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MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HANOI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION NGUYEN THI THU HANG ARCHETYPES IN THE NOVELS OF JOHN STEINBECK Major: Foreign Literature Code: 9.22.02.42 SUMMARY OF DOCTORAL DISSERTATION ON LITERATURE Hanoi – 2022 The work has been completed at Faculty of Philology – Hanoi National University of Education Science supervisor: Prof Dr LE HUY BAC Opponent 1: Assoc Prof Dr Nguyen Thi Mai Lien Hanoi National University of Education Opponent 2: Assoc Prof Dr Cao Kim Lan Institute of Literature Opponent 3: Dr Nguyen Thuy Linh University of Social Sciences and Humanities (Hanoi) This dissertation will be evaluated at Committee of grading dissertation in level of Hanoi National University of Education at…… on…… 2022 This dissertation is archived at: National Liberary of Vietnam Liberary of Hanoi National University of Education INTRODUCTION Reasons for choosing the topic In the twentieth century, archetypal criticism was shaped and evolved, as well as preserved its highlight role in the journey of literary exploration Through psychology-mythological and sociohistorical approaches, the colorful archetypal world in the human literary heritage emerges not as immovable and fixed imprints, but as a cultural element that is dynamic and adaptable and constantly transforms with the social environment and the times John Steinbeck (1902-1968) is a famous American writer in the world literature of the twentieth century What makes the lasting vitality and eternal value of Steinbeck’s novels is the writer’s instinctive and creative use of ancient archetypes, symbols, and motifs to reflect long-standing and temporal issues of America and Americans, more broadly, of all humanity Therefore, the study of Steinbeck’s novels from archetypal literary theory shows the hidden cultural sediment in each archetype, the common denominator of the archetype in Steinbeck’s novels and the primordial archetypes Thus, the dissertation emphasizes the derivative interpretations of the archetype generated by America’s distinctive sociohistorical context For these reasons, we choose Archetypes in the Novels of John Steinbeck as a research topic for our doctoral dissertation Purposes and tasks research 2.1 Research purposes Introducing archetypal criticism theory and researches related to the issue of archetypes in John Steinbeck’s novels Showing the characteristics of interference between the universal pattern of archetypes in world literature and Steinbeck’s novels, and searching for the new and distinct identity of these archetypes based on American cultural elements Studying the value of archetypes in themes, ideas and artistic conceptions about the world and humans of Steinbeck; Emphazing the remarkable artistic features of Steinbeck’s novels; and confirming the writer’s position and contribution to American literature and world literature 2.2 Research tasks Searching for an overview of archetype criticism theory from psychology-mythological to socio-historical approaches Surveying, analyzing and interpreting the characteristics of archetypes in Steinbeck’s novels The dissertation focuses on representative archetypes associated with their salient features, such as the mother archetype and the reconstruction of feminine identity, the hero archetype and demythologizing impression, earth and water archetypes and ecological discourses Objects and scope of research 3.1 Objects of research The research object of the dissertation is archetypes in John Steinbeck’s novels 3.2 Scope of research 3.2.1 Text scope of survey The text scope of the survey of the dissertation is eight novels by John Steinbeck, includes: To a God Unknown (Bantam Books Inc.), In Dubious Battle (Random House), East of Eden (Penguin Books), Của chuột người and Phố Cannery Row (translated by Phạm Văn, Writers Association Press), Viên ngọc trai (translated by Đặng Việt Hưng, Writers Association Press), Chùm nho phẫn nộ (translated by Phạm Thủy Ba, Literature Press) 3.2.2 Content scope of research The research explores John Steinbeck’s novels from the perspective of archetypal criticism and focuses primarily on the following archetypes: mother archetype, hero archetype, earth and water archetype, as well as the rebirth of archetypes in the American socio-historical background in the first half of the twentieth century Approaches and research methods 4.1 Approaches Based on the literature, culture and social history studies, the dissertation uses archetypal criticism theory The dissertation combinates psychology-mythological and socio-historical approaches 4.2 Research methods The dissertation combinates numerous research methods and