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The Mentor Archetype In Neal Shusterman's Scythe

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In Neal Shusterman's novel, "Scythe," the mentor, the initiate, and ritual archetypes play a significant role in illustrating the idea that the greater good isn't always morally correct. The story is set in a future world where death no longer exists, and society is governed by scythes, individuals tasked with randomly selecting people to die to keep the population under control. The mentor archetype is embodied by Faraday, a wise and experienced scythe who takes on Citra and Rowan as his apprentices. Faraday's character is crucial in the novel as he serves as a moral compass, teaching his apprentices the importance of compassion and empathy. Faraday's teachings and actions highlight that the greater good isn't always morally correct. For …show more content…

They are both selected by Faraday to be his apprentices, and they soon discover the harsh reality of being a scythe. As initiates, they are meant to learn the ways of the scythe, but they also question the system's morality. Citra and Rowan's initiation into the scythe's world highlights the idea that blindly following a system or tradition that is morally questionable can lead to dangerous outcomes. Finally, the ritual archetype is evident throughout the novel. The rituals of scythes are symbolic and significant, from the gleaning ceremony to the ring ceremony. The rituals serve to reinforce the scythe's power and remind society of their role. However, the rituals also emphasize the idea that the greater good isn't always morally correct. For example, the gleaning ceremony is meant to be a solemn event, but it often becomes a macabre spectacle, and the scythes who enjoy it highlight the dangers of blindly following tradition. In the novel, the idea of the greater good is a central theme. The scythes justify their actions as necessary to maintain order and prevent overpopulation, but their methods are questionable. The scythes' actions, like the selection of a pregnant woman to die, highlight the dangers of prioritizing the greater good over individual

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And yet people have started to call him Scythe Lucifer… And if ever Scythe Lucifer comes my way, I hope he’ll see me as one of the good ones. The way he once did” (Shusterman, 434-435). Obviously, the person Citra is describing is indeed Rowan. Rowan has killed a corrupt scythe using fire before, and the last words of the journal entry couldn’t make it more clear.

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The motif I chose was Dystopia, I picked this because the story Scythe showed multiple examples of why it was dystopian. The book showed how the Scythes world was very unrealistic and showed lots of injustice to those who were gleaned because they could not get away, that was the rule made by the Scythes. In the beginning of Scythe, Rowan witnessed a “gleaning” he was then framed for being involved, even though he had actually tried to stop the gleaning. The word gleaning is another word for kill, Scythes used gleaning as their way of keeping the population down, and to be in control of the people.

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Ali Baba ELA 306-08 Tuesday, December 16th, 2022 The Arc of a Scythe In the book “Arc of a scythe” Bby Neal Shusterman. The scythedom pressures an Iinescapable rivalry upon the two main characters, Rowan and Citra, by allowing only one of them to be ordained as a scythe. , tThere Iis no doubt that Citra should come out on top and be ordained as one of the scythes.

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In the book Scythe by Neal Schusterman, the concept of a mentor is explored as a key factor in the training and development of new Scythes. Throughout the novel, the actions of the mentors demonstrate that the greater good isn't always morally correct. The Scythes, tasked with the responsibility of population control in a world without disease or natural death, must follow strict guidelines to ensure their actions are just and unbiased. However, as the story progresses, it becomes clear that the mentors are willing to sacrifice their morals and ethics for the sake of expediency and efficiency. One example of a mentor who demonstrates the idea that the greater good isn't always morally correct is Scythe Faraday.

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