Blog Entry Thirteen

The will to survive: An archetypal journey from Orphan, through Wanderer, to Warrior.

            Dorothy Hearst was an acquisitions editor before she began writing stories about wolves. Ever since she was young, she always had a passion for books and writing. During her time as an editor, she spent at least ten years writing many drafts—including many unfinished first pages—before finding a topic that truly inspired her: wolves. Promise of the Wolves is Hearst’s first novel; but it began as one of those unfinished first pages from her period of trial and error as a writer.

            The heroine of Promise of the Wolves is Kaala Smallteeth, a mixed-blood young wolf who should have died as soon as she was born, but was destined to live, and also to choose. That choice was extremely difficult. Kaala’s will to survive is so strong that she is able to overcome and fight everything and everyone to achieve her place in the Swift River Pack. It is very important for her, because it was the last promise Kaala made to her mother, before she was banished for having a mixed-blood litter. The young wolf pup of mixed blood rescues a little girl from drowning, thus breaking the wolf promise never to consort with humans. This starts a war between wolves and humans, a war only Kaala can stop. She is a great example of the Warrior Archetype in Carol Pearson’s Heroic Myth system.

            To better understand Kaala I shall refer to Pearson’s book The Hero Within – Six Archetypes We Live By. The author gives us unique ideas about how to explore ourselves and others, how to recognize ancient archetypes and discover the significance of myth and archetype in our lives. Pearson’s work is mainly based on Carl Jung’s system and terminology. Jung created the term “archetype” to understand and characterize psychological patterns that occur often in the stories (and real life), and can be found in symbols, images, texts, and other things. Building on Jung’s work, Pearson formed six archetypes, which are very helpful to tell and understand myths of the hero. As she says in her book “the journey described here is more circular or spiral than linear. It begins with the complete trust of the Innocent, moves to the longing for safety of the Orphan, the self-sacrifice of the Martyr, the exploring of the Wanderer, the competition and triumph of the Warrior, and then the authenticity and wholeness of the Magician” (Pearson, xxvi). Joseph Campbell’s Monomyth will be also helpful to describe Kaala’s character. There are basic patterns in her life that are very similar to The Hero’s Journey: Separation, Adventure and Return. The Hero’s Journey starts in an ordinary world, which has to be accepted by him; then he must survive the challenge, sometimes with help. The last stage of the Hero’s Journey is a successful return to ordinary life, to live in peace and confidence.

            Set 14,000 years ago, the story told by Kaala begins with a legend about the wolves, whose blood is mixed with that of an outsider wolf. The rule was that only senior male and female of the pack could have pups. Unless given permission by the leader wolves, no other wolf could mate, because for extra pups it was usually to difficult to feed. Kaala’s mother broke the rule of Swift River pack by giving birth to the mixed-blood pups. Ruuqo, the greatwolf, kills all of them, only one survives – Kaala Smallteeth. Her way to prove that she is worth something is long and difficult.
            Kaala Smallteeth life can be understood as an example of Campbell's Monomyth. We watch Kaala on a Hero's Journey, which begins in the ordinary world, with happiness, with her mother and siblings. When Kaala's mother has to leave the pack, little wolf receives a call to adventure. She enters the Separation stage, which is long and exhausting. She has to enter unknown world, and survive the journey. She is separated from normal world, from the only world she knew—she is separated from her mother. She is scared, but finally accepts it and finds strength to start the hero’s journey. At this point she “enters the belly of the Whale” or the zone of danger—in her case, a big forest where she must survive. Here she starts the Adventure stage of the Monomyth. She has to pass all sorts of tests and prove that she is skillful enough to continue her journey.  When the story ends, Kaala Smallteeth finds her real home, returns successfully with knowledge and power. The last stage she deals with is the Return.
            In terms of Pearson's Heroic Archetypal system, Kaala represents three main archetypes. When her life starts, she is an Orphan who "lost" her mother, later we know her as a Wanderer, she starts to explore, becomes independent, and finally she has to fight, to prove her strength. At this stage of her life she is a Warrior.  When her story starts, she strongly represents the Archetype of Orphan: she seeks safety, she is fearful of everyone and everything. She can’t stop thinking about food—it is almost her obsession. She is afraid that Ruuqo will kill her, because she has an outsider’s blood. Kaala is so afraid of being abandoned by the pack, she has to face the world alone. Kaala is still small and weak, but it is time to start the longest trip in her life. To stay alive she must pass three tests—the crossing the river, the first hunt, and the first winter. Rissa, female leaderwolf tells her: “If pup is strong enough to survive such trials, she is strong enough to be pack” (Hearst, 38). 