manipulations; besides popular manipulations such as comparative, synthetic-analysis, classify-statistic and commentary, the dissertation focuses on interdisciplinary, structured general, comparative historical, and biographical criticism methods Dissertation’s contribution This dissertation is the first Vietnamese study to research archetypes in John Steinbeck's novel This dissertation makes a significant contribution by identifying and clarifying the effects of social and historical context on how Steinbeck regenerates archetypes and the role of archetypes in creating artistic value and humanity in Steinbeck’s novels The study of the Steinbeck’s novels from an archetypal perspective presents a new way to discover Steinbeck’s novels and the works of other authors, as well as an essential and comprehensive understanding of the original and ancient aspects of humanity and American cultural identity Those interested in understanding Steinbeck’s novels and American culture will find the dissertation a valuable resource Dissertation’s structure In addition to the Introduction, Conclusions, References, and Appendices, the Contents of the Dissertation consist of chapters: Chapter 1: Overview of the research topic Chapter 2: Mother archetype and the reconstruction of feminine identity in John Steinbeck’s novels Chapter 3: Hero archetype and demythologizing impression in John Steinbeck’s novels Chapter 4: Earth, water archetypes, and ecological discourses in John Steinbeck’s novels Chapter OVERVIEW OF THE RESEARCH TOPIC 1.1 Archetypal criticism: from psychology-mythological approaches to socio-historical approaches 1.1.1 Psychology-mythological approaches The psychological approach considers archetypes as the crystallization of universal mental experiences having a significant role in the mental life of humanity Meanwhile, the mythological approach emphasizes the repetition of archaic patterns in response to the constant desires of humans of different cultures By combining these two approaches, researchers have achieved initial success in solving archetypal questions related to spirituality and culture However, the nature of archetypes is still an issue that researchers have not unanimously agreed on 1.1.2 Socio-historical approaches The socio-historical approaches are highly usable, filling in the shortcomings of the psychology-mythological approaches Applying this method in archetypal criticism means considering the formation of new archetypes under the influence of external factors such as socio-historical context, as well as clarifying the difference and conflict between the new archetypes in a literary work and its original patterns as well as popular value systems Combining psychology-mythological and socio-historical methods, we consider archetypes to be original and ancient patterns in myths, legends, and folk narratives that are perpetually reincarnated in later literary genres The rebirth of archetypes is not only the process of inheriting the constant characteristics of the human mind, but also the adaptation of each writer to the cultural traditional nation and humanity, particularly the influence of the social historical context on the artist's method of renewing archetypes Thus, the nature of archetypes is familiar, close, universal, mysterious, creative, and dynamic 1.2 Research on John Steinbeck’s novels 1.2.1 Research on John Steinbeck’s novels in the world John Steinbeck and his works are a great topic, attracting the attention of many researchers and readers worldwide Numerous treatises, scientific articles, theses, and dissertations have approached Steinbeck’s novels from a variety of academic perspectives, contributing to recognizing, delineating, and establishing Steinbeck’s novels’ artistic style Significant research directions, among them, converge scholars from all over the world can be mentioned, including biographical criticism (works by J Gray, P Covici, E Steinbeck and R Wallstein, J.J Benson, J Parini, W Souder); sociological criticism (works by L Owens, M Dickstein); new criticism (works by P Lisca, H Levant); ecological criticism (works by S.F Beegel, S Shillinglaw, W.N Tifney, L Willis, S.C Bamarani, L Benesová); feminist criticism (works by W Motley, M.R Gladstein, M.H Mitchel, D Woods, Fonseca, L Wu, N.M Garcia, F B Boudali, K-R Meyer); symbolic criticism (works by S.M Shockly, E.W Carlson, Dougherty, K Crockett, J Heitkamp, S Bluefarb, J Brasch, M.P Veneros) Some significant studies have less or more mentioned the archetypal issue in Steinbeck’s novels 1.2.2 Research on John Steinbeck’s novels in Vietnam Early on in Vietnam, scholars introduced Steinbeck and his novels However, Steinbeck's name and writings remained virtually missing from academic forums