The Archetypal Journey Again

The Hobbit is a prime example of the archetypal journey. We all know what this journey is, subconsciously at least. It's the fundamental elements that combine to create an entire adventure, from the "Ordinary World" to the "Return with the Elixir". Nearly every story utilizes this format, and The Hobbit is no exception. If anything, Tolkien's use of the archetypal is more prominent than most. It makes the story easy to understand and rooted in familiarity. Does this simplicity contribute to why the novel has lasted throughout the ages? I'm banking on "no" (the fantasy elements are the most intriguing), but let's take a look at this adventure anyway.



The novel doesn't need to be broken down much in order to reveal the archetypal elements. The title itself infers this relation. The Hobbit or There and Back Again. "There and Back Again" doesn't encompass the entire theory of the archetypal journey, but certainly the concept is present. The title implies a journey beginning in a simple place (an "ordinary world", perhaps?), traveling to a destination to achieve a goal and then coming home. These themes are all present in the archetypal journey, and that's all taken from the title! In the actual story, these connections are even more obvious.

Looking at the graphic above, it's actually quite shocking to me as to how easy it is to connect a plot point with each stage of the archetypal journey. In The Hobbit the "Approach to the Inmost Cave" is literally an approach to an inmost cave. The fact that Tolkien's novels were fabricated upon stories he told to his children may contribute to The Hobbit's deep connection with the archetypal journey. I say this because a familiar story base would be easy for a child to understand, which is probably the audience Tolkien constructed his stories for (eventually revamping them to accommodate a more mature audience).

Is a story that is easily comprehended essential to the lasting power of a novel? The Hobbit certainly shows that even a simple basis with intricate details can face the test of time, but this might not hold true for other novels. Unfortunately, this is a blog dedicated to one piece of fiction, so that question is for you to answer yourself.

-Dylan Woodley, a BFF