Archetypal Character Arcs, Pt. 18: The Flat Archetype of the Parent

When we think of archetypal characters, the Parent probably isn’t the first to come to mind. Despite the fact that becoming and being a parent is one of the most obvious initiations within even our modern lives, we don’t often think of the Parent with the same enthusiasm as we do the Hero. And yet they are intrinsically linked.

The Parent is the Flat or “resting” archetype that follows or results from what is currently our most iconic character arc—the Hero’s Journey. In some ways, as with all archetypes, this is merely a symbolic evolution, since not all Heroes fresh from their battles will literally settle down to start families. But not only is the Parent historically the next obvious step for the Hero, it is also a deeply symbolic transitional period between the First Act of a character’s life and the Second Act.

Remember, the First Act of the life cycle of archetypal character arcs represents approximately the first thirty years of the human life—during which the primary transformation struggles of the Maiden and Hero Arcs are defined by the challenges of Relationship With Self. Successful completion of the Hero Arc signifies that the character has been able to achieve both individuation from the tribe as a child and reintegration back into it as an adult.

Now, as the Parent, the character rests upon the turning point into the challenges of the Second Act, during which the primary transformation struggles of the Queen and King Arcs will be defined by the challenges of Relationship With Others—and particularly the power dynamic of relating to younger people who have less power.

The Parent’s “rest” (and I know all parents are laughing at the word!) before the next transformation of the Queen Arc signifies a period in which the character can regroup after the travails and victories of the now completed Hero’s Quest. In essence, the character is a soldier returned from war who may now enjoy a hard-won and justly deserved peace.

More than that, as a Flat archetype, the Parent has the opportunity to bless the Kingdom to which he or she has returned. The character is now an adult with a good deal of important life experience. Whether the character uses this experience to teach and rear actual children or more symbolically in simply contributing to the health of the larger community, the result will be the opportunity for other characters to learn from the Parent’s hard-won thematic truths.

The Parent Archetype: The Hero at Home

Previous Arc: Hero

Subsequent Positive Arc: Queen

Subsequent Possible Negative Archetypes: Snow Queen (passive); Sorceress (aggressive)

It has become something of a cliché that the Hero’s Journey should end with the protagonist “getting the girl” and “riding into the sunset.” Usual complaints aside, this in fact refers to something of deep symbolic import. Specifically, what is being dramatized is the Hero’s return to and reintegration into the community, not just as the youth he was before, but as someone ready to form a union with another person and perhaps begin raising and teaching the next generation of characters.

The Hero Within by Carol S. Pearson (affiliate link)

In The Hero Within, Carol S. Pearson explains:

Symbolically, it is important that at the end of the old heroic myth, after he has confronted his fear by slaying the dragon, the Warrior comes home and marries. The reward for his battle is that he becomes, finally, a lover.

Pearson is here referencing the Warrior archetype more specifically than the Hero (although, of course, they share much in common archetypally speaking), but she points again to the inherent challenge of the Hero Arc being that of submitting his power to a “love worth fighting for.” Within the Hero Arc itself, it is possible (although not required) that this love be romantic, but by the time the Hero has returned to the Kingdom to become the Parent, that love will extend to encompass a much larger “family” to which the character is now willingly responsible.

In many ways, the Parent represents the mysterious “happily ever after” that classically ends so many Hero stories (and, again, I know the parents among us may be snickering!). It is a time when the harvest of the character’s life is ripe. Even if circumstances are not literally perfect in the external world (e.g., the character works long hours in or out of the home to care for the family), they are stable. And the character is primarily content with the status quo. Any personal changes that are yet to occur will take place later in the subsequent Queen Arc. For now “war is over,” and life seems to be going exactly as it should.

The Parent’s Normal World

After the questing of the Hero Arc, the Parent has returned home once more. However, it can be helpful to realize that the Village that comprised the Normal World at the beginning of the Hero Arc has, at least from the character’s perspective, broadened into a larger Kingdom. Having seen the world during the Quest, the character understands the world is a larger, more interconnected place than was obvious in the First-Act arcs.

More specifically, however, the Parent’s Normal World can be thought of as “the Hearth,” since the primary focus is on what’s happening in the character’s own home rather than “out there” in the larger world. The primary focus within this interstitial period is that of nurturing others, loving them, raising them, teaching them, helping them grow.

This is, of course, where we see the cycle start to repeat. Both the Child archetype and the Maiden archetype began with the character as a young person faced with the challenge of separating from the Parent and the Hearth. Now, that Child has become the very Parent from whom the next generation will eventually have to individuate as well. Indeed, the next challenge for the Parent, in the subsequent Queen Arc, will be that of letting the Maidens individuate.