for a long time Le Dinh Cuc, Le Huy Bac, Hoang Thi Thap, and Le Nguyen Minh Phuc have made significant contributions to Steinbeck scholarship since the early years of the twentieth century 1.3 Research on the archetypes in John Steinbeck’s novels 1.3.1 Research on the archetypes in John Steinbeck’s novels in the world The works of T.E Kakonis, J.E Fontenrose, J L VanDevyvere, C Post, L Cederstrom, W.B Wiley, G Tóth, Y Fan, E.M Martin, N Walker, C Thurmanita, B Saputra, R Gualberto are representative of the use of mythological/archetypal critical theory in the study of Steinbeck’s novels However, they have only examined a small number of archetypes from a psychology-mythological perspective The works of these scholars are highly suggestive that we continue to discover comprehensively and methodically the archetypal world in Steinbeck’s novels, while simultaneously applying a combination of socio-historical approaches to discover new meanings that Steinbeck has established in his archetypal world 1.3.2 Research on the archetypes in John Steinbeck’s novels in Vietnam We believe that the application of archetypal critical theory to Steinbeck's novels in Vietnam is a topic with significant gaps in comparison to the global picture of archetypal research in Steinbeck's writings Initially, Le Huy Bac, Hoang Thi Thap, and Le Nguyen Hanh Phuoc paid attention to the archetype, but they did not consider it to be a fundamental element in Steinbeck’s writings Conclusion of chapter 1: This chapter analyses archetypal critical theory from the psychology-mythological approaches to the socio-historical approaches At the same time, it summarises and analyses the research works of Steinbeck’s novels and archetypes in the world and Vietnam We place special emphasis on archetypal approaches The opinions of Kakonis, Fontenrose, VanDevyvere, Post, Cederstrom, Wiley, Tóth, Fan, Martin, and Walker have provided archetypal forms, archetypal interpretations, and suggestions for our research topic, Archetypes in the Novels of John Steinbeck Chapter MOTHER ARCHETYPE AND THE RECONSTRUCTION OF FEMININE IDENTITY IN JOHN STEINBECK’S NOVELS 2.1 Mother archetype in folklore The mother archetype is signified by the terms archetypal woman, feminine, and mother In this dissertation, the term “mother archetype” refers to a generic mother pattern Carl Jung identified two opposing characteristics of the mother archetype in folklore, namely the loving mother and the terrible mother The virtues associated with a loving mother are loving-kindness, empathy, feminine power, wisdom, fertility, and nurturing On the contrary, the terrible mother is mysterious, dark, abyssal, deadly, charming, and malicious 2.2 Variants of mother archetype in John Steinbeck’s novels 2.2.1 Good mother 2.2.1.1 Feminine beauty Feminine beauty is a unique and typical feature that creates attractiveness and charm for mothers and women Steinbeck has built gentle and sweet female characters as the spiritual refuge for men in the social unrest Their feminine beauty is shown through their soft, elegant appearance, calm and understanding eyes, gentle and warm voices, slow and gentle gestures and nostalgic mentality 2.2.1.2 Fountain of love In Steinbeck’s novels, the archetypal mother’s love is manifested first in profound and sacred motherhood Steinbeck presents this characteristic as a source of strength for mothers, helping them persevere through all suffering and loss Not only giving love to children and family members, but Steinbeck’s female characters also love children, elders and numerous unfortunate lives Besides, Steinbeck’s novels also reveal the goodness of madams and whores who practice illegally and are condemned and distinguished by society 2.2.1.3 Power of fertility and nourishment 11 meaning is expressed through the rise of the masculine in the feminine archetype, creating strong, assertive, and energetic characters They are a refuge for the poor and disadvantaged In addition, the duality of Steinbeck’s archetypal mother and the disparity between the two opposing poles, depending on the sociohistorical context, is a defining characteristic, revealing the significant affect of mythical thinking and the author's adaptation to the modern context It also shows the change in the mother archetype’s identity in the interacting process with the context of the times Chapter HERO ARCHETYPE AND DEMYTHOLOGIZING IMPRESSION IN JOHN STEINBECK’S NOVELS 3.1 Hero archetype in folklore Heroes represent the moral and aesthetic ideals of all time, one of the fundamental concepts of humankind's folklore treasures Individuals and communities can realize their dreams and aspirations by enhancing or changing the world The character’s lifecycle, which includes