Stephanie's Ponytail Archetypes

Analysis As American science fiction author Poul Anderson once said, “We live with our archetypes, but can we live in them?” The meaning of an archetype is an unknowable basic form that is personified in recurring images, symbols or patterns. The use archetypes within pieces of writing gives authors the ability to prominently teach a lesson, as well as productively displaying the characters, themes, and plot. Stephanie’s Ponytail, written by Robert Munsch, depicts a brave girl who is actively seeking to separate herself from everyone else and create a distinct identity, through her choice of hairstyle, even after being meticulously imitated by her classmates. The narrative and character archetypes used within the book allow it to be extremely effective in portraying the main idea to the audience. The denied hero, the shadow and the satire model emphasize the story of a person trying to express their individuality, despite backlash. A denied hero is defined as a protagonist whose essential otherness makes heroism possible. They are also often the outcast or member of a minority group. Stephanie is a denied hero because her attempt at differentiating her hair helps her to meet her goal, which is to express …show more content…
The denied hero stresses Stephanie’s self-reliance and willingness to triumph in the face of adversity. The shadow demonstrates the tedious duel and determination of Stephanie to be her own person, regardless of peer pressure and sway. Characteristics of the satire model show society as being so irrational that one person cannot be their authentic self. I strongly believe that these archetypes lead the audience to learn about expressing their individuality, which was the author’s intention. The answer is yes, we can live with archetypes, as Anderson asked, we can even learn and understand the ways of the world through