The presence of archetypes is an essential element of the quest storyline, both in American and foreign literature. Pioneers of the archetype concept include scholars Joseph Campbell, Christopher Vogler, and Carl Jung, whose notions of archetypal literature developed into what most academics accept as the characteristic blueprint for a quest story today. Though these archetypes were first described just over a hundred years ago, they have persisted throughout literary and visual art for millennia. The most important archetype that Vogler describes in his Memo That Started It All is The Hero. He describes Hero characters as the central figures of stories that often make influential accomplishments on behalf of their respective civilizations …show more content…
Ophelia, in Pan’s Labyrinth, while seemingly powerless in her environment, embarks on a personal quest to return to what she considers her real home, a dream-like kingdom below the ground. Throughout the storyline, she is taken advantage of by various foil characters such as Captain Vidal whose evil nature lies in stark contrast to Ophelia’s inherent innocence and righteousness. In one scene, Ophelia sacrifices her dream of returning to her kingdom for the sake of her baby brother, who would have been killed in the process. In Spirited Away, a frightened, young girl Chihiro is also taken advantage of, but by a deplorable witch by the name of Yubaba. Her quest is to return home to the human world from a fantasy world of spirits and magic. In one scene, Chihiro gave up a lifetime of wealth in order to save the life of her good friend Haku. Ultimately, both Chihiro and Ophelia accomplish their quests in their respective stories, even as ordinary young girls, and display incredible acts of humility and