birth, departure, death, and rebirth, expresses the mythical, universal property of the archetypal hero 3.2 Structure of the hero archetype in John Steinbeck’s novels by basic task motifs 3.2.1 Searching for promised land Most of Steinbeck’s novels take place in California, with many heroes moving from the routine, modern East to the wild, liberal West in search of a better land than their home In particular, with the masterpiece The Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck has impressively 12 regenerated the motif of searching for the promised land and the journey of modern homeless farmers 3.2.2 Establising identity Establishing identity is a prevalent archetypal task and is also one of the great goals of the journey that the hero has to go through before reaching eternal life To start with an identity crisis, numerous characters in Steinbeck's novels must escape, establishing personal or universal identities In anti-social novels, the characters experience and are aware of the attachment between individuals and communities towards a universal identity Towards the end of his writing career, Steinbeck again observes the importance of personal identity to each person’s life and destiny 3.3 Variants of the hero archetype in John Steinbeck’s novels 3.3.1 Heroes with the mission to establish new faith values In the context of the American spiritual crisis of the first half of the twentieth century, Steinbeck reconstructed the hero archetype with a mission to establish new faith values as the desire to find a way to heal the spiritual woods and relieve humans from all suffering After rejecting the orthodox faith, a belief in an almighty God, Steinbeck’s hero seeks and establishes a new faith by coming to the poor and unfortunate, together experiencing injustices and sufferings they must endure The hero, then, realizes the power of solidarity and that the only way for the poor to achieve freedom is to unite and fight 3.3.2 Heroes as a member of the minority communities Even though they are disabled, poor, estranged from the community, and discriminated against by skin colour and gender, Steinbeck’s memorable characters still show their heroic nature in 13 the most tragic and difficult situations Most of Steinbeck’s heroes are paisanos (half-Mexican, half-Indian), Native Americans, Chinese-Americans, the poor, the underdogs, and the lower class the part belonging to the minority communities in America By resurrecting the minority communities' hero motif, Steinbeck’s novels speak out a reflective voice, reconsider the values of civilization and subvert mainstream values of mainstream culture 3.4 Demythologizing the hero and the “American dream” 3.4.1 The method of demythologizing in John Steinbeck’s novels 3.4.1.1 Conception of demythologizing Demythologizing is one of the typical artistic methods of modern literature, especially in the novel genre By this method, writers are able to dialogue, doubt, desecrate “grand narratives”, and interrogate repressive cultural patterns and institutions, thereby reflecting new existential issues strangely Reconstructing archetypes with derivative meanings or even creating archetypal antithesis is demythologizing according to archetypal/mythological criticism 3.4.1.2 Demythologizing tendency in John Steinbeck’s novels Steinbeck gave ancient folk narratives new meanings and even contrasted them with the original myth while reusing them Regarding the level of regeneration, Steinbeck’s novel contains both anti-myths and derivative myths Relating their mythical origins, Steinbeck’s novels demythologize both Western and national myths As regards the field of mythology, Steinbeck’s novels focus on reconstructing and demythologizing cultural myths 3.4.2 Demythologizing the hero by constructing the motif of tragic hero 14 The American hero is often an independent individual who rose from poverty to wealth and high social status through effort, luck, and courage However, Steinbeck's novels tend to depict the tragic side of the hero or anti-hero images Steinbeck's hero often bears the consequences of environmental disasters and the instabilities of a civilized and evolving society and can barely escape the cobweb of social injustices Instead of achieving the miracles of a mythical hero, Steinbeck’s hero must face loss, suffering, loneliness, death, or an uncertain future Thus, by constructing the tragic hero motif, Steinbeck’s novels demythologize the hero myth in both American folklore and culture 3.4.3 Demythologizing the “American dream” by the motif “constructing the falling of promised lands” Regarding the American hero, the “American Dream” myth represents the aspiration of every American hero The American Dream is the ideal of equal opportunity