| Symbolic Archetypes in Newsies |
| There are times when the "little people" must work extra hard to defeat certain overpowering giants of society. Faced against seemingly hopeless odds, they continue to stand firm, while fighting for their rights and what is just. In Newsies, many symbolic archetypes appear which show the differences between good and evil. Newsies exhibits several distinct examples of light versus darkness. For example, the newsies often wear light colored shirts, while Pulitzer, Snyder, and other various bad guys consistently wear black. Many working children in New York City, because they seem to be weak, easy targets for eccentric and heartless adult bullies, are constantly being oppressed by Joseph Pulitzer and others like him. The newsies are all simply good boys who have been dealt a bad hand in life. In addition, the Refuge, Snyder's "jail for kids", is visited several times by the newsies, but only at night. The Refuge is a very shady institution where poor, orphan boys are sent to be cruelly "rehabilitated" for crimes they may or may not have commited. Also, Snyder is a greedy, ruthless old man. He takes the money that the state of New York sends him to pay for the prisoners' food and pockets it as his own, while his young captives continually suffer - no doubt from malnutrition and ill treatment. Symbolic archetypes, such as light versus darkness, tend to instill overall feelings of either hostility or support toward a character or place. Newsies also demonstrates the symbolic archetype of Heaven versus Hell to help reveal the differences between good and bad locations or overall states of mind. For example, when Jack is on the rooftop of the apartment complex with Sarah, his girl, the weather is bright and sunny, white laundry is hanging out to dry, and there's even a church in the background. For Jack, being on the rooftop with Sarah is somewhat heavenly, and she seems almost angelic. (Make no mistake of this- I just added that to make it sound better. I don't like Sarah one tiny, little bit.) Jack enjoys being with Sarah because she is the only person who has ever truly cared about him. (Again, I'm being over-dramatic.) In addition, after Pulitzer bribes Jack, Weasel locks him down in Pulitzer's dark, dusty, cobweb-infested basement, where he is to spend the night. Jack is separated from his friends, just when they need him the most. He is also left alone with his thoughts and guilt, while having absolutely no one to turn to; this very well may be the worst possible phychological hell that man is capable of delving into. (Maybe not, but that just seemed to flow nicely.) In Newsies, the symbolic archetypes, such as those relating to Heaven versus Hell, give insight toward comprehending the emotional "mountains and valleys" that the characters, specifically Jack, experience. Newsies is a classic example of a story displaying traditional symbolic archetypes. These archetypes often influence the negative or positive "vibes" received from a situation or character. Since they have been driven into us from a very young age, symbolic archetypes play an essential role in our constantly, yet subconsciously, discerning between what is good and that which is evil. |
| This is an essay I wrote for my English class in 9th grade. |