           Tlitoo-raven, Kaala’s guardian, is always with her when she needs help; he shows her the right path to follow and always gives advice. He is also an Orphan, lonely but funny and cheerful. When they meet for the first time he says: “All I know is that the Bigwolves say you are more and less than wolf, and that I am to watch over you. I am more or less than raven, too” (57). In this point of the hero’s journey Kaala’s life transforms, she begins exploring and became the Wanderer. She is no longer afraid of danger; she wants to prove her strength and is ready to achieve great rewards through great risks. The Wanderer usually insists on living on her or his own rules, so does Kaala. The wolves should completely avoid contact with humans. Kalaa Smallteeth breaks the rules and tries to stay close to humans. As the legend says: “there is something in the souls of the wolves and humans that cannot live side by side. Most humans fear the wildness that is wolf, because it is something they can’t control. When we spend so much time with them, we either give up our wildness to please them, or we refuse o do so, which makes the human angry. Or we get angry and try to kill them” (109). Kaala is different, since she believes that friendship between wolves and humans is possible, and her goal is to prove it.

         According to legend, Ancients said that the valley where Ruuqo lives with his pack should be a place of peace. And the wolves must keep that promise. Humans and wolves can't hunt together anymore because humans "instead of teeth and claws, they make their tools to kill with. Sharpsticks - a kind of long thorn - and a second stick that they use to throw the first one" (111). Wolves don't like it, it is against their rules. Kaala's journey as a Wanderer is long. She has a lot to explore: how to run fast, how to find the prey, also how to hunt. These are all important things, she should know. Instead of it, she does her own things, she explores humans gathering place, because she is the Wanderer who "makes the radical assertion that life is not primarily suffering; it is an adventure" (Pearson, 51). Wanderers have "many ways of being alone ... travel alone, spend [their] time alone" (58). The good example to prove it is when Kaala, after saving little's girl life, goes to the humans to meet with TaLi (girl's name) again, without telling anybody (her wolf friends). Even though she doesn't need them, they follow her. "Wanderers do not learn their lesson all at once. Like all the archetypes they learn an initial lesson and then circle back... This is a lifelong process that sometimes requires more than mere risking" (63-64). Kaala is still young and inexperienced; she has no idea how dangerous dealing with humans could be, so she continues exploring... She keeps going to the humans... She meets TaLi's grandmother, who tells her the story about the Spiritwolf, the wolf ghost who sometimes comes to one alive wolf to help. One day Kaala sees and hears the Spirtwolf who tells her that there will be serious war and Kaala is the one, who will have to lead and win this war. Ruuqo, the leaderwolf fears Kaala so much because the legend, which says "that a wolf will be born who will shatter the covenant. That wolf will bring an end to a wolfkind as we know it. It's said that the wolf will bear the mark of the crescent moon and will cause great disruption that will either save or destroy its pack" (Hearst, 267).

             When the war "between humans and wolves threatens, and Kaala must choose between safety for herself, her friends, and their human companions and the survival of her pack—and perhaps all of wolf-and humankind"(344). It is time for Kaala to transform into the Warrior and fight. The Warrior archetype "includes self-defense, a willingness and an ability to fight to defend oneself (Pearson, 75), they tend to focus on the facts in an effort to be tough-minded" (79). Kaala is brave and assured, but the war becomes more dangerous than she thought. It's not only a battle between the Swift River pack (her pack) and humans, but also between them and the Stone Peaks pack, the strongest pack in the Wide Valley. The war is very exhausting and violent, but Kaala with the help of humans wins the battle and becomes the leaderwolf even though she is still young. She proves to her pack mates that friendship with the humans doesn't change wolves, it can only help them in hard times. The wolves will ever be their own pack and the humans will live separate, but if hard times will come, they will be fighting together as one pack.