regardless of origin or social position It is the wistfulness for a promised land, a paradise on earth, where people can live in freedom and happiness Steinbeck described the deterioration of the American dream through the construction of the falling promised lands motif or the promised land is the dissatisfied land It is the bitter failure that heroes and outsider statuses have to suffer in an age of unrest and crisis across the board Conclusion of chapter 3: Based on the characteristics and structure of the hero archetype in folklore, this chapter examines how Steinbeck reincarnates the archetype to reflect new existential situations and manifest the human perspective in the specific sociohistorical context of the United States Steinbeck’s heroes are pioneers on a quest to search 15 for the promised land and establish identity to maintain survival in an unrest age In the hero’s journey, the mother archetype takes on the role of helper, supporter, and inspiration Steinbeck’s heroes are heroes who establish new faith values when ancient sacred beliefs become unfashionable They are individualities belonging to minorities who dare to stand up against the bastions of the orthodox community Besides mythologizing, Steinbeck’s novels desecrate the myths about heroes and the American dream deeply imprinted in the American mind Unlike the hero who achieved success through effort, courage and luck as in the myth, Steinbeck's heroes are tragic people, suffering many disadvantaged losses and uncertain futures In contrast to the bright side of the dream in myth, Steinbeck’s novels focus on portraying the dark side of the dream through dissatisfied, abandoned lands to highlight the tragedy of today’s hero Chapter EARTH, WATER ARCHETYPES, AND ECOLOGICAL DISCOURSES IN JOHN STEINBECK’S NOVELS 4.1 Earth and water archetypes in folklore Earth and water are the most primitive archetypes in the human's wealth of spiritual experience, the foundation of human mentality from thousand years ago Like some other archetypes, the symbolic meanings of earth and water in ancient cultures often had two opposite characteristics: the root of life and the source of death, being able to create and destroy 4.2 Variants of earth and water archetypes in John Steinbeck’s novels 16 4.2.1 Desire for survival and human’s love for land by the earth archetype Archetypal earth is present in Steinbeck’s novels, first of all, with the characteristic of the source of life, symbolizing the survival aspirations of the poor and disadvantaged workers This symbolic meaning is also expressed in the desire of many characters to own a small piece of land, a safe place where they can create a paradise on earth and enjoy freedom and happy life In addition, the connection between humans and land in Steinbeck’s novels expresses the deep love of nature and the desire to escape the limits of modern civilization of the Americans having the right senses 4.2.2 Destruction and hope of rebirth by water archetype Archetypal water in Steinbeck’s novels shows in specific forms, such as sea, river, stream, pool, rain, and flood Variations of water create space settings or important events, shaping the plot, characters' characteristics and fate Emerging from the collective unconscious, the water in John Steinbeck’s novel still glitters with the original archetype’s basic meanings, such as the source of life, catharsis, rebirth, and destruction However, the remarkable point is that the writer has transformed this archetype base on the original archetype to reflect the precarious and tragic fate of the poor in modern American society At the same time, it reveals hope for rebirth and belief in their ability to endure and overcome their sad situation 4.3 Ecological discourses in John Steinbeck’s novels by archetypal earth and water 4.3.1 Ecological crisis and human fate in the technocratic age Steinbeck demonstrates his understanding of the downside of development by illustrating the terrible impact of the ecological 17 disaster on the fate of the working poor Dust storms cause severe land degradation, and the earth is squeezed out of existence The destruction caused by the dust storm was aggravated by a shortage of water and extended heat, resulting in drought Farmers have become pessimistic due to the natural ecological disaster, which has resulted in crop failure, debt, and starvation People-to-people interactions have become progressively shattered, and each individual’s spiritual existence has unavoidably wobbled 4.3.2 The falling of ecological consciousness in the technocratic age Ecological consciousness highlights the holy and deep bond that humans have had with the natural world since the dawn of time This relationship, however, is eventually