By N'zinga Kelliebrew

An archetype in literature is an original model or type of character that follows a pattern in different works of literature. They usually follow a motif that is also a patterned model. Many of these archetypes and motifs are addressed in  Archetypes and Motifs in Folklore and literature: a handbook .  An example of an archetype would be a prince that is a hero. A motif would be the prince's quest. Archetypes and motifs are closely associated with each other. When they are addressed in literary study , they are given numbers such as G10 Cannibalism or P280 step relatives.  Motifs and archetypes in folklore serve as a reference to different cultures’ methods of storytelling. Although details may vary in the way a classic story like Cinderella or Snow White is told, the recurring motif and archetypes in the story tend to follow the same pattern.

If we take the story “Snow White” as an example in use of motifs, we can identify some literary patterns(pg363). The two main patterns that define the story are that of the wicked step relative archetype/motif (P280) and the role of cannibalism (G10) as a motif(pg362). Similar to the Cinderella motif (AT 510A), Step relatives are frequentlyshown as wicked. There is a historical and a scientific explanation as to why this is so.  When the story was written, it was common for a person to hastily remarry after being widowed. This was often for economic reasons, but it was a bit of a shock to the children to have a new parent coming to live with them so soon. The new wife was a stranger and storytellers would go as far as to make them into monstrous abusers to the former wife’s children. A scientific explanation in Dawkin's Selfish Gene (365) notes that it is only natural for the step parent to either resent their step-children or favor their own children above the step child. The mother is raising a child that is not biologically hers and therefore shows less concern for a child that cannot spread her genes.. Folktales sought to reflect this social tension by making the stepmother out to be a witch or some unnatural woman who would even seek to eat human flesh to squelch her competition.    

Competition for resources is a recurring motif surrounding the step parent archetype (365).   Although not as well defined in Snow White, Cinderella reflects the stepmother’s tendency to dote on her own daughters with lavish gifts. The step child is forced to live at a marginally lower standard by depriving her of proper food and clothing. Snow White’s step parent competition is more superficial in nature in the Grimm telling of the story. Her vexation lies in finding that her step child is more beautiful than she. Retellings of this story indicate that the competition is in fact over inheritance.

The motif of cannibalism (G10) is also classified under the umbrella motif of Tabu (C227 eating human flesh specifically).  Eating one’s own, namely if one is a human being, is behavior equated with Satan, anti-Christian or Pagan practices, and witchcraft (227). A prime example is taken from Snow White’s wicked step mother. To emphasize the unnatural motherhood(pg230) of step parents, not only is she cruel and possessing of magical powers that cause her step-daughter harm, but she demands the organs of her adopted child to devour. Although the mother is tricked into eating the organs of an animal instead, her intention alone emphasizes the depiction of the Stepmother archetype as something negative. This is also a reversal of the motif G60 human flesh eaten unwittingly in which a character who intends to eat regular food consumes their own kind (230). The Stepmother unwittingly eats natural food when she intends to consume her step daughter's organs.

Archetypes and motif go hand in hand even when reading contemporary literature. The way they are executed or combined may vary, but their patterns are reflections of social observances between people. Folk tales often simplify the archetypical roles making characters one dimensional and static. Rarely in folkloric tales, does the protagonist or antagonists deviate from their role as hero or villain. However, the context in which the story is told may make the character endowed with different traits for emphasis while their archetypical role tends to stay the same.

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