            Kaala's great success proved that life in peace and understanding is much easier then the Swift River wolves thought. She ended her journey and earned respect. The Spititwolf watched Kaala with pride. "She watched the young, moon-marked wolf, barely half grown, walk to the humans and wolves who stood together.... And as the sun rose in the sky and the creatures of the Wide Valley came together again, she felt a weight lift from her heart. And slowly, just a little, her tail began to wag" (Hearst, 335).


                                                      Bibliography

Hearst, Dorothy. "Dorothy Hearst." Dorothy Hearst-Biography. AuthorByte.com 
               2008. Web. 14 May 2012.

Hearst, Dorothy. Promise of the Wolves. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2008. Print.
Pearson, Carol. The Hero Within: Six Archetypes we Live By. 3rd Edition. New 
               York: Harper&Row, 1986. Print.
"Monomyth." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 22 May 2012. Web. 30 May 2012. 

Blog Entry Twelve

       The will to survive: An archetypal journey from Orphan, through Wanderer, to Warrior.

            Dorothy Hearst was an acquisitions editor before she began writing stories about wolves. Since she was quite young, she always had a passion for books and writing. During her time as an editor, she spent at least ten years writing many drafts—including many unfinished first pages—before finding a topic that truly inspired her: wolves. Promise of the Wolves is Hearst’s first novel; but it began as one of those unfinished first pages from her period of trial and error as a writer.
            Kaala Smallteeth is the heroine of Promise of the Wolves, a mixed-blood young wolf who should have died as soon as she was born, but was destined to live, and also to choose. That choice was extremely difficult. Kaala’s will to survive is so strong that she is able to overcome and fight everything and everyone to achieve her place in the Swift River Pack. It is very important for her, because it was the last promise Kaala made to her mother, before she was banished for having a mixed-blood litter. The young wolf pup of mixed blood rescues a little girl from drowning, thus breaking the wolf promise never to consort with humans. This starts a war between wolves and humans, a war only Kaala can stop. She is a great example of the Warrior Archetype in Carol Pearson’s Heroic Myth system.

            To better understand Kaala I’m using the book The Hero Within – Six Archetypes We Live By, by Carol Pearson. The author gives us unique ideas about how to explore ourselves and others, how to recognize ancient archetypes and discover the significance of myth and archetype in our lives. Pearson’s work is mainly based on Carl Jung’s system and terminology. Jung created the term “archetype” to understand and characterize psychological patterns that occur often in the stories (and real life), and can be found in symbols, images, texts, and other things. Building on Jung’s work, Pearson formed six archetypes, which are very helpful to tell and understand myths of the hero. As she says in her book “the journey described here is more circular or spiral than linear. It begins with the complete trust of the Innocent, moves to the longing for safety of the

Orphan, the self-sacrifice of the Martyr, the exploring of the Wanderer, the competition and triumph of the Warrior, and then the authenticity and wholeness of the Magician” (Pearson, xxvi). Joseph Campbell’s Monomyth will be also helpful to describe Kaala’s character. There are basic patterns in her life that are very similar to The Hero’s Journey: Separation, Adventure and Return. The Hero’s journey starts in an ordinary world, which has to be accepted by him; then he must survive the challenge, sometimes with help. The last stage of the hero’s journey is successful return to the ordinary life, to live in peace and confidence.