destroyed as human growth progresses Steinbeck reflected the collapse of ecological consciousness in the United States, which nation rose to become a world power in the first half of the twentieth century, by depicting the broken relationship between man and nature He was acutely aware of the root causes of environmental problems in the technocratic era The land became a commodity, misused, exploited, and mistreated from an equal position, and people became aloof, cold, and indifferent to the land 4.3.3 The oriental spirit in restoration of human and nature covenant In “the journey to the Orient”, Steinbeck discovered a resonance with the ancient oriental spiritual heritage, particularly the profound ideas of Taoism Steinbeck has generated a fresh and progressive ecological voice via the return to the nature of wise and reasonable heroes and the connection between men and the nature of mothers 18 and women, waking the “mad” American people in modernisation The oriental spirit, inextricably linked to nature in Steinbeck’s characters, serves as a bridge to mend the old bond between man and nature That is also the key to resolving the ecological issues that have plagued people in the technocratic period Conclusion of chapter 4: Based on the original patterns, the dissertation investigates the characteristics of earth and water archetypes in Steinbeck’s works in the last chapter Amid the severe recession and social upheaval, the archetype of the land represents a source of life, a potent emblem of the impoverished workers’ will to live The water archetype reappears, this time with the symbolic connotation of devastation and hope for renewal The notable aspect is that, throughout his book career, Steinbeck developed new meanings related to the context of the times, particularly the new and progressive ecological voice inside the United States in the first half of the twentieth century, while replicating traditional natural archetypes In Steinbeck’s novels, the ecological discourses are the voice of the land, water, and people speaking out against the mounting ecological disaster and the collapse of ecological consciousness in the technocratic era while also focusing on the orient’s spiritual values These discourses express through the return to nature of the hero archetype and the mother archetype's mission to connect men with the natural world From the outset, gods sought to establish a peaceful, egalitarian, and symbiotic relationship between man and nature 19 CONCLUSION Literature, more than any other art form, is the repository of humanity’s long-standing cultural memories and experiences In particular, originating in myths and folk stories and is perpetually resurrected in medieval, modern, and post-modern literary genres and works, the archetype world has been a distillery of human capital for generations Although this rebuilt archetypal system still retains more or less the original features, structural patterns, and meanings of the original archetypes, the remarkable thing lies in the variations and new details that appear depending on the historical, social, and cultural context in which they belong It is uncommon in the American literature process for an author with such consistent views on the nation’s identity and future as John Steinbeck His outstanding novels present the remarkable rebirth of the rich and varied archetypal system from Western, national, and indigenous myths against the backdrop of the United States’ sociohistorical undergoing many profound changes in the first half of the twentieth century The similarities between the archetype rebirth in Steinbeck’s novels and earlier archetypes partly reveal the universal themes and powerful influence of mythical thinking from folklore to modern artists While also demonstrates how the writer Steinbeck has adapted to humanity’s archetypal system and reconciled it with the contemporary cultural norms and values The differences and novelties prove that Steinbeck did not copy traditions monotonously On the contrary, he transformed them based on the old to adapt to the drastic changes of the times and express new existential problems in the social life and soul of American and America We concentrated on clarifying some of the following significant 20 topics within the scope of the dissertation, with the theme of Archetypes in the Novels of John Steinbeck: We examine two vital archetypal critical techniques: psychologymythological and socio-historical approaches, based on the research accomplishments in the mythological/archetypal criticism area Under the influence of Jung and Frye, the psychology-mythological method focuses on the universal, intrinsic, recurring features of archetypes, assisting in discovering and