The archetypal versatility of the image of Becky Hildebrandt in the J. Franzen's novel "Crossroads"

Abstract

The object of the study is the novel "Crossroads" by American writer Jonathan Franzen, which became widely known outside the United States and was translated into Russian in 2022. The object of the study is one of the female images of this novel - the image of Becky Hildebrandt, which combines a number of archetypal functions: a daughter in relation to parents Marion and Russ, a sister for brothers Clem and Perry, a bride for the young musician Tanner Evans. In the last chapters of the novel, Becky becomes a mother, thus passing through all the female family archetypal roles. Franzen's creative method, which tends to psychological realism, is focused on the specifics of the inner world of the characters, and it can be argued that the deep psychologism of his works is based on a consistent and systematic understanding of archetypal roles. The study of the heroine's image is carried out from the standpoint of an archetypal approach dating back to the works of C.G. Jung. The archetypal approach opens up to the researcher the opportunity to penetrate deeper into the psychological essence of a literary text. Female images, viewed from the point of view of reflecting archetypal features in them, appear in connection with other characters, and the gender-role specificity of their functioning becomes more visible. In the modern world, where the crisis of traditional values is clearly felt, a better understanding of the importance and complementarity of gender roles makes it possible to form moral supports leading both man and society in the direction of mental well-being. Archetypal analysis reveals one of the basic attitudes of the writer: a modern woman is forced to play several roles at once; the mixing of these roles, their instability inevitably lead to problematic situations in the life of not only the woman herself, but also her entire family.