            Set 14,000 years ago, the story told by Kaala begins with the legend about the wolves, whose blood is mixed with an outsider wolf. The rule was that only senior male and female of the pack could have pups. Unless given permission by the leader wolves, no other wolf may mate, because for extra pups it was usually to difficult to feed. Kaala’s mother broke the rule of Swift River pack by giving birth to the mixed-blood pups. Ruuqo, the greatwolf, kills all of them, only one survives – Kaala Smallteeth. Her way to prove that she is worth something is long and difficult.
            In Campbell's Monomyth, Kaala Smallteeth follows the "Hero's journey," which begins in the ordinary world, with happiness, with her mother and siblings. When Kaala's mother has to leave the pack, little wolf receives a call to adventure. She enters the Separation stage, which is long and exhausting. She has to enter unknown world, and survive the journey. She is separated from normal world, from the only world she knew—she is separated from her mother. She is scared, but finally accepts it and finds strength to start the hero’s journey. At this point she “enters the belly of the Whale,” the zone of danger, big forest where she must survive. Here she starts the Adventure stage of the Monomyth. She has to pass all sorts of tests and prove that she is skillful enough to continue her journey.  When the story ends, Kaala Smallteeth finds her real home, returns successfully with knowledge and power. The last stage she deals with is the Return.
            In Pearson's Heroic Archetypal system, Kaala represents three main archetypes. When her life starts, she is an Orphan who "lost" her mother, later we know her as a Wanderer, she starts to explore, becomes independent, and finally she has to fight, to prove her strength. At this stage of her life she is a Warrior.  When her story starts, she strongly represents the Archetype of Orphan: she seeks safety, she is fearful of everyone and everything. She can’t stop thinking about food—it is almost her obsession. She is afraid that Ruuqo will kill her, because she has an outsider’s blood. Kaala is so afraid of being abandoned by the pack, she has to face the world alone. Kaala is still small and weak, but it is time to start the longest trip in her life. To stay alive she must pass three tests-the crossing the river, the first hunt, and the first winter. Rissa, female leaderwolf tells her: “If pup is strong enough to survive such trials, she is strong enough to be pack” (Hearst, 38). 

           Tlitoo-raven, Kaala’s guardian, is always with her when she needs help; he shows her the right path to follow and always gives advice. He is also an Orphan, lonely but funny and cheerful. When they meet for the first time he says: “All I know is that the Bigwolves say you are more and less than wolf, and that I am to watch over you. I am more or less than raven, too” (57). In this point of the hero’s journey Kaala’s life transforms, she begins exploring and became the Wanderer. She is no more afraid of danger she wants to prove her strength and is ready to achieve great rewards through great risks. The Wanderer usually insists on living on her or his own rules, so does Kaala. The wolves should completely avoid contact with humans. Kalaa Smallteeth breaks the rules and tries to stay close to humans. As the legend says: “there is something in the souls of the wolves and humans that cannot live side by side. Most humans fear the wildness that is wolf, because it is something they can’t control. When we spend so much time with them, we either give up our wildness to please them, or we refuse o do so, which makes the human angry. Or we get angry and try to kill them” (109). Kaala is different, she believes that friendship between wolves and humans is possible and her goal is to prove it.
         In the legend Ancients said that the valley, where Ruuqo with his pack lives should be place of peace. And the wolves MUST  keep that promise. Humans and wolves can't hunt together anymore because humans "instead of teeth and claws, they make their tools to kill with. Sharpsticks - a kind of long thorn - and a second stick that they use to throw the first one" (111). Wolves don't like it, it is against their rules. Kaala's journey as a Wanderer is long. She has a lot to explore: how to run fast, how to find the prey, also how to hunt. These are all important things, she should know. Instead of it, she does her own things, she explores humans gathering place, because she is the Wanderer who" makes the radical assertion that life is not primarily suffering; it is an adventure" (Pearson, 51). Wanderers have "many ways of being alone...travel alone, spend [their] time alone" (58). The good example to prove it it is when Kaala after saving little's girl life goes to the humans to meet with TaLi (girl's name) again, without telling anybody (her wolf friends). Even though she doesn't need them, they follow her."Wanderers do not learn their lesson all at once. Like all the archetypes they learn an initial lesson and then circle back... This is a lifelong process that sometimes requires more than mere risking" (63-64). Kaala is still young and inexperienced, she has no idea how dangerous dealing with humans could be, so she continues exploring... She keeps going to the humans... One day she meets TaLi's grandmother, who tells her that wolves and humans should not stay together, but that both should respect themselves.

When the war starts it is time for Kaala to transform into the Warrior and fight, but fight against who.... humans or wolves, they both are her pack mates. At this stage we also find connection to the Monomyth - it is Kaala's Return. The Warrior archetype "includes self-defense, a willingness and an ability to fight to defend oneself (75), they tend to focus on the facts in an effort to be tough-minded" (79).                     


