Archetypal criticism follows a basic rule of categorizing or relating any literary work within a defined framework. It functions on a subjective basis, it is used to determine and capture ideas of universal truth messages through literary work. Universal truths and messages are determined by identifying patterns such as character types, plots, settings, and symbols. The Road by Cormac McCarthy is a novel that accurately illustrates the principles of archetypal criticism. This narrative story combines the characters of a young miner and his father to summarize the ideas of an archetypal critique. McCarthy introduces the novel by setting the scene of a death-defying journey through a post-apocalyptic American wasteland. The young boy and his father continue a long and difficult journey as they seek refuge on America's southern coast from the impending winter and death. The novel is full of dangerous encounters with thieves, cannibals and series of deaths, testing both the father's will and the son's innocence. The novel explores many literary aspects and delves into the themes of fatherly guidance, good versus evil, and especially death and life. This novel provides an excellent illustration of the essence of archetypal criticism as persistent themes and patterns in humanity are revealed. The origins of archetypal criticism come from the work of Carl Jung, a prominent Swiss psychiatrist, who recognized the literary patterns of humanity. Jung suggested that humanity has a "collective unconscious that manifests itself in dreams, myths, and literature through archetypes: persistent images, figures, and story patterns shared by people of diverse cultures" ( Murfin and Ray, 22). Literary images and...... middle of paper ......t can feature in a story because they help the reader see the symbolism more clearly. By determining the archetypes of a literature, readers are able to grasp the universal truth and messages that the author is trying to show. Through these patterns and symbols, readers can connect the fundamental ideals of humanity to the real world. Works cited by Jung, CG and Herbert Read. The Collected Works of CG Jung, Vol. 9, Part 1: Archetypes and the collective unconscious. London: Routledge, 1990. Print. Murfin, Ross C., Supryia M. Ray. The Bedford Glossary of Critical and Literary Terms. Boston: Bedford, 1997. Print. Frye, Northrop. Anatomy of criticism. Np: Princeton UP, 1957. Print. Bavota, Carl. "Archetype - Definition and Examples | Literary Devices." Archetype. LiteraryDevices, February 3, 2014. Web. May 14, 2014. McCarthy, Cormac. The road. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2006. Print.