For now, however, this challenge remains in the future, as the Children are yet too young and dependent. At this stage, it is vital that the responsible Parent, whether father or mother, provide the love and security that will give the Children a strong foundation from which to begin their own arcs.

The Heroine’s Journey by Maureen Murdock (affiliate link)

In The Heroine’s Journey, Maureen Murdock describes this stage specifically in reference to the mother:

In most cases the mother is the primary object of an infant’s dependency, and the task of the child is to move from this fused symbiotic relationship toward separateness, individuation, and autonomy. If the mother is perceived by the child as the source of nurture and support, the child will experience her as a positive force; if she is perceived as neglectful or smothering, the child will experience her as destruction.

The Parent’s Relationship to the Thematic Truth

Although the Parent, like all the Flat archetypes, does not represent transformation, it is still a period of great valor. More than ever, the Parent represents a character who now bears great responsibilities for the well-being of others. True Parents (who do not devolve into the negative counter-archetypes) will prove themselves steady in the face trial and temptation. As Pearson says of this period:

Perhaps you have always been very independent and like to explore the world, but then you have a baby. Now you must sacrifice some of that desire for exploration in order to care for your child. To do it well, how can you access a more nurturing potential within yourself?

The true Parent is able to act as a positive and stable force within the world thanks to the thematic Truths learned in the previous arc, and especially the immediately previous arc of the Hero. That Truth may be thought of as simply, “All my actions affect those I love.”

By already completing the Hero Arc, the Parent has already proved his or her ability to sacrifice out of love. Now that sacrifice continues in a more prosaic (but no less poignant) way. It is via the daily affirmation of this heroic Truth that the Parent is able to enact tremendous change within the lives of supporting characters.

How the Parent Creates Change in Supporting Characters

Most obviously, the Parent will parent his or her own children. But the relationship can, of course, also be symbolic. The Parent may mentor children or young people who are not related, or may even act the parental role toward chronological peers. What is important is simply that the “children” are characters who have not yet reached the same level of initiation as the Parent.

Although the Parent can influence change for any “younger” archetype, he or she is most likely to enact an important formative relationship with the Maiden. The Parent/Maiden dynamic is extremely important, since the Maiden Arc represents the Child’s first and most important struggle against the Parent. This almost always represents a tremendous challenge not just to the Maiden who is beginning to individuate, but to the Parent as well. Parents who understand the lessons of the previous arcs can consciously allow and even guide a young Maiden in separating from them.

Pearson again:

In a world that changes rapidly, it is a rare set of parents who actually can groom the next generation for what is to come.

To the degree the Parent fails in representing the thematic Truth to the Maiden (or any other character), he or she risks becoming the antagonist in that supporting character’s own story (as we’ve seen via the Maiden’s symbolic antagonists of Too-Good Mother, Naive Father, and even Predator).

Types of Stories That Feature a Parent Protagonist

The Parent most obviously shows up in stories of family drama or comedy. Sometimes these stories are explicitly about the trials of being a parent, such as in Steve Martin’s comedy Parenthood. Or the story could be about the coming-of-age of a Maiden but shown through the perspective of the Parent.

Stories in which a Parent “takes on the system” to defend a child in some way are common. It’s also common to see the Parent represented by a teacher character who acts positively within the lives of students, even or especially if the students are not receiving proper parenting at home.

Parent protagonists can also be seen in stories that focus less on actual parenting and more on the struggles of providing for one’s family.

What is central to all of these stories is a specific relationship dynamic between a character who provides some sort of care and guidance for at least one younger or more vulnerable character.

Examples of the Parent:

Examples of the Parent archetype include the following. Click on the links for structural analyses.

Hagrid in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (among others)M’Lynn Eatenton in Steel MagnoliasKay Miniver in Mrs. Miniver Marmee March in Little Women Hans and Rosa Hubermann in The Book ThiefAndy Taylor in The Andy Griffith Show

Stay Tuned: Next week, we will study the Flat archetype of the Ruler.

Related Posts:

Story Theory and the Quest for MeaningAn Introduction to Archetypal StoriesArchetypal Character Arcs: A New SeriesThe Maiden ArcThe Hero ArcThe Queen ArcThe King ArcThe Crone ArcThe Mage ArcIntroduction to the 12 Negative ArchetypesThe Maiden’s Shadow ArchetypesThe Hero’s Shadow ArchetypesThe Queen’s Shadow ArchetypesThe King’s Shadow ArchetypesThe Crone’s Shadow ArchetypesThe Mage’s Shadow ArchetypesIntroduction the 6 Flat ArchetypesThe ChildThe LoverWordplayers, tell me your opinions! Can you think of any further examples of stories that feature the Parent? Tell me in the comments!

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