                                                       Sources

Hearst, Dorothy. "Dorothy Hearst." Dorothy Hearst-Biography. AuthorByte.com 
               2008. Web. 14 May 2012.

Pearson, Carol. The Hero Within: Six Archetypes we Live By. 3rd Edition. New 
               York: Harper&Row, 1986. Print.

Blog Entry Eleven

 Title: The will to survive: An archetypal journey from Orphan, through Wanderer, to Warrior.

Introduction to author:

            Dorothy Hearst was an acquisitions editor before she began writing stories about wolves. Since she was quite young, she always had a passion for books and writing. During her time as an editor, she spent at least ten years writing many drafts—including many unfinished first pages—before finding a topic that truly inspired her: wolves. Promise of the Wolves is Hearst’s first novel; but it began as one of those unfinished first pages from her period of trial and error as a writer.

Claim, thesis:
            Kaala Smallteeth is the heroine of Promise of the Wolves, a mixed-blood young wolf who should have died as soon as she was born, but was destined to live, and also to choose. That choice was extremely difficult. Kaala’s will to survive is so strong that she is able to overcome and fight everything and everyone to achieve her place in the Swift River Pack. It is very important for her, because it was the last promise Kaala made to her mother, before she was banished for having a mixed-blood litter. The young wolf pup of mixed blood rescues a little girl from drowning, thus breaking the wolf promise never to consort with humans. This starts a war between wolves and humans, a war only Kaala can stop. She is a great example of the Warrior Archetype in Carol Pearson’s Heroic Myth system.

Critical approach:

            To better understand Kaala I’m using the book The Hero Within – Six Archetypes We Live By, by Carol Pearson. The author gives us unique ideas about how to explore ourselves and others, how to recognize ancient archetypes and discover the significance of myth and archetype in our lives. Pearson’s work is mainly based on Carl Jung’s system and terminology. Jung created the term “archetype” to understand and characterize psychological patterns that occur often in the stories (and real life), and can be found in symbols, images, texts, and other things. Building on Jung’s work, Pearson formed six archetypes, which are very helpful to tell and understand myths of the hero. As she says in her book “the journey described here is more circular or spiral than linear. It begins with the complete trust of the Innocent, moves to the longing for safety of the

Orphan, the self-sacrifice of the Martyr, the exploring of the Wanderer, the competition and triumph of the Warrior, and then the authenticity and wholeness of the Magician” (Pearson, xxvi). Joseph Campbell’s Monomyth will be also helpful to describe Kaala’s character. There are basic patterns in her life that are very similar to The Hero’s Journey: Separation, Adventure and Return. The Hero’s journey starts in an ordinary world, which has to be accepted by him; then he must survive the challenge, sometimes with help. The last stage of the hero’s journey is successful return to the ordinary life, to live in peace and confidence.

Body of the text:

            Set 14,000 years ago, the story told by Kaala begins with the legend about the wolves, whose blood is mixed with an outsider wolf. The rule was that only senior male and female of the pack could have pups. Unless given permission by the leader wolves, no other wolf may mate, because for extra pups it was usually to difficult to feed. Kaala’s mother broke the rule of Swift River pack by giving birth to the mixed-blood pups. Ruuqo, the greatwolf, kills all of them, only one survives – Kaala Smallteeth. Her way to prove that she is worth something is long and difficult. When her story starts, she strongly represents the Archetype of Orphan: she seeks safety, she is fearful of everyone and everything. She can’t stop thinking about food—it is almost her obsession. She is afraid that Ruuqo will kill her, because she has an outsider’s blood. Kaala is so afraid of being abandoned by the pack, she has to face the world alone.