understanding issues belonging to humanity’s spiritual and cultural world Meanwhile, the socio-historical approach concerns the historical, social environment, and other external variables influencing the production of new archetypes That also explains how writers harmonize and converse with the community’s and periods’ beliefs and patterns Researchers can better grasp the archetypal structure in Steinbeck’s writings by combining these techniques, which provide historical-socio-cultural breadth and spiritual-cultural depth We explore the history of John Steinbeck’s novel research and the archetype in this famous American writer’s novels around the globe and the country, in addition to reconstructing the archetypal theoretical backdrop After collecting, evaluating, and synthesizing research on the subject, we find that John Steinbeck and his writings have always attracted many experts from East to West Many studies have looked into archetypes, particularly mother and hero archetypes, but none have focused on examining archetypal regeneration in the particular historical and social context of the United States On the other hand, scholars’ rigorous investigations at home and abroad have presented several intriguing concepts, pushing us to look more into the typical archetypes in Steinbeck’s works 21 Archetypes, symbols and motifs re-emerge frequently and densely in the art world of John Steinbeck’s novels We noticed the strong presence of archetypes: mother archetype, hero archetype, and earth and water archetypes, from the exploration of character patterns to the specific events and experiences that characters go through The mother archetype in Steinbeck’s novels inherits the main characteristics of the original model based on folklore, such as the good and terrible mothers The feminine beauty, unlimited love, and reproductive and nurturing power of the good mother’s features stand out On the other hand, the destructive, horrible aspect of the terrible mother is depicted in seductive female characters, tempting and cruel Furthermore, in the context of current societal instability and the subjugation of masculine cultural traditions, the novel’s new aspect of the mother archetype relates to re-establishing the mother and woman’s prestige and significant function Through the growth of the archetypal animus, the masculine in the feminine, Steinbeck discovered the mental power and aptitude to adapt to stormy times in country moms and ordinary women Since then, Steinbeck’s female characters have spoken up and questioned the firmly ingrained gender hierarchy in the community’s awareness Furthermore, the illustration of two opposed qualities, creation/destruction, indicates the parent archetype’s duality as a feature of John Steinbeck’s works However, the contrast between the two characteristics reveals that Steinbeck is drawn to the mother archetype’s kind and nurturing qualities This positive feature provides a firm basis for mothers’ and women’s enormous spiritual power, allowing them to readily adjust to turbulent times and build the feminine identity The hero archetype’s rebirth to reflect modern man’s new 22 existential situations is in the achievement of Steinbeck’s novels Steinbeck reconstructs the heroic archetypal character and structure of folklore in his works with heroic, courageous, unselfish attributes and a concentration on depicting humanity based on the heroic archetypal character and structure of folklore Searching for the promised land and establishing identity are two classic task motifs for the hero In the hero’s quest, the mother archetype takes the role of helper, supporter and inspirer Steinbeck’s hero takes on the job of developing new faith ideals that can transform the world and the fate of the downtrodden based on these two basic motifs Furthermore, the author has shown heroic people who are members of minority communities in a multi-ethnic American society to elevate this marginalized group’s voice in the mainstream community’s discussion system In addition to demythologizing the hero archetype, John Steinbeck’s novels subvert the American hero myth by showing the tragic hero theme Instead of focusing on today’s hero’s triumph, Steinbeck focused on their sad situation: ostracized, abandoned identities, experiencing great agony, grief, and even martyrdom In addition, the author demythologizes the American dream myth by showing the dream’s evil side The majority of Steinbeck’s characters are on the run, abandoned, and expelled from the promised land, paradise By rebuilding heroic archetypes, Steinbeck’s novels debunk the foundation myths of the United States, highlighting the tensions between the mythological and imagined promised land and the country of modern