Alec: The Return Archetypal Criticism

The Return follows the archetype of the heroic quest. The hero, Kamau is on his “journey home” from “the abyss”. In the case of this story, the heroes trial was one of imprisonment. When Kamau returns he expects to find the old village waiting for him. However, after five years of imprisonment not only Kamau has changed. While following the patterns of a myth, The Return shatters the romantic stereotype of myth with cold reality. While at the start of the story, the reader has an image of the summer phase, where the hero returns home triumphant, these dreams are dashed by the changes in the world. Instead Kamau is thrust into the Autumn phase, finding himself betrayed by his rival and family he is completely isolated. The hero expected to be welcomed home to cheering and triumph, however he was instead faced with a changed world from the one he knew, this combined with the frustration of being denied the reunion he waited five years for is nearly too much for him to bear. The Return is appealing to all readers because it deals with many issues and involves many themes encompassed in our collective conscious. The need for recognition is a basic human attribute most evident in children. The lack of reward and recognition Kamau receives after his hardships instinctively triggers sympathy in the reader. The Author uses the framework of the Quest to convey complex, yet very common themes and emotions to the reader. The Return is a skillfully written short story that is a fine exemplar of the idea that no matter where you are from, be it Kenya or Canada, the basic stories, values, and themes are universal and are imprinted into humanity.