes fear.

 

Old Lady: At times can be mean and cruel but can also be kind and giving.

 

Bunny Rabbit: A sign of comfort.

by Ryan B.
When she got to the old woman's house, she pretended she was a stranger who lost her way on her travels. The old woman was reluctant at first, but eventually allowed the girl to enter her house. The daughter was fast to notice her father working in the field. She kept talking politely to the old lady. Then while the old woman turned her back to make tea, the girl ran out into the field and told her father to come with her. They ran off together and were soon followed by the screams of the old woman who had fire in her eyes and just realized that she had been tricked. When they got home, they rejoiced and celebrated. The mother and daughter were so glad to have their father back home with them. They lived happily ever after. I changed the wording of the [paragraph to the left] because I wanted to add more archetypal detail to it. It lacked the common expressions of a fairy tale. It also did not give the reader the proper awareness of what was going on by giving them details which they could relate to.

by Jeremy M.