dissatisfaction However, the writer continued to convey his optimism and belief in morally upright Americans and endeavours to achieve aspirations of economic development and spiritual freedom 23 After examining the features of earth and water archetypes in folklore, we surveyed and analyzed variants of these natural archetypes in John Steinbeck’s works The earth archetype in Steinbeck’s novels carries the symbolic meaning of the desire for survival and expression of the deep love of the land and nature of the working poor in the technocratic age while also inheriting the characteristics of the source of life and destruction of the original archetype The water archetype is recreated using the original’s primary attributes of life, catharsis, and rebirth Nonetheless, the depiction of water archetypes in Steinbeck’s novels reveals that the symbolic implications of destruction and the possibility of rebirth are the most prominent elements Furthermore, in Steinbeck’s narrative, both archetypes represent the key that unlocks the door to the natural world and displays the link between man and nature At the same time, the regeneration of earth and water archetypes to voice ecological voices in an era of environmental crisis is a vivid and clear demonstration of Steinbeck’s talent, a pioneer ecologist, for “timedize” primitive archetypes It is about the ecological crisis discourse and its catastrophic influence on the fate of the marginalized and poor and the loss of ecological consciousness among most Americans in the age of science and technology throne art Furthermore, through the expression of the mother archetype and the hero archetype, Steinbeck emphasizes the need to rebuild and sustainably grow America by returning to the ancient oriental spiritual tradition of oneness and harmony between man and environment to fix the faded and broken sacred relationship In Steinbeck’s novels, the reconstruction of the mother archetype, the hero archetype, and the earth and water archetypes have their 24 characteristics and meanings However, they all work together to create themes such as good vs evil, power vs poverty, individual vs community, and man vs nature In addition to inheriting the original meaning of archetypes and invoking cultural memories of the nation and humankind, the striking aspect of typical archetypes recreated by Steinbeck in his work corresponds to the notions of archetypes As a result, Steinbeck’s novels expose America’s sad, angry, and haunting reality in the first half of the twentieth century with an American tone and temperament While this also reaffirms traditional and cultural values, at the same time, dialogue and desecrate the stereotyped and oppressive myths of the dominant culture The dissertation’s research findings are the first steps in deciphering the archetypal layers in Steinbeck’s novels As a result, we expect to be able to broaden the scope of our research to include different genres such as short stories and travel writing That can provide a complete picture of archetypes in John Steinbeck’s prose PERSONAL PUBLICATIONS Nguyễn Thị Thu Hằng, Nguyễn Thị Kim Ngân (2022), “Discourse of Minority Communities: Comparing Archetypal Heroes in Nguyễn Huy Thiệp’s “The Tiger’s Heart” (1971) and John Steinbeck’s The Pearl (1947)”, Suvannabhumi 14(1), 53-70 Nguyễn Thị Kim Ngân, Nguyễn Thị Thu Hằng & Lê Văn Trung (2021), “Identity of the Vietnamese narrative culture: archetypal journeys from folk narratives to fantasy short stories”, Humanities and Social Sciences Communications 8(12), https://doi.org/10 1057/s41599-020-00697-3 Nguyễn Thị Thu Hằng (2020), “Tính đa trị biểu tượng Moby Dick Moby Dick – Cá voi trắng Herman Melville”, Tạp chí Khoa học Trường Đại học Sư phạm Huế 1(53), 23-31 Nguyễn Thị Thu Hằng (2020), “Sự tích hợp thể loại tiểu thuyết Chùm nho phẫn nộ John Steinbeck”, Kỉ yếu Hội thảo Khoa học quốc gia Nghiên cứu dạy học tác phẩm văn học theo thể loại, Nxb ĐHSP Hà Nội, 471-483 Nguyễn Thị Thu Hằng (2019), “Bất ổn xã hội địa vị giới nữ: nghiên cứu trường hợp tiểu thuyết Chùm nho phẫn nộ John Steinbeck”, Tạp chí Nghiên cứu Văn học 10(572), 95-106 .. . universal, mysterious, creative, and dynamic 1.2 Research on John Steinbeck? ??s novels 1.2 .1 Research on John Steinbeck? ??s novels in the world John Steinbeck and his works are a great topic, attracting .. . contributions to Steinbeck scholarship since the early years of the twentieth century 1.3 Research on the archetypes in John Steinbeck? ??s novels 1.3 .1 Research on the archetypes in John Steinbeck? ??s .. . criticism (works by S.F Beegel, S Shillinglaw, W.N Tifney, L Willis, S.C Bamarani, L Benesová); feminist criticism (works by W Motley, M.R Gladstein, M.H Mitchel, D Woods, Fonseca, L Wu, N.M Garcia, F