The Shadow Archetype

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The Shadow Archetype

• The Other Within Us

One does not become enlightened by imagining
figures of light but by making the darkness
conscious. -Carl Gustav Jung 
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What is an Archetype?

• Archetypes are recurring images, descriptive
  detail patterns, landscapes, and plot or
  character patterns that appear frequently in
  literature, folk lore, religion, and myth. They
  are universal patterns and shapes that ignore
  cultural, geographical, and temporal
  boundaries (C. G. Jung Institute of New York).
• Unlike a symbol, that represents something other
  than itself within a particular text or
  situation, an archetype is NOT text/context
  dependent. An archetype will always encapsulate
  the same core meaning each times it appears.

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What is an Archetype?

• Carl Jung, a Swiss psychologist and contemporary
  of Sigmund Freud, believed in two aspects of the
  unconscious.
• The Personal Unconscious contains suppressed
  events, values, and fears of ones own life.
• The Collective Unconscious holds the inherited
  or taught ideas that persist as memories in the
  unconscious mind of every individual.
• (C. G. Jung Institute of New York)

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What is An Archetype?

• These racial memories of the Collective
  Unconscious are expressed in literary,
  historical, political, mythological, and
  religious decisions and events throughout time.
• (C. G. Jung Institute of New York).
• Though the pattern is sometimes subtly altered,
  the major meaning of the archetype still thrusts
  its head forward in each new occasion.

-Snakes, M.C. Escher
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What is an Archetype?

• Sometimes myths and tales from universal
  literature comprise well defined themes which
  reappear everywhere and every time. We find the
  same themes in fantasies, dreams, delirious
  ideas, and the illusions of individuals that live
  in our present days. These thematic images are
  representations of archetypes, they have
  archetypes as roots. They impress, influence and
  fascinate us. - Carl Jung
• (C. G. Jung Institute of New York)

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The Shadow Archetype

• Within each woman and man, the dim cavern of the
  unconscious holds our forbidden feelings, secret
  wishes, and creative urges. Over time, these
  dark forces take on a life of their own,
  forming an intuitively recognizable figure the
  Shadow. A recurring theme in literature and
  legend, the Shadow is like an invisible twin, a
  stranger that is us, yet is not us. When it acts
  out in the public domain, we witness our leaders,
  like hero-villains, fall from grace in scandal.
  Closer to home, we may feel overcome with rage,
  obsession, and shame or succumb to
  self-destructive lies, addiction, and depression.
  These appearances of the Shadow introduce us to
  the Other, a powerful force that defies our
  efforts to tame and control it.
• (Zweig)

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The Shadow Archetype

• The Shadow is everything in us that is
  unconscious, repressed, undeveloped and denied.
  These are dark rejected aspects of our being as
  well as light, so there is positive undeveloped
  potential in the Shadow that we dont know about
  because anything that is unconscious remains
  hidden from our active conscious mind
• Everyone has a Shadow. This is not something
  that one or two people have. We all have a Shadow
  and a confrontation with the Shadow is essential
  for self awareness. We cannot learn about
  ourselves if we do not learn about our Shadow,
  so, therefore, we are going to attract it through
  the mirrors of other people.
• (Eigen). 

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The Shadow Archetype

• Our true nature is always hidden. In order to
  protect our inner self we each present an image
  or personality in public which meets the
  expectations of others. This 'mask' also
  determines how we see ourselves. However, there
  are parts to our personality which we do not
  recognize, parts which are unconscious. These
  could be raw desires and emotions or thoughts and
  experiences which we are too ashamed to admit to.
  These will likely be dark aspects of our
  character which have been rejected or repressed
  due to our upbringing, or a disapproving
  society.
•  
•  (Wilson)
•  

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The Shadow Archetype

• The Shadow is difficult to perceive consciously.
  Since an individual will deny or ignore his or
  her Shadow side, it is likely that it will be
  projected onto others. Instead of acknowledging
  their Shadow, the individual will unconsciously
  see it in people they encounter or even concepts,
  objects, ethics or groups... These
  characteristics that we find hideous in other
  people could in fact be our own repressed
  attributes we have stumbled upon parts
  ofour own Shadow.
•  (Wilson)

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The Shadow Archetype

• True, whoever looks into the mirror of the water
  will see first of all his own face. Whoever goes
  to himself risks a confrontation with himself.
  The mirror does not flatter, it faithfully shows
  whatever looks into it namely, the face we never
  show to the world because we cover it with the
  persona, the mask of the actor. But the mirror
  lies behind the mask and shows the true face.
• (Jung 20)

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• When exploring possible literary representations
  of the Shadow, keep an eye out for reflection
  contemplation (whether within a man-made or
  natural mirror). In the mirror, a characters
  reflected self is their Shadow their exact image
  reversed. Just like Lewis Carrolls Alice,
  within the looking glass we all often become
  someone else.

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• In literature, often the heros Shadow is
  embodied within a foil character. But not every
  hero/villain pairing is a true Shadow
  relationship. When the heros darker side exists
  within another character, there must also be a
  strong surface connection evident between the
  protagonist and antagonist. They are similar,
  but disparate. The similarities pull them
  together as the differences tear them asunder.

