Своєрідність архетипу дитини в романі Едгара Л. Доктороу «Град Божий»

Abstract

The article examines the originality of the child archetype in the novel City of God by Edgar L. Doctorow. The purpose of the article is to determine the originality of the archetype of the child in the novel City of God by E.L. Doctorow in an individual author’s interpretation, taking into account the historical content. The comprehensive research methodology has been used in the work: the synthesis of the comparative historical method, holistic analysis, elements of mythopoetic and hermeneutic methods. Poststructuralist approaches are taken into account, as well as the “close reading” technique. In the novel City of God, at the level of the child archetype, the idea of the existential tragedy of being is embodied as a traumatic but necessary reminder of the ethical imperfection of humanity. Also, the archetype of the child includes a biblical component, which gives it a symbolic significance in the literary paradigm of the early 21st century. The novel shows images of children not only in different time planes, but also with different archetypal loads. The name of the child standing at the center of the story, Yehoshua, is associated with a variant of the name of Jesus, but this is not the name given to him at birth. The real Yehoshua was sacrificed to the world Chaos, and his name saves the life of another boy, the future father of Sarah Blumenthal, that is, a rethinking of death and rebirth takes place “for his friends”. The archetypal components are also rethought, and by the grace of adults, the child loses his/her childhood and – often – even the life. The world appears to be cruel and ruthless towards the child. But thanks to the wise instructions of the “mentors” (firstly the parents, then the tailor, Barbanel) and the strength of his character, the boy experiences the horrors of war. Sarah Blumenthal’s children are the embodiment of the traditional understanding of the child as a carefully nurtured sprout of the future. In this case, the archetype of the child is presented in its general cultural meaning, which expresses purity and hope for the future. The author's intentions are aimed at revealing the tragic side of modernity, when even the wisest adult Mentor is not always able to save a child from the cruel trials of real life. God died, and the sacred interpretation of childhood died, too.