            In this stage of Kaala’s life we can also notice presence of the first stage of Monomyth-Separation. She is separated from normal world, from the only world she knew—she is separated from her mother. She is scared, but finally accepts it and finds strength to start the hero’s journey. At this point she “enters the belly of the Whale,” the zone of danger, big forest where she must survive. Kaala is still small and weak, but it is time to start the longest trip in her life. To stay alive she must pass three tests-the crossing the river, the first hunt, and the first winter. Rissa, female leaderwolf tells her: “If pup is strong enough to survive such trials, she is strong enough to be pack” (Hearst, 38). Tlitoo-raven, Kaala’s guardian, is always with her when she needs help; he shows her the right path to follow and always gives advice. He is also an Orphan, lonely but funny and cheerful. When they meet for the first time he says: “All I know is that the Bigwolves say you are more and less than wolf, and that I am to watch over you. I am more or less than raven, too” (57). In this point of the hero’s journey Kaala’s life transforms, she begins exploring and became the Wanderer. She is no more afraid of danger she wants to prove her strength and is ready to achieve great rewards through great risks. The Wanderer usually insists on living on her or his own rules, so does Kaala. The wolves should completely avoid contact with humans. Kalaa Smallteeth breaks the rules and tries to stay close to humans. As the legend says: “there is something in the souls of the wolves and humans that cannot live side by side. Most humans fear the wildness that is wolf, because it is something they can’t control. When we spend so much time with them, we either give up our wildness to please them, or we refuse o do so, which makes the human angry. Or we get angry and try to kill them” (109). In the legend the Ancients said that the valley, where Ruuqo with his pack lives should be place of peace. And the wolves MUST  keep that promise. Humans and wolves can't hunt together anymore because humans "instead of teeth and claws, they make their tools to kill with. Sharpsticks - a kind of long thorn - and a second stick that they use to throw the first one" (111). Wolves don't like it, it is against their rules. The journey of Kaala as a Wanderer is long. She has a lot to explore: how to run fast, how to find the prey, also how to hunt. These are all important things, she should know. Instead of it, she does her own things, she has to explore humans gathering place, because she is the Wanderer who" makes the radical assertion that life is not primarily suffering; it is an adventure" (Pearson, 51). Wanderers have "many ways of being alone...travel alone, spend [their] time alone" (58). The good example to prove it it when Kaala after saving little's girl life goes to the humans to meet with TaLi (girl's name) again, without telling anybody (her wolf friends). Even though she doesn't need them, they follow her."Wanderers do not learn their lesson all at once. Like all the archetypes they learn an initial lesson and then circle back... This is a lifelong process that sometimes requires more than mere risking" (63-64). Kaala is still young and inexperienced, she has no idea how dangerous dealing with humans could be, so she continues exploring... She keeps going to the humans... Until the "war" starts. It is time for Kaala to transform into the Warrior and fight, but fight against who.... humans or wolves, they both are her pack mates. At this stage we also find connection to the Monomyth - it is Kaala's Return. The Warrior archetype "includes self-defense, a willingness and an ability to fight to defend oneself (75), they tend to focus on the facts in an effort to be tough-minded" (79).                            






                                                       Sources

Hearst, Dorothy. "Dorothy Hearst." Dorothy Hearst-Biography. AuthorByte.com 
               2008. Web. 14 May 2012.

Pearson, Carol. The Hero Within: Six Archetypes we Live By. 3rd Edition. New 
               York: Harper&Row, 1986. Print.

Blog Entry Ten

Kaala's journey through three Archetypes: Orphan, Wanderer and Warrior.

Orphan - Hope, Safety, Acceptation
Wanderer - Identity, Autonomy, Independence
Warrior - Courage, Strength, Faith

Kaala Smallteeth is a lonely orphan who needs to be accepted by the rest of the wolf pack.

She is an orphan in a real life. Her mother has to leave the pack, because her pups have an
outsider blood. Her siblings must die because it is hard to feed to many pups.

Only because of her courage, Kaala gets a chance to live. She is not afraid of Ruuqo, when he comes to her and tries to kill her (even though she is only 4 weeks old we find Warrior Archetype)

Monomyth:
- Separation (Kaala separated from her mother)
- Adventure (exploring the wildness, meeting friends and enemies)
- Return (finding herself, making very difficult decision-who is Kaala's friend - wolves or humans)

Tlitoo - raven- Kaala's guardian angel. He is always with her helping. He is always up high, so he can see everything before Kaala does. He warns her when she is in danger.

Kaala's dream - she saw a flash of tail disappearing into the forest. It was her imagination, maybe the ghost. She and her wolf friends (Azzuen and Marra) followed "the tail"...

Significant moment - saving little girl (human) from drowning.
Surprising truth - Kaala understands human language.

Friendship - Kaala feels whole for the first time since her mother left, when she holds the human girl close to her. Smallteeth must gain acceptance in the pack. It is hard, she can't stop thinking about the girl she saved.

Disappearance of Borilla (one of the pack mates) - wolves never disappear without a reason. Borilla did, why? The rest of the pack couldn't understand it.

Blog Entry Nine

Kaala Smalteeth is definitely expressing the Orphan Archetype, as well as Wanderer and Warrior. When the story starts she is an Orphan, who got one more chance to live, only because she is brave enough to show to the leadertwolf how much she wants to live. At the same time she transforms into the Warrior, and finally when she gets one more chance to live, she starts exploring new world surrounding her - her personality convert into the Wanderer. However, for all this time she is real, strong Warrior. The Archetypes discussed in Carol Parson's book help us to define our main character's ego, "and then expand the boundaries of the ego to allow for the full flowering of the self and its opening up to the experience of oneness with other [wolves] and with the natural and spiritual worlds"(xxvi).

Carol Pearson says in her book "The journey described here is more circular or spiral than linear. It begins with the complete trust of the Innocent, moves on to the longing for safety of the Orphan, the self-sacrifice of the Martyr, the exploring of the Wanderer, the competition and triumph of the Warrior, and then the authenticity and wholeness of the Magician."(Pearson, xxvi) Thinking more about my choice, I find almost all six of the Archetypes in the story I chose. However, most matching are: Orphan, Wanderer and Warrior, where Warrior plays the most important role. Each Archetype is appropriate for different times. Kaala is the Hero, who takes long journey, she has to take a risk to survive, although sometimes she feels very alone during the quest, at its end she receives her reward. She earns an experience, finds herself and proves how strong she is. My character starts her journey from the Innocent Archetype, which "...lives in the prefallen state of grace; the Orphan confronts the reality of the Fall. The next few stages are strategies for living in a fallen world: The Wanderer begins the task of finding oneself apart from others; the Warrior learns to fight to defend oneself and to change the world in one's own image; and the Martyr learns to give, to commit, and to sacrifice for others"(4).
The Hero Within helps each one of us to find either meaning of life or meaning of our own needs and goals, and that also works for Kaala. Carol Pearson's Archetpes show us how long and difficult our journey can be and we always represent most of her Archetypes.



Working Bibliography:

Pearson, Carol. The Hero Within: Six Archetypes we Live By. 3rd Edition. New York: 
         Harper&Row, 1986.

Blog Entry Eight

Pearson's Heroic Archetypes will be my choice to introduce, describe and better understand Kaala Smallteeth, the main character in Promise of the Wolves. I think Kaala represents Orphan at the beginning, then her character transforms into Wanderer and Warrior. We can also find three stages of the Monomyth in her life. There is Separation when she is young, Adventure almost all the time, and Return when she wins the fight with her own ego.

Blog Entry Seven

"Never consort with humans. Never kill a human unprovoked. Never allow a mixed-blood wolf to live." - Dorothy Hearst




The book I have chosen is Promise of the Wolves by Dorothy Hearst. As noted on the back cover, "set 14,000 years ago, Promise of the Wolves takes us to a land where time is counted in phases of the moon, distance is measured in wolflengths, and direction by the scent of the nearest trail." This is a story about a brave wolf, brave but lonely. Kaala, she-wolf born of a forbidden, mixed-blood litter explores her world, gains respect and power. Her journey is long and difficult, but she takes it with courage and strength. Kaala and her friends live safely and peacefully until she meets humans, begins to hunt with them, plays with them and thus discovers the long-hidden bond between wolves and humans. Finally, there comes a time when she has to decide what is more important, to be loyal to wolves or to humans. I chose this book because I really love wolves. I am also drawn to solitary characters who are independent and confident.