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• When seeking evidence of Shadow play in
  literature, also pay close attention to
  characters with a significant disconnect between
  their inner face and their outer façade. When
  literal or figurative masks are in place, chances
  are there is a Shadow fully operating behind the
  fragile covering it is probable that there is a
  truer visage hidden behind this false front.

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Modern Reverberations of the Shadow
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• The Shadow archetype is embodied in a reoccurring
  character known simply as The Shadow. With his
  menacing laugh, hypnotic powers, and famous
  tagline Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts
  of menThe Shadow knows, the Shadow character
  has graced the pages of pulp novels and comic
  books, shadowed the screens of televisions and
  movie theaters, and floated across the radio
  airwaves since the 1930s.

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• Comic books are ripe with archetype
  representations and their heroes and villains are
  consistently paired in shadowy configurations of
  opposition. Wolverine, one of the most popular
  X-men, is definitely shadowed by his arch nemesis
  Sabretooth. Both characters are bestial in
  appearance and attitude, but the chief difference
  is a deeply felt code of honor and humanity
  present within the otherwise grisly character of
  Wolverine. This respect for humanity is
  completely lacking within the chaotic and
  bloodthirsty soul of Sabretooth.

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• Within the Spiderman mythos there is also a
  heavy-handed sense of self and shadow, light and
  dark. When Spiderman first dons the black suit,
  his dark side is unleashed. But once the alien
  garment is discarded, it creates another
  symbiotic relationship with a new host and Venom
  is born. Venom is aligned with Spiderman
  superficially, sharing similar powers. Like
  Spiderman, Venom also possesses a strong sense of
  moral obligation. But Venoms sense of justice
  is heavily warped by his need for revenge his
  largest goal being to bring about the downfall
  and death of Spiderman.

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• Within the Batman film The Dark Knight, the
  co-dependent relationship between hero and
  villain, light and dark, is pushed to center
  stage. The Joker repeatedly states that the
  existence of Batman spurned the creation of the
  Joker, that each operates against and because of
  the other. Every coin needs two sides and
  although the Joker states it flippantly, there is
  a meaningful subtext when he says to Batman, You
  complete me.

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• The Stars Wars universe is chock-full of
  deliberate archetypes. The Shadow is no
  exception. The promotional image to the left
  directly speaks to the fact that Anakin Skywalker
  will eventually grow up to be swallowed by his
  Shadow he will fall and rise anew as the
  black-hearted Darth Vader. His literal shadow
  foreshadows the eventual power his psychological
  Shadow will possess. The promotional image on
  the right again highlights this duality, within
  Anakin, of both light and dark. Tatters of the
  left portion remain human, but the majority of
  his face is covered in robotic darkness.

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• Within The Matrix trilogy, there is a strong
  sense of connection between the heroic Neo and
  the villainous Agent Smith. Both can eventually
  access and manipulate the computerized Matrix
  world. Each man is able to see beyond the
  programming down to the essential truths of their
  virtual reality. But Agent Smith refuses to
  yield his sense of purpose, vying to destroy Neo
  as Neo struggles to free others from the grip of
  their false computerized surroundings.

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• In J.K. Rowlings Harry Potter series, the hero
  and villain are conjoined through similarities
  and driven to opposition through significant
  differences. Both wizards demonstrate extremely
  powerful aptitudes for magic. The feathers
  within their wands even possess paralleled cores.
  But the chief differences define them Lord
  Voldemort shrouds himself in hatred while Harry
  Potter has literally been marked by love. The
  lightening strike gashed across his forehead is a
  symbol of his mothers affection and sacrifice
  when defending the infant Harry against Lord
  Voldemorts attack.

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• In Tolkiens Lord of the Rings trilogy, a complex
  system of Self and Shadow is established. There
  are many surface similarities between the
  halfling hero Frodo and his shadowy counterpart
  Gollum. Frodo Baggins is a hobbit, the type of
  creature Gollum used to be. Both have intimate
  knowledge of the pain and power associated with
  the role of a ring-bearer. But Frodo has not yet
  been completely overcome by his Shadow while
  Gollum has almost been defeated by the darkness
  within. Even within this Shadow representative,
  there is a further split between good and evil.
  Gollum has two distinct personalities bearing
  several differing names Smeagol/Slinker still
  remembers shreds of his humanity while
  Gollum/Stinker no longer yearns for the touch of
  interior sunlight.

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Major Resources

• C. G. Jung Institute of New York. The Carl Jung
  Institute. 13 Aug 2009 lthttp//www.junginstitute
  .orggt.
• Eigen, Rebecca. "The Shadow Dance Understanding
  Repetitive Patterns in Relationships.
  ShadowDance.com. 09 June 2009. ShadowDance
  Unlimited. 27 Aug 2009 lthttp//shadowdance.com/sh
  adow/theshadowgt.
• Jung, C. G.. The Archetypes and the Collective
  Unconscious. 2nd ed. New York Princeton
  University Press, 1959. Print.
• Wilson, Kevin. "Confrontation With the Shadow.
  Insomnium.com. 27 Aug 2009 ltinsomnium.comgt.
• Zweig, Connie, and Steve Wolf. Romancing the
  Shadow Illuminating the Dark Side of the Soul.
  New York Simon Shuster, 1997. Print.