Archetypal Literary Criticism Of Batm Nightwalker By Marie Lu

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Guyer High School

Archetypal Literary Criticism of Batman: Nightwalker

Gavin Godfrey
English 4
Coach K
March 8, 2023

When reading through a novel, readers can find deeper meanings from the text, then what is written. Literary theory can be used to lead readers into understanding the texts' different meanings. In Marie Lu’s Batman: Nightwalker, the reader is shown coming of age through the struggles with loss, sense of purpose, and vulnerability during his maturing process. The hero archetype pairs well with the antagonist's temptress character archetypes as well as the tower symbolic archetype help illustrate the novel's theme of coming of age.
The book Batman: Nightwalker, by Marie Lu published on January 2nd, 2018; is a fiction mystery book that follows the early adult life of Bruce Wayne. Bruce deals with the loss of a childhood friend and tries to coerce a member of a group called the Night Walkers to rat out their plans. Through all the fighting and bartering Bruce finds himself betrayed by his best friend who has joined the nightwalkers, and someone he’s come to deeply respect; Madeleine. Bruce inadvertently saves …show more content…

The temptress archetype can be characterized as a woman with sensuous beauty, this woman is one to whom the protagonist is physically attracted and who ultimately brings about his downfall.(“Archetypes Note”). “She could have lied about everything, but it didn’t stop his heart from beating loudly in his chest… Her words had taken hold in his mind, and he felt compelled to follow them”(Lu, 110). Madeleine reveals a secret to Bruce, however knowing she’s a liar he still has an overwhelming feeling of following her words, and looking for what she says. This later leads to Madeleine's escape from Arkham Asylum. Ultimately making Bruce understand the temptation of solving the mystery, was used for the personal benefit of Madeleine and that he was only a pawn in her

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