The Giver Archetype

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In American Literature, the Wise Old man is represented as a kind, wise, and older-father type figure who often helps the “hero” develop and become his/her own person. A Wise Old Man can also be called senex, which means old man in latin. The Senex has been used to refer to figures who have virtues of wisdom but also have some problems and developmental flaws within their lifetime. The Wise Old man appears regularly throughout fairy tales and fantasy stories as a mentor and coach to a hero. He embodies wisdom, insight, and knowledge to others. A characteristic of the archetype, Wise Old Man, is a father-type figure. This archetype is shown in J.K. Rowling’s series, Harry Potter. Albus Dumbledore is the headmaster of the wizarding school which …show more content…
He knows much more than Jonas does at the beginning of their lessons. The Giver shows Jonas the times when the community had feelings and emotion. As more memories are transferred, Jonas starts to realize the horrors of his perfect world. The Giver opens up Jonas eyes and shows him the emptiness of the people around him. Jonas wants to get out of his community and experience the real world. As the story goes on, One day at the Giver’s apartment, Jonas watches a videotape of the “release” and realizes that the people are euthanized. The Giver helps plan Jonas escape and gives him as many memories as he can before Jonas runs away with Gabriel, a baby about to be released the next day. The journey is long and cold, but they when they find a sled waiting for them at the top of the hill, they ride it towards elsewhere.
One famous book in American Literature is Tuesdays with Morrie, written by Mitch Albom. In the book, Morrie Schwartz fulfills the role of a wise old man. Morrie Schwartz was Mitch Albom’s favorite professor. Morrie and Mitch were close friends, so much that Mitch promised to keep in touch. However, after 16 years, he had still not reached out to him. One night, Mitch was watching Nightline when an interview with Morrie came on. Morrie had been diagnosed with ALS, a disease that slowly takes over his body until he dies. When Mitch finds out about this, he wants to meet up with