A Jungian Hero's Journey as Individuation Process in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone: A Jungian Approach
Abstract
J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, exposes the concepts of individuation and self-improvement through archetypes based on the works of Swiss psychiatrist Carl Gustav. The archetypes, according to Jung (1959), are all the symbolic components of the human psyche that we all carry inside us throughout life. Likewise, the novel represents a character’s development process through these archetypes and individuation in the form of shadows and personas. Considering the ideas and theory of Jung given above, it can be stated that in Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, one can encounter the process of individuation in Harry, who undergoes a complete change in his personality, entering into a quest or a journey to the fantastic world, where he develops and improves his individuation for maturity and self-realization through recognizing, confronting, and assimilating the representations of shadows and persona in his psyche. This study, therefore, aims at revealing the archetypes that guide Harry’s journey throughout the stages of the Jungian hero's journey, as well as his embarkation on a quest of self-discovery and personal growth. Accordingly, in this study, as the protagonist of the novel, Harry’s heroic journey for seeking knowledge is studied and analysed in terms of Carl Jung’s theory of archetypes and individuation, by revealing that the hero's character, Harry, improves towards individuation by recognizing, confronting, and assimilating the representations of the shadow and persona in his psyche in the novel Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.
References
- Andrade, G. (2003). Confronting the Villain in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone: Voldemort as Shadow and Evil Magician. The Jungian Society for Scholarly Studies. https://www.ndsu.edu/pubweb/~cinichol/271/Jungian%20Essay%20on%20Harry%20Potter.htm
- Bergman, I. (1972) Persona and Shame. New York: Grossman.
- Byrne, M. L. (2000). Heroes and Jungians. The San Francisco Jung Institute Library Journal, 18(3), 13–37. https://doi.org/10.1525/jung.1.2000.18.3.13
- Campbell, J. (2004). The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Princeton and Oxford: Princeton UP.
- Craig, Robert P. (1994). The Face We Put On: Carl Jung for Teachers, The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas, 67:4, 189-191. https://doi.org/10.1080/00098655.1994.9956061
- Gillabel, D. (1983). The individuation process. Retrieved from http://www.soul-guidance.com/houseofthesun/pdf/The%20Individuation%20Process.pdf
- Grynbaum, G. A. (2001). The Secrets of Harry Potter [Review of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, by J. K. Rowling]. The San Francisco Jung Institute Library Journal, 19(4), 17–48. https://doi.org/10.1525/jung.1.2001.19.4.17
- Haule, J.R. (2010). Anima and Animus. In: Leeming, D.A., Madden, K., Marlan, S. (eds) Encyclopedia of Psychology and Religion. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-71802-6_30
- Jung, C. G. (1956). Collected Works of C. G. Jung: Volume 5: Symbols of Transformation: An Analysis of the Prelude to a Case of Schızophrenia. (R. F. C. Hull, Trans.) New York: Princeton UP.
- Jung, C. G. (1958). Collected Works of C. G. Jung, Volume 11: Psychology and Religion: West and East. (R. F. C. Hull, Trans.). New York: Princeton UP
- Jung, Carl G. (1959). Collected Works of C. G. Jung, Volume 9: The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious. 2nd ed. New York: Princeton UP.
- Jung, C. G. (1970). Mysterium Coniunctionis: Inquiry into the Separation and Synthesis of Psychic Opposites in Alchemy: Vol. 14 (R. F. C. Hull, Trans.). London: Routledge.
- Jung, C. G. (1976). The Portable Jung: Vol. No. 70 (J. Campbell, Ed.; R. F. C. Hull, Trans.). London: Penguin Classics.
- Jung, C. G. (1981). Collected Works of C. G. Jung, Volume 7: Two Essays on Analytical Psychology. (R. F. C. Hull, Trans.). New York: Princeton UP.
- Jung, Carl G. (1989). Memories, dreams, reflections. Trans. by R. and C. Winston. New York: Vintage Books.
- Jung, C. G. (1992). The Collected Works of C. G. Jung. London: Routledge.
- Peters, J. (2012). Cinematic Articulations of the Jungian Symbolic and Cultivation of Mindfulness in Hypno-Psychotherapy. An Anglo American Studies Journal (1), 96-113.
- Rowling J.K. (1997). Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. New York City: Scholastic.
- The Individuation Process, the process of becoming aware of oneself. (n.d.). The Individuation Process, the Process of Becoming Aware of Oneself. http://www.soul-guidance.com/houseofthesun/individuationprocess.htm
- Zweig, C., and Wolf, S. (1997). Romancing the Shadow: Illuminating the Dark Side of the Soul. New York: Simon and Shuster.
Abstract
References
- Andrade, G. (2003). Confronting the Villain in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone: Voldemort as Shadow and Evil Magician. The Jungian Society for Scholarly Studies. https://www.ndsu.edu/pubweb/~cinichol/271/Jungian%20Essay%20on%20Harry%20Potter.htm
- Bergman, I. (1972) Persona and Shame. New York: Grossman.
- Byrne, M. L. (2000). Heroes and Jungians. The San Francisco Jung Institute Library Journal, 18(3), 13–37. https://doi.org/10.1525/jung.1.2000.18.3.13
- Campbell, J. (2004). The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Princeton and Oxford: Princeton UP.
- Craig, Robert P. (1994). The Face We Put On: Carl Jung for Teachers, The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas, 67:4, 189-191. https://doi.org/10.1080/00098655.1994.9956061
- Gillabel, D. (1983). The individuation process. Retrieved from http://www.soul-guidance.com/houseofthesun/pdf/The%20Individuation%20Process.pdf
- Grynbaum, G. A. (2001). The Secrets of Harry Potter [Review of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, by J. K. Rowling]. The San Francisco Jung Institute Library Journal, 19(4), 17–48. https://doi.org/10.1525/jung.1.2001.19.4.17
- Haule, J.R. (2010). Anima and Animus. In: Leeming, D.A., Madden, K., Marlan, S. (eds) Encyclopedia of Psychology and Religion. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-71802-6_30
- Jung, C. G. (1956). Collected Works of C. G. Jung: Volume 5: Symbols of Transformation: An Analysis of the Prelude to a Case of Schızophrenia. (R. F. C. Hull, Trans.) New York: Princeton UP.
- Jung, C. G. (1958). Collected Works of C. G. Jung, Volume 11: Psychology and Religion: West and East. (R. F. C. Hull, Trans.). New York: Princeton UP
- Jung, Carl G. (1959). Collected Works of C. G. Jung, Volume 9: The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious. 2nd ed. New York: Princeton UP.
- Jung, C. G. (1970). Mysterium Coniunctionis: Inquiry into the Separation and Synthesis of Psychic Opposites in Alchemy: Vol. 14 (R. F. C. Hull, Trans.). London: Routledge.
- Jung, C. G. (1976). The Portable Jung: Vol. No. 70 (J. Campbell, Ed.; R. F. C. Hull, Trans.). London: Penguin Classics.
- Jung, C. G. (1981). Collected Works of C. G. Jung, Volume 7: Two Essays on Analytical Psychology. (R. F. C. Hull, Trans.). New York: Princeton UP.
- Jung, Carl G. (1989). Memories, dreams, reflections. Trans. by R. and C. Winston. New York: Vintage Books.
- Jung, C. G. (1992). The Collected Works of C. G. Jung. London: Routledge.
- Peters, J. (2012). Cinematic Articulations of the Jungian Symbolic and Cultivation of Mindfulness in Hypno-Psychotherapy. An Anglo American Studies Journal (1), 96-113.
- Rowling J.K. (1997). Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. New York City: Scholastic.
- The Individuation Process, the process of becoming aware of oneself. (n.d.). The Individuation Process, the Process of Becoming Aware of Oneself. http://www.soul-guidance.com/houseofthesun/individuationprocess.htm
- Zweig, C., and Wolf, S. (1997). Romancing the Shadow: Illuminating the Dark Side of the Soul. New York: Simon and Shuster.
Details
| Primary Language | English |
|---|---|
| Subjects | British and Irish Language, Literature and Culture |
| Journal Section | World languages and litertures |
| Authors | |
| Publication Date | October 21, 2023 |
| Published in Issue | Year 2023 Issue: 36 |
RumeliDE Journal of Language and Literature